State Sen. Susan Rubio holds a powerful position in Sacramento. As chair of the Senate Insurance Committee, Democrat Baldwin Park can help pass or kill any legislation that affects the insurance industry.
Anti-corruption laws prevent Rubio from accepting campaign contributions from insurance lobbyists or other lobbyists as he raises money for his 2026 re-election bid. California law prohibits California lobbyists from donating to the campaigns of state legislators.
However, there are no such restrictions on lobbyists contributing to campaigns for federal office, even if the candidate is a state representative. So when Mr. Rubio runs for Congress this year, he can receive federal campaign contributions from lobbyists trying to influence votes in Sacramento.
And she is.
Mr. Rubio received nearly $43,300 in contributions from registered state lobbyists in his campaign to replace retiring Rep. Grace Napolitano in California's 31st Congressional District. That's a fraction of the total money she's raised as of Feb. 14, but it's the most lobbyist money of any California lawmaker running for Congress. Many of the lobbyists who donated to Ms. Rubio's congressional campaigns are members of the state House of Representatives, including the Insurance Committee, which Ms. Rubio chairs, and committees that oversee policy on health care, energy, utilities, and alcohol control. He is a representative of a company that lobbies for bills that are debated by the committee he serves as.
Eight state representatives are running for Congress this year. Six people received lobbyist contributions, but the amounts varied widely, with lobbyist contributions across the six campaigns totaling $96,090.
Donations are legal and make up a small portion of a candidate's overall fundraising. Still, some watchdog groups say lobbyist money should be banned because it risks influencing ongoing decisions by lawmakers at the state level.
“It doesn't mean they're going to vote in their favor, but it could happen,” said Sean McMorris, program manager at government watchdog group Common Cause.
His organization was part of the following coalition: introduced California's 50-year-old political reform law prohibits lobbyists from making donations to state legislators.
Bob Stern, a co-author of the law, said the state ban was put in place because “legislators receive large sums of money from lobbying people, and they have no control over lobbying and campaigning.” “I thought the donations should be separated,” he said.
In practice, Stern said, the ban would have limited impact because companies that employ lobbyists and affiliated political action committees can provide contributions directly to candidates.
But there was still “symbolism” in the farewell, he said.
Rubio's campaign manager, Giovanni Ruiz, said all donations she received from individuals were “based solely on mutually respectful relationships,” an issue that donors have lobbied for in the past. He said he was against it.
Mr. Ruiz also pointed out that Mr. Rubio has been funneled large sums of money by his opponent, Jill Cisneros, who has poured $4 million of his own money into his campaign.
Silicon Valley Congressional candidate Rep. Evan Roe (D-Campbell) received $21,650 from lobbyists, accounting for 2% of his fundraising.he Participated in a late race He will replace retiring Rep. Anna Eshoo in early December, months before the March primary.
Sen. Dave Minn (D-Irvine), who is running to replace Rep. Katie Porter in the Orange County seat, has received about $16,500 in donations from lobbyists since he started his campaign. This corresponds to 1% of the total donations. at the beginning of 2023.
Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), who is vying to replace Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Los Angeles), received $4,000 from a lobbyist, and her opponent, state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-Burbank), received $4,000 from a lobbyist. Received $6,500. These totals represent less than 1% of her respective fundraising totals.
Portantino and Friedman both were running He held a seat on the Los Angeles Assembly for more than a year.
State Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger), a candidate for the Central Valley House of Representatives, received about $4,000 from a lobbyist. This amount accounted for 6.1% of her total funds raised since she took office. started her campaign In August 2023.
Hurtado told the Times that lawmakers should be able to accept such donations, but acknowledged that “money has the power to corrupt people, plain and simple.”
Since August, Hurtado has raised less than $100,000, but said he is in debt after spending his own money on the race. The only money she doesn't receive is from the cannabis industry, she told the Times.
Friedman went further, saying he believes there are potential problems with accepting lobbyist money and supports legislation that would prohibit federal campaigns from receiving money from state lobbyists.
Friedman also noted that her campaign rejects all funding from corporate PACs, which she said is a much more pronounced problem for people like her. She characterized the donations she and her colleagues received from lobbyists as paltry compared to the “avalanche of money” from lobbyists' clients.
Mr. Portantino, Mr. Low and Mr. Ming did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Two state legislators running for Congress have not received any donations from lobbyists: State Sen. Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera), also running for the San Gabriel Valley seat of Napolitano, has not campaigned. has started last summer, and Rep. Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield), who is running for the Bakersfield seat currently vacated by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Fong launched his campaign in December.
State-required disclosures are limited, so lobbyists are not required to publicly report which legislators they try to influence on various bills, drawing a direct line between lobbying and donations. It has become difficult.
However, campaign finance and lobbying records show that some of the candidates received contributions from lobbyists working with companies seeking to influence policy in areas they have authority based on their committee positions. It has been found.
Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) is one of several state representatives running for Congress this year.
(Robert Gorey/Los Angeles Times)
Mandy Lee, a lobbyist in Sacramento, gave Rubio the maximum contribution of $3,300. Her firm represents the Property Casualty Insurance Association of America; A leading industry association for home insurance, auto insurance, and commercial insurance companies. The association lobbied for the bill before the Senate Insurance Committee, which Rubio chairs. Mr. Lee also donated $500 to Mr. Min.
A spokesperson for Mr. Rubio noted that the relationship between the senator and Mr. Lee began long before she was elected to Congress.
Mr. Rubio also received $2,000 from lobbyist Paul Gradfelty, who represents Travelers Insurance Company.
“It is not unusual for state lobbyists to make personal contributions to congressional candidates that we know and believe in, and is allowed by state law. Gradfelty said in a text message that her friendship with Rubio “exists regardless of her committee assignments.”
Lobbyists Soila Fernandez and Kirk Kimmelshew, owners of Fernandez Jensen Kimmelshew Government Affairs, both donated to Minn and Rubio's campaigns.The company's customer list also includes local water authorities and the Northern California Water Association.both lobbied for bills considered by the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, which Minn chairs.
Their firm also represents Southern California Edison, which regularly works on bills before the Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee, on which Min and Rubio serve. Anheuser-Busch Brewery is lobbying the alcohol regulatory commission, of which Rubio is a member. and the American Pharmaceutical Research Association, which is lobbying the health committee on which Rubio serves.
RJ Cervantes, a lobbyist whose clients include trade associations for cryptocurrencies and electronic payment companies, co-chairs the Legislative Technology and Innovation Caucus, a group of legislators who want to promote a tech-friendly climate in California. He donated $3,300 to Mr. Lowe. .
Mr. Cervantes, Mr. Kimmelshew, Mr. Fernandez and Mr. Lee did not respond to requests for comment.
Jessica Levinson, an election law professor at Loyola Law School and former chair of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission, said she doesn't see the situation as clear-cut as for Common Cause's McMorris.
She said it was unethical for state legislators to accept contributions from lobbyists to congressional campaigns because there was “very real room in the law” to allow such contributions to federal campaigns. I didn't think so.
“It's up to voters to decide whether they care about this or not,” Levinson said. “My guess is that for most voters, that's pretty far down the list.”
