RCRC officially opposed Assembly Bill 315 by Assembly Member Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens). If passed, AB 315 would place burdensome restrictions and reporting requirements on municipal advocacy organizations such as RCRC.
Specifically, AB 315 would:
- Prohibit municipal advocacy organizations from spending moneys for any purpose other than to present information regarding legislation;
- Require municipal advocacy organizations to publicly disclose any expenditures of the moneys; and,
- Restrict municipal advocacy organizations from incurring any travel-related expenses other than an annual conference or other events.
Many municipal advocacy organizations rely on membership dues to fund advocacy programs as well as a number of non-advocacy efforts (i.e. educational activities, charitable promotions, etc.). RCRC and a large number of AB 315 opponents believe the bill would limit advocacy organizations the ability to conduct outreach, seek feedback on policies and procedures, coordinate efforts between counties, recognize innovative county service models, and mobilize support and resources in the wake of natural disasters, among many other services.
Late on Thursday, Assembly Member Garcia withdrew AB 315 from being heard next week in the Assembly Local Government Committee. As such, the bill fails to advance. However, she has proclaimed that she will put forth a new bill in March to address the auditing of municipal advocacy organizations.
AB 315 letters can be accessed here, here, and here. For more information, Paul A. Smith, RCRC Governmental Affairs Vice President, can be reached at (916) 447-4806 or psmith@rcrcnet.org.