RESOLUTION NO. 8551
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RIALTO, CALIFORNIA, ESTABLISHING CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION LIMITS AND OTHER RELATED CAMPAIGN REGULATIONS.
WHEREAS, the City of Rialto does not have campaign contribution limits and, therefore, the Statewide campaign contribution limits for local elected officials apply to the City’s elective offices; and WHEREAS, Government Code Section 85702.5(a) permits the City Council to impose campaign contribution limits for candidates for elective city office that are different from the limit set forth in Government Code Section 85301(d); and WHEREAS, Government Code Section 81013 permits the City to impose additional campaign finance requirements so long as such requirements do not prevent compliance with the Political Reform Act; and WHEREAS, the City Council desires to establish campaign contribution limits and other related campaign regulations for the City’s elective offices as provided by this Resolution.
NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Rialto, California, does resolve, declare, determine and order as follows:
SECTION 1. Recitals. The recitals above are true and correct and are incorporated into the body of this Resolution by reference.
SECTION 2. Purpose. The United States Supreme Court has held that the purpose of a campaign reform regulations must be to reduce corruption or the appearance of corruption in the electoral process, and that corruption in this context means “quid pro quo” corruption, that is, the contribution of money or resources for political favors. This Resolution does this by establishing a limit on the amount that individuals and entities may contribute to candidates for the elective offices of the City. These requirements are intended to make it more difficult for candidates and influential individuals and entities to engage in quid pro quo corruption.
SECTION 3. Relationship to the Political Reform Act of 1974.
A. The Political Reform Act, as amended and codified, establishes contribution limits and other campaign regulations for candidates for City elective offices if the City has not enacted a contribution limit for City elective offices.
B. Unless a word or term is specifically defined in this Resolution or the contrary is stated or clearly appears from the context, words and terms shall have the same meaning as when they are used in the Political Reform Act, as amended and codified, and in the related regulations of the Fair Political Practices Commission.
C. If any provision of this Resolution prevents any candidate or person from complying with the Political Reform Act, such provision is preempted by the Political Reform Act to the extent necessary to bring this Resolution into full compliance therewith.
SECTION 4. Definitions. For the purposes of this Resolution, the following terms and definitions apply:
A. Candidate. Any individual who is a candidate for an elective office of the City, including, without limitation, mayor, city councilmember, city clerk, and city treasurer.
B. City. City of Rialto.
C. Entity. Any person, other than an individual.
D. Individual. A human being.
E. Person. An individual, proprietorship, firm, partnership, joint venture, syndicate, business trust, company, corporation, limited liability company, association, committee, and any other organization or group of persons acting in concert.
SECTION 5. Campaign Contributions.
A. Contribution Limit. A person may not make to a candidate, and a candidate may not accept from a person, any contribution or contributions totaling more than $5,900 per calendar year, except as further provided in this Section.
B. Contribution Limit Adjustments. Beginning on January 1, 2027, the contribution limits provided in Section 5(A) shall be adjusted in January of every odd-numbered year to reflect any increase or decrease in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario. Those adjustments shall be rounded to the nearest $100 and shall be effective on January 1 of every odd-numbered year. The City Clerk shall maintain a record of any increased contribution limits pursuant to this Section 5 and shall make such record available to the public and all candidates.
C. Return of Contribution in Excess of Limits.
(1) A monetary contribution or contributions that exceed the limits of this Section 5 shall be returned prior to deposit or negotiation, within 14 days of receipt. (2) Any contributions returned pursuant to this Section 5(C) shall be deemed not to have been accepted within the meaning of that provision. (3) A non-monetary contribution shall be returned by returning to the contributor, within the deadline specified in Section 5(C)(1), by returning such non-monetary contribution through any of the following methods: return the non-monetary contribution; return its monetary equivalent; return the monetary amount by which the value of the non-monetary contribution exceeds the contribution limit established in this Section 5. (4) This Section 5(C) shall not be construed to authorize the making or solicitation of any contribution in excess of the contribution limit established in this Section 5.
SECTION 6. Aggregation of Contributions.
A. General. For purposes of the contribution limits provided in this Resolution, the contributions from certain combinations of individuals and entities must be added together to determine the total amount that will be treated as made by, and received from, a single contributor. Such aggregated amount shall not exceed the contribution limit established under Section 5.
B. Contributions of an Entity Treated as Contributions of an Individual. (1) The contributions of an entity whose contributions are directed and controlled by an individual shall also be treated as the contributions of the individual. (2) The contributions of an entity whose contributions are directed and controlled by two or more individuals shall also be treated as the contributions, on a pro rata basis, of the individuals. (3) The contributions of an entity that is majority-owned by an individual shall also be treated as the contributions of the individual, unless the entity acts independently in its decision to make the contributions.
C. Contributions of an Entity Treated as Contributions of Another Entity. (1) The contributions of an entity whose contributions are directed and controlled by an individual shall also be treated as the contributions of any other entity whose contributions are directed and controlled by the same individual. (2) The contributions of an entity whose contributions are directed and controlled by a majority of persons shall also be treated as the contributions of all other entities whose contributions are directed and controlled by the same majority of persons. (3) The contributions of an entity that is majority-owned by a person shall also be treated as the contributions of all other entities majority owned by the same person, unless the entity acts independently in its decision to make the contributions.
SECTION 7. Candidate’s Own Contributions; Family Contributions.
A. Contribution of Candidate’s Own Funds. The provisions of Section 5 do not apply to a candidate’s contributions of his or her personal funds or community property to his or her campaign.
B. Contribution of Spouses or Domestic Partners. For purposes of this Resolution, a single contribution made by both spouses or by both registered domestic partners shall not be aggregated but shall be divided equally between both spouses or between both domestic partners.
C. Contribution of Minor. A contribution made by a child less than 18 years of age is presumed to be a contribution from the parent or guardian of the child. For contribution tracking purposes, if the parents or guardians of the child are married or have joint legal custody of child, the contribution shall be divided equally between them. If one parent or guardian has primary or sole legal custody of the child, then the contribution shall be attributed to that parent or guardian. The candidate accepting a contribution from a child under the age of 18 shall obtain the information concerning parental or guardian attribution.
SECTION 8. Loans to Campaign. A candidate shall not personally loan to the candidate’s campaign, including the proceeds of a loan obtained by the candidate from a commercial lending institution, an amount, the outstanding balance of which exceeds $100,000. A candidate shall not charge interest on any loan the candidate made to the candidate’s campaign.
SECTION 9. Contributions to Other Candidates. A candidate shall not make a contribution to any other candidate in excess of the limits set forth in Section 5.
SECTION 10. Non-Application to Other Elections and Recall Elections. In the event a candidate also runs for election for a State, Federal, county, special district, or other non-City office, the provisions of this Resolution do not apply to the candidate’s campaign for such other office nor to any committee established solely for the purpose of running for such other office.
SECTION 11. Effective Date. The Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its adoption.
SECTION 12. Certification. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Resolution.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this ____th day of ________, 2026.
Joe Baca, Mayor
ATTEST:
Barbara A. McGee, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Eric S. Vail, City Attorney
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO ) ss
CITY OF RIALTO )
I, Barbara A. McGee, City Clerk of the City of Rialto, do hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution No. was duly passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the city council of the City of Rialto held on the day of , 2026.
Upon motion of Councilmember , seconded by Councilmember , the foregoing Resolution No. was duly passed and adopted.
Vote on the Motion:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and the Official Seal of the City of Rialto, this _____ day of _______________, 2026. ____________________________________
Barbara A. McGee, City Clerk
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