Californians running for federal offices (President, U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate) are required to register and file financial activity reports with the Federal Election Commission . Federal campaign committees do not file reports with the California Secretary of State.
People running for state offices (such as Governor or State Assembly), as well as political action committees, lobbyists, lobbyists employers, and lobbying firms that conduct business in California are required to register with the California Secretary of State and file financial activity reports. Candidates and committees who raise or spend more than $25,000 must electronically file their reports; those who spend or raise less than $25,000 may file paper reports. All lobbyists, lobbyists employers, and lobbying firms with quarterly activity of $2,500 or more file electronically. Electronic campaign finance filings for state offices and state lobbying activity filings can be viewed through the California Secretary of State website.
Many California cities and counties have campaign and lobbying filing requirements that apply to candidates, political committees and lobbying entities operating in their city or county. Those reports are filed directly with the city or county, not with the California Secretary of State, and many cities and counties have online filing systems and public websites for viewing reports.
