California Fair Political Practices Commission, State of California

Government AdministrationUnited States51-200 Employees

The Fair Political Practices Commission is a five-member independent, non-partisan commission that has primary responsibility for the impartial and effective administration of the Political Reform Act. The Act regulates campaign financing, conflicts of interest, lobbying, and governmental ethics. The Commission’s objectives are to ensure that public officials act in a fair and unbiased manner in the governmental decision-making process, to promote transparency in government, and to foster public trust in the political system. 

History of FPPC
The Act and the FPPC were created in 1974 when California voters approved Proposition 9. In the wake of the Watergate scandal, Californians wanted to reign in the potential corruptive influence of special interests by creating an agency to enforce the most rigorous restrictions on fundraising and lobbying in the country. And since the adoption of the Act, the Commission has been responsible for shining light on some of the most egregious violations of campaign and governmental ethics. 

FPPC Today
Looking forward, there are several goals the Commission is promoting to help foster the public’s trust in our political system. Foremost, we will continue to diligently prosecute serious violations of the law, ensuring that officials operate in a way that does not betray the public’s confidence. Second, the Commission will increase transparency by utilizing technology to provide “smart disclosure,” giving more people easy access to vital information about their public officials and campaign financing. Finally, we will concentrate on adopting meaningful reforms while maintaining the highest ethical standards. Our objective is to streamline the rules to reduce redundancy, eliminate loopholes and improve accountability with more timely and accurate disclosures. Throughout its 40-year history the Commission has stood out as a national leader in regulating governmental ethics and we are committed to continuing that legacy.

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