For years, former Democratic Assemblymember Evan Low of Cupertino raised money for a tech nonprofit foundation run by people closely tied to him, including his former chief of staff.
Now, the state’s campaign finance regulators say there’s probable cause to believe that the same nonprofit made more than $113,000 in non-monetary donations to Low’s re-election campaign in 2020, potentially exceeding the state’s contribution limits, reports CalMatters’ Yue Stella Yu.
That’s among dozens of potential state law violations identified by the California Fair Political Commission — an agency enforcing the state’s campaign and ethics laws — in its investigation into Low, his campaign committee and the nonprofit. The findings are from a commission-initiated, five-year investigation, launched the same day CalMatters published the third installment of its Sweet Charity series examining the relationship between politicians and the foundations for which they solicit funds.
The commission said it collected enough evidence to believe that Low failed to timely report more than $227,000 it raised for three nonprofits, and that the nonprofit’s donations were not reported on time, as is required by state law.
The nonprofit, the Foundation for California’s Technology and Innovation Economy, denied ever making the alleged contributions, and Low and his attorney did not answer CalMatters’ questions.
The commissioners have the authority to determine whether those violations occurred. If the commission’s findings hold true, they would suggest that Low and the foundation exchanged benefits, ethics advocates say.
- Sean McMorris, California Common Cause’s transparency, ethics, and accountability program manager: “It’s rational for the public to come to the conclusion that it’s like ‘you scratch my back and I scratch yours.’”
It would also raise legal questions: The foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization largely prohibited by federal law from engaging in political activities, including making contributions to campaigns.
Read more in Stella’s story.
How will Trump’s second presidency affect your corner of California? CalMatters is working with public radio partners to gather perspectives across the state. Share your thoughts here.
Other Stories You Should Know
Trump’s immigration agenda
Within the first week of his second term, President Donald Trump issued several executive actions to crack down on immigration. To make sense of the flurry of new policies, CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang breaks down which immigration policies have changed so far and how California is responding.
That includes Trump’s actions to eliminate birthright citizenship; expand the reach of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (such as allowing agents to make arrests at churches, schools and other “sensitive locations”); and revoking pathways for immigrants to arrive in the U.S. legally.
The policies have been stoking fear among immigrant communities. One person Jeanne spoke to, an immigrant citrus picker, said she stayed home for a day after an unannounced January immigration raid in Kern County. She has since returned to work: “Everybody goes out with fear. But one has needs. And my needs are bigger than the fear,” she said.
Newsom signs ‘Trump-proofing’ plan
Following the Legislature’s final approval of the measures last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills Friday, setting aside $50 million to push back against Trump administration policies.
As CalMatters’ Alexei Koseff explains, $25 million will go to the California Department of Justice to battle the federal administration in court. Since Trump’s return to office, California has joined with other states in two lawsuits so far over Trump’s executive orders to end birthright citizenship and freeze federal grants.
The other $25 million is for funding local efforts that provide legal aid services related to immigration defense, as well as other disputes including wage theft, evictions and workplace protections, according to the bill analysis.
Compared to the fanfare when Newsom first called the special session in November directing state legislators to “Trump-proof” the state, the governor held no public event for the signing of these two bills.
After the outbreak of the Southern California wildfires in January, Newsom has been lobbying the federal government for disaster aid, which Trump and congressional Republican leaders have repeatedly threatened to withhold unless California changes its water and elections policies.
And lastly: ATM junk fees
A new California law prevents banks from charging penalties when ATM withdrawals are declined for insufficient funds. CalMatters economy reporter Levi Sumagaysay and video strategy director Robert Meeks have a video segment on the state’s broader effort to eliminate junk fees as part of our partnership with PBS SoCal. Watch it here.
SoCalMatters airs at 5:58 p.m. weekdays on PBS SoCal.
California Voices
CalMatters events: On Feb. 25 CalMatters’ Adam Echelman will hold a panel to discuss what the state is doing to help employment outcomes for Californians ages 16 to 24. Register here to attend in person at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles or virtually.
Other things worth your time:
‘We’re up next’: Levi’s Stadium starts countdown to host Super Bowl LX // The Mercury News
Why two US senators slammed an SF telehealth company’s Super Bowl ad // San Francisco Chronicle
Cal Fire’s updated fire-hazard maps will double area of locally managed land // Los Angeles Times
FEMA workers responding to LA fires reportedly told to say ‘alien’ instead of ‘immigrant’ // The Guardian
After critics blast move to pay LA wildfire recovery czar $500, he’ll do it for free // Los Angeles Times
AG Bonta praises order blocking feds from accessing Americans’ private data // San Francisco Chronicle
CA reservoirs gained billions of gallons of water in recent storms // San Francisco Chronicle
Tesla discrimination probe killed as Trump axes watchdog agency // The San Francisco Standard
Central CA cities are pursuing sanctuary policies. Here’s what that means // The Fresno Bee
Leaked document says ‘large scale’ immigration enforcement action coming soon to LA // Los Angeles Times