California City, County, School, and Special District Local Lobbying Ordinances

Certain California cities, counties, school and special districts have laws regulating lobbying activities, in addition to federal tax law and California state law. “Special districts” include airport authorities and transportation authorities. These laws do not limit the amount of lobbying your organization can do. Nonetheless, they may impact the ways in which you interact with public officials. The good news is the vast majority of jurisdictions in California do not regulate the interaction between nonprofits and government officials. While local lobbying laws that do exist in some jurisdictions add one more consideration as you develop your local advocacy strategy, they should not be thought of as barriers to your organization’s activity.

Unfortunately, there is no standard law that regulates local lobbying across California jurisdictions. If your organization is active in a particular city, county, or special district, you should take a moment to familiarize yourself with the laws in that location.