State adopts new rules on campaign finance disclosure

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Campaigns face broader requirements to disclose who is behind political ads and mailers in California after action Thursday by the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission. Disclosure will be required on campaign messages that appeal for voters to approve or reject a candidate or ballot measure even if they don’t use the words ‘vote for’ or ‘vote against.’

The new rule, which takes effect in 30 days, is a ‘very significant step toward more disclosure’ of who is paying for campaign ads and mailers, said Dan Schnur, chairman of the panel.

Under current rules, campaigns are not required to disclose the source of their donations if their ads to not use ‘magic words,’ such as ‘vote for’ or ‘vote against,’ that trigger campaign finance requirements.

The commission voted 4-1 to require disclosure when a campaign message ‘unambiguously urges a particular result’ in an election. The rules would apply when communications are ‘susceptible of no reasonable interpretation other than as an appeal to vote for or against a specific candidate or measure.’

That means campaigns will have to disclose their finances if their ads say ‘Smith’s the One’ or ‘Create Jobs with Measure X,’ phrases that in the past have allowed campaigns to get around the disclosure requirements.

-- Patrick McGreevy in Sacramento