California lawmakers send governor new gift rules after scandals

The state Senate on Friday acted on stricter ethics rules meant to restore public confidence in the Legislature after three senators were charged with criminal wrongdoing.

Lawmakers sent Gov. Jerry Brown a bill that would reduce the limit on gifts from a single source to elected officials from $440 to $200, bar gifts from lobbyists and prohibit elected officials and legislators from accepting free tickets to professional sports and entertainment events, horse races and amusement parks.

Elected officials would also be barred from receiving free golf and skiing, as well as hunting and fishing trips, spa treatments, cash and gift cards.

“It brings in reasonable limitations that restore the public’s confidence in their political institutions and, more importantly, in their elected officials,” said Sen. Kevin De León (D-Los Angeles) on Friday after the unanimous vote.

De León introduced SB 1443 as part of an effort to counter bad publicity following the suspensions in March of Democratic state Sens. Leland Yee of San Francisco, Ronald S. Calderon of Montebello and Roderick Wright of the Inglewood area.

Yee and Calderon face federal indictments for public corruption and Wright was found guilty by a jury of eight felonies including voter fraud and perjury for lying when he said he lived in his Senate district.

The legislation is supported by California Common Cause, which wrote to lawmakers that “the practice of gift giving has become an unseemly problem.”

In 2012 alone, special interests gave over $32,000 in event and admission tickets to state elected officials, all of it legally, the group said.

Last year, some 116 lawmakers reported gifts that were worth almost $760,000, including a $15,800 trip for two to Armenia for Assemblyman Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita) and a companion, according to an analysis by The Times. The trip was a gift from the Armenian consulate.

Priscilla Sandoval contributed to this report.