Limits on Lobbyists Advance

Two bills aimed at curbing conflicts of interest between politicians and lobbyists who also work for them as campaign consultants cleared an Assembly committee Tuesday.

The bills were introduced in July as a result of a Capitol hallway outburst by Richie Ross, one of the few people in Sacramento who works as both a political consultant and a registered lobbyist. Ross yelled at staff members for two lawmakers who did not vote for a bill backed by one of his lobbying clients, the United Farm Workers.

Ross has worked for at least 14 Democratic lawmakers and constitutional officers in the past couple of years, including Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante in his failed run in the October gubernatorial recall election.

Critics say that politicians share personal information with Ross as a campaign consultant and often rack up thousands of dollars in debts to him. That gives him leverage, they say, when he asks political clients to vote for bills backed by his lobbying clients, which have included Indian tribes, consumer attorneys and unions.

While Ross’ dual role has troubled some lawmakers for years, they did not try to restrict it until after his June outburst.

Ross could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

The elections committee passed AB 1785 by Assemblyman Dario Frommer (D-Los Feliz) on a 4-0 vote. It would bar lobbyists from trying to influence lawmakers with whom they have a business relationship worth at least $500 during the period of the contract and for six months after it ends.

“There have been several instances in the past few years of threats and other intimidation tactics against members of the Legislature and other elected officials,” Frommer said. “It’s necessary that we make sure that no lobbyist is exerting undue influence over the legislative process.”

The committee also passed on a 4-0 vote AB 1784 by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk (D-Davis), which would impose the same restriction on lobbyists dealing with other state elected officers.

Wolk’s bill also would have banned contingency fee arrangements in which a candidate promises to pay a political consultant only if the candidate wins election.

But Wolk agreed to remove that ban to address concerns by Assemblyman Steve Samuelian (R-Clovis), who said he had promised his own consultant a “win bonus.”

“I think it [a ban] interferes with the free market because a candidate has the option to sign a win bonus or not sign one,” Samuelian said.

Wolk and Frommer agreed to amend the bill to require instead that all contingency fees be publicly disclosed to the secretary of state’s office.

“We want sunshine on it,” Frommer said.

Without the disclosure, candidates could keep secret during a campaign who they have hired as a political consultant. A contingency fee arrangement also helps a candidate stay under voluntary spending limits created by a 2000 campaign reform measure passed by voters.

Ross has had such arrangements with several Democratic lawmakers.

The Frommer and Wolk bills are linked legislatively so that if one fails they both fail. Passage requires a two-thirds vote in the Assembly and Senate because the bills amend the voter-approved Political Reform Act of 1974.

The bills are advancing even as a task force set up in June to review rules governing lobbyists has yet to share its recommendations.

Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson (D-Culver City), a Ross client, created the task force after many Democrats complained about the Ross outburst in June.

Lawmakers on the task force issued a report last fall that has not circulated beyond the offices of Wesson and Speaker-elect Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles).

“They are still under review by staff in the speaker’s office,” Wesson spokesman Paul Hefner said of the findings.