Assembly BillChaptered/SignedGovernment
AB 1736: Political Reform Act of 1974: lobbyist employers: fictitious appearances.
What AB 1736 does, verified August 24, 2026
This bill aims to amend the Political Reform Act of 1974 to prohibit a lobbyist employer from attempting to create a fictitious appearance of public favor or disfavor for any proposed action. The act would extend the existing prohibition to lobbyist employers, who are defined as individuals or organizations that hire one or more lobbyists or contract for their services. The bill declares that it furthers the purposes of the act, which aims to promote transparency and accountability in government. A violation of the act is punishable as a misdemeanor. The bill also states that no reimbursement is required by the state for local agencies and school districts to implement the new provisions.
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Last action: Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 71, Statutes of 2026. (2026-07-13)Alert me
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| Jul. 13, 2026 | Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 71, Statutes of 2026. |
| Jul. 13, 2026 | Approved by the Governor. |
| Jul. 02, 2026 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m. |
| Jun. 25, 2026 | In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling. |
| Jun. 25, 2026 | Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 5015.). |
Latest bill textChaptered version, July 13, 2026 · 761 words
Assembly Bill No. 1736
CHAPTER 71
An act to amend Sections 86205 and 86206 of the Government Code, relating to the Political Reform Act of 1974.
[ Approved by Governor July 13, 2026. Filed with Secretary of State July 13, 2026. ]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1736, Pellerin. Political Reform Act of 1974: lobbyist employers: fictitious appearances.
(1) Existing law, the Political Reform Act of 1974, prohibits a lobbyist or lobbying firm from attempting to create a fictitious appearance of public favor or disfavor of any proposed legislative or administrative action or to cause any communication to be sent to any elected state officer, legislative official, agency official, or state candidate in the name of any fictitious person or in the name of any real person, except with the consent of the real person.
The act defines “lobbyist employer” as any person, other than a lobbying firm, who employs one or more lobbyists or contracts for the services of a lobbying firm, as specified.
This bill would extend the above prohibition to lobbyist employers.
(2) The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act’s purposes upon a 2/3 vote of each house of the Legislature and compliance with specified procedural requirements.
This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.
(3) A violation of the Political Reform Act of 1974 is punishable as a misdemeanor. By expanding the scope of a prohibition under the act, the bill would expand the scope of an existing crime and therefore create a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 86205 of the Government Code is amended to read:86205.
(a) A lobbyist or lobbying firm shall not:(1) Do anything with the purpose of placing any elected state officer, legislative official, agency official, or state candidate under personal obligation to the lobbyist, the lobbying firm, or the lobbyist’s or the firm’s employer.
(2) Deceive or attempt to deceive any elected state officer, legislative official, agency official, or state candidate with regard to any material fact pertinent to any pending or proposed legislative or administrative action.
(3) Cause or influence the introduction of any bill or amendment thereto for the purpose of thereafter being employed to secure its passage or defeat.
(4) Represent falsely, either directly or indirectly, that the lobbyist or the lobbying firm can control the official action of any elected state officer, legislative official, or agency official.
(5) Accept or agree to accept any payment in any way contingent upon the defeat, enactment, or outcome of any proposed legislative or administrative action.
(b) A lobbyist, lobbying firm, or lobbying employer shall not create or attempt to create a fictitious appearance of public favor or disfavor of any proposed legislative or administrative action or cause or attempt to cause any communication to be sent to any elected state officer, legislative official, agency official, or state candidate in the name of any fictitious person or in the name of any real person, except with the consent of such real person.
SEC. 2.
Section 86206 of the Government Code is amended to read:86206.
This article does not prohibit the payment of fees for contractual services provided to an investment manager by a placement agent, as defined in Section 82047.3, who is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and regulated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, except as provided in paragraph (5) of subdivision (a) of Section 86205.SEC. 3.
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.SEC. 4.
The Legislature finds and declares that this bill furthers the purposes of the Political Reform Act of 1974 within the meaning of subdivision (a) of Section 81012 of the Government Code.Text of AB 1736 as chaptered, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions