SEAL BEACH : Council Approves Campaign Reforms

The City Council gave final approval this week to campaign reforms that limit the size of candidate contributions and set up a mandatory finance reporting system.

The ordinance, which will go into effect in time for next spring’s primary elections, is modeled after campaign finance laws in other cities.

The rules:

* Prohibit candidates from accepting more than $250 from an individual.

* Require that candidates file a listing of contributions and contributors with the city three times during the campaign.

* Prohibit contributions on the last week of the campaign, after the last financial reports have been filed.

Council members on Monday also expressed an interest in further strengthening the ordinance. One idea is to prohibit candidates from collecting campaign contributions earlier than six months before the election.