California legislation to prohibit public officials from voting on public contracts that benefit their family members and relatives is winning bipartisan support in the Legislature.
The bill now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Mr. Do did not disclose publicly he had any connection to the organization.
Despite the apparent conflict of interest, existing state law does not prohibit supervisors from awarding public contracts to their adult children, Mr. Min said in a press release April 18.
“It is simply outrageous that public officials are able to award lucrative government contracts to their own family members without violating the law,” Mr. Min said. “That ends under SB 1111.”
The senator said he hoped the bill would help the state rebuild public trust and confidence in the government and hold “bad actors” accountable,” he said in the press release.
Current California law, covered by the Political Reform Act of 1974, requires public officials to disclose their interest in the public record, and abstain from voting on a contract or influencing others that will.
Mr. Min’s legislation would expand this requirement to include financial interest of a public official’s adult family member or the spouses of those individuals.
The bill would prohibit members of the Legislature, state, county, district, judicial district, and city officers or employees from being financially interested in a contract made by them in their official capacity, or by anyone on a board of which they are members, according to a bill analysis.
The measure would also mandate a public officer disclose their interest in the contract, and the board must authorize, approve, or ratify the contract in good faith without counting the vote of the public officer.
Similar laws have been proposed in 2015 and 2016. Both measures were tabled in the Assembly’s Appropriation Committee.
If passed, the law would be implemented Jan. 1, 2026.
