Campaign Finance
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Click here to search Sonoma County's online campaign finance statements
Pursuant to Government Code § 84615 Campaign Reports and Statements - Electronic Filing for Local Agencies, Sonoma County is pleased to offer campaign disclosure statements online and free of charge via Netfile. You can access the County’s campaign statements electronically, 24/7 from the comfort of your own desktop or mobile device.
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Fair Political Practices Commission
The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) is a five-member independent, non-partisan commission dedicated to:
- Ensuring that public officials act in a fair and unbiased manner in the governmental decision-making process
- Promoting transparency in government
- Fostering public trust in the political system
The FPPC was formed by the Political Reform Act, which was passed by California voters via initiative in 1974. The Act requires detailed disclosure of the role of money in California politics, including the filing of financial statements revealing contributions received and expenditures made by all of the following:
- Candidates for state and local elective office
- State and local elected officeholders
- Proponents of state and local ballot measures who control a ballot measure committee
- Committees supporting or opposing state and local candidates
- Measure and petition circulation committees
FPPC Resources
When to File
Every candidate and committee must be aware of the filing schedules associated with their specific election. Missing a filing deadline can have serious consequences ranging from monetary penalties, failure to be listed on the ballot, or enforcement action by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC)
Important: It is the responsibility of the candidate and/or committee to be aware of, and to file, the required campaign disclosure statements in a correct and timely manner.Important: Government Code § 91013 provides for a fine of $10 per day for the late filing of any campaign disclosure statements after the deadline and until the statement is filed.If you are unsure which filing schedule applies to your election, refer to the appropriate Filing Schedule or contact the FPPC.
Where to File
Generally, candidates and committees involved in state elections (constitutional officers, State Senate, State Assembly, statewide ballot measures, etc.) file with the Secretary of State’s office, those involved in county (Supervisors, Sheriff-Coroner, District Attorney, etc.), school, or special district elections file with the county elections office, and those involved in city/town elections file with the city/town clerk's office.
For decades, Sonoma County has had an ordinance on the books limiting the amount of money a candidate running for a county office can solicit or accept from a person in an election cycle. The most current iteration of this law is contained in §§ 2-300 to 2-314 of Article XX of Chapter 2 of the Sonoma County Code of Ordinances.
The ordinance classifies county offices as the following:
- Supervisor
- Clerk-Recorder-Assessor
- Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector
- Sheriff-Coroner
- District Attorney
- County Superintendent of Schools
In 2008, the last time the ordinance was amended by the Board of Supervisors, contributions were capped at $2,500.00, except for election cycles in which more than $10,000 in independent expenditures were made, in which case the cap doubled to $5,000.00. The ordinance also built in an "escalator" which automatically increased the contribution limits by five percent biannually beginning in 2011. To see what the current contribution limits are, please see the table below:
Year Contribution Limit Increased Contribution Limit 2008 $2,500.00 $5,000.00 2011 $2,625.00 $5,250.00 2013 $2,756.25 $5,512.50 2015 $2,894.06 $5,788.13 2017 $3,038.77 $6,077.53 2019 $3,190.70 $6,381.41 2021 $3,350.24 $6,700.48 2023 $3,500.00 $7,000.00 2025 TBD TBD