Agenda Packet_2022-05-03 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Lobbyist Registration Assessment Page 2 Public Access to Lobbyist Information Public access to forms disclosing information required by the Fair Political Practices Act(FPPC) which includes information related to campaign contributions is made available through a link on the City's website pursuant to Section 2-156 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code. This section requires that reporting, which is already required by the FPPC and is a public record, to be posted on the City's website. Project Approach Management Partners' approach involved learning about local regulation and why public agencies adopt laws and regulations related to lobbying, what is and is not lobbying, and understanding the issues related to adoption of lobbyist registration and reporting requirements.We interviewed staff members providing administrative support,reviewed existing documents including video segments of public meetings, and reviewed publicly available information from comparable agencies.We conducted follow-up interviews as needed to clarify information, with comparable agency staff. Why Adopt Local Lobbying Laws? Participatory democracy guarantees the right to free speech and to petition government. Lobbyists organize voices, sorting out the many competing interests of the public into a collective and comprehensive message, and apply continued pressure on issues to avoid loss of momentum as new issues arise. Additionally, lobbying and lobbyists can benefit government decision-making by providing technical or specialized information that might otherwise not be available to decision-makers. But there are competing public interests such as transparency,the fair exchange of ideas, and the integrity of the government decision-making process. The benefits of lobbying can be outweighed if the lobbying drowns out community voices, the information is incorrect or flawed, or where there is corruption or the appearance of corruption in the form of lobbyists exploiting their influence with public officials on behalf of private interests,bribery and/or sweet-heart contracts. To the greatest extent possible deliberations and actions by public agencies should be conducted openly. Members of the community have the right to know the identity of interests that attempt to influence decisions by government and to evaluate whether these interests create undue influence over local decision-makers. Lobbying laws, in varying forms, reflect an effort to reconcile these important rights and interests and promote public confidence in the integrity of City government by tempering the role of"influence" in government decision-making, preventing special interests from controlling the political process and ensuring ethical behavior by policymakers and government officials,while allowing the practice. The laws vary but essentially seek to capture who is acting on behalf of whom, on what kinds of matters with what desired outcome, and for what level of remuneration through registration and reporting on activities. City Council 9 - 2 5/3/2022