Meeting: February 25, 2025
1 16 ITEM BY COUNCILMEMBERS DAN HALL, ELLIS RASKIN, AND NATALYA 2 ZERNITSKAYA
3 Request of Councilmembers Hall, Raskin, and Zernitskaya that in order to promote 4 free and fair elections, the Council direct Staff to return with options to raise the 5 individual contribution limit during political campaigns. 6 The 2024 City Council election was the most expensive Council race in Santa 7 Monica’s history, with individual candidate fundraising dwarfed by independent 8 expenditures (IEs) at a rate of 3 to 1. Per the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. 9 Federal Election Commission, IEs, which are a type of political action committee, have 10 no limit on raising for political campaigns in support or against candidates. Meanwhile, 11 we handicap local candidates by limiting how much they can raise. In aggregate, during 12 the 2024 election cycle, Council candidates raised $430,098, where IEs raised $1.3M+. 13 In 2022, the Council raised the individual contribution limit from $370 to $410 to 14 address rising inflation. Meanwhile, the State has lifted Levine Act reporting and recusal 15 requirements from $250 to $500 through the passage of SB 1243, signed into law by 16 Governor Newsom on September 30, 2024. The City of West Hollywood sets an individual 17 contribution limit of $1000 (West Hollywood Municipal Code §2.76.030). The City of 18 Culver City set an individual contribution limit of $1000 in 2016 that is automatically 19 adjusted annually per the Consumer Price Index rounded to the nearest $10 (Culver City 20 Municipal Code §3.06.015); the 2024 election cycle had a limit of $1,120 and will be 21 adjusted again in February 2025 for the 2026 election cycle. The City of Beverly Hills has 22 a maximum of $125 for individual contributions, but if candidates accept voluntary 23 expenditure limits, may accept contributions up to $500 (Beverly Hills Municipal Code §1- 24 8-3).
25 In order to promote free and fair elections, limit IE influence, and encourage greater 26 participation and access to municipal elections,
27 WE THEREFORE MOVE THAT THE COUNCIL:
28 1. Direct the City Attorney to return to Council no later than April 8, 2025, with a staff 29 report and recommendations for options to raise the individual contribution limit of 30 varying amounts up to $1500, with information including:
31 1.1. An environmental scan of peer cities - by size, association, and influence - 32 in the Los Angeles Region and State of California regarding their 33 contribution limits.
34 1.2. At least one option including automatic adjustments each election cycle, to 35 be implemented at the beginning of odd years following an election year, 36 that reflect increases in the Consumer Price Index for the preceding 37 calendar year (January - December) for the Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange 16 ITEM BY COUNCILMEMBERS HALL, RASKIN, AND ZERNITSKAYA Raising Individual Contribution Limits for Political Campaigns
38 County CPI-U as published by the United States Department of Labor, 39 Bureau of Labor Statistics rounded to the nearest Ten Dollars ($10.00). 40 2. Direct the City Clerk to make any appropriate and necessary changes to comply 41 with the above direction.
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