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Lobbyist Registration and Reporting
Current Registered Lobbyists
Filling out your Quarterly Report
As outlined in City Code Section 2.15 (Lobbyist Registration and Reporting
), you may be required to register your lobbying activities with the City of Sacramento. The purpose of the Lobbyist Registration and Reporting Code is two-fold: 1) To ensure the public has full knowledge of who is attempting to influence the decisions that affect City policy; and 2) To ensure that elected City officials are informed of what interests each lobbyist represents.
If you are a lobbyist planning to do business with the City of Sacramento, the first step is to determine if you qualify under City Code, and whether you are required to register with the City Clerk's Office.
This information is intended as a practical guide only. If you have questions about the law and how it applies to you, please refer to the complete text contained in City Code Section 2.15.
If you have questions regarding registration procedures
or filing due dates, please contact Chris
Everman
at (916) 808-5202 or 808-7200, City Clerk's Office, 915 "I" Street, 1st Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814.
How do I know if it applies to me?
If the only lobbying you do is included on the exemptions list then you have no filing requirement. If you are not exempt, continue reading the following information to determine your filing responsibilities.
Definitions:
"Lobbying" is the influencing or attempting to influence a legislative or administrative action of the City of Sacramento.
"Influencing" means the purposeful communication, either directly or through agents, promoting, supporting, modifying, opposing, causing the delay or abandonment of conduct, or otherwise intentionally affecting the behavior of a City of Sacramento official or official-elect, by any means, including, but not limited to, providing or using persuasion, information, incentives, statistics, studies or analyses; excepted from this definition is communication made as a part of a noticed governmental public meeting.
"Legislative action" means the drafting, introduction, consideration, modification, enactment or defeat of any resolution, ordinance, amendment thereto, report, nomination for other action of the Mayor, City Council, Redevelopment Agency of the City of Sacramento, Housing Authority of the City of Sacramento, any joint powers authority of which the City is a party, or City of Sacramento board or commission, acting in its official capacity.
"Administrative action" means the proposal, drafting, development, consideration, advocacy, or recommendation of any rule, regulation, agreement or contract, permit, license or hiring action.
Kinds of Lobbyists
"Contract lobbyist" - A person who engages in lobbying on behalf of one or more clients (acting individually or through agents, associates, employees or contractors) and who has received or has entered into an agreement for compensation of $3,200 or more for engaging in lobbying during any consecutive three-month period.
"Business or organization lobbyist" - Any business or organization, whose owner(s), officers(s) or employee(s) carry out lobbying on its behalf, in an aggregate amount of one hundred (100) hours or more within any three month period, whether or not such officers or employees are specifically compensated to engage in lobbying; provided that the activities of officers shall be considered lobbying only if those officers receive compensation by the business or organization beyond reimbursement for their reasonable travel, meals or incidental expenses.
"Expenditure lobbyist" - A person who makes payments or incurs expenditures of $5,000 or more during any calendar year in connection with carrying out public relations, advertising or similar activities with the intent of soliciting or urging, directly or indirectly, other persons to communicate directly with any City Official in order to attempt to influence legislative or administrative action. The $5,000 threshold shall not include: (a) compensation paid to contract lobbyists or employees of lobbying; or (b) dues payments, donations, or other economic consideration paid to an organization, regardless of whether the dues payments, donations or other economic consideration are used in whole or in part to lobby.
I meet the definitions and have a requirement to file. Now What?
All lobbyists use the Lobbyist Registration Report Form
, for initial registration, quarterly reporting, amendments, and termination reports.
Filing requirements include: 1) Filing in duplicate; one original (signed and dated) and a copy by 5:00 p.m. on the date due; 2) The payment (if required) is due with the Lobbyist Registration Report (Make checks payable to "City of Sacramento"); and 3) File the original, the copy, and the payment (if required) at: City of Sacramento, Office of the City Clerk, 915 I Street, Suite 106, Sacramento, CA 95814.
All lobbyists, after their initial registration report, will need to file a quarterly report by April 15, July 15, October 15, and January 15, of each year for the prior calendar quarter.
All lobbyists will have to track certain campaign contributions and consultant payments from the City. You must report the following:
Campaign Contributions: Campaign contributions made by a lobbyist or a client at the lobbyist's behest to: 1) any City official or City official-elect; 2) a controlled committee; or 3) an office holder's fund or legal expense fund given personally or through an intermediary, totaling $100.00 or more, made during the calendar quarter.
Consultant Payments: Payments received by a lobbyist for services as a consultant or in any other capacity for services rendered to a City agency, any City official, or any City official-elect, or their controlled committees, any officeholder committee, or any ballot measure committee.
When is my Initial Registration report due?
Contract Lobbyists must register within 15 days after meeting the $3200 threshold in any consecutive three-month period.
Business or Organization Lobbyists must register within 15 days after meeting the 100 hour threshold in any consecutive three-month period.
Expenditure Lobbyists must register within 15 days after meeting the $5,000 threshold in any calendar year.
When is payment due?
The annual registration fee (payable to the "City of Sacramento") is due at the time of initial registration.
Contract Lobbyists - must pay an annual registration fee of $100.00 ($50.00 if registering for the first time on or after June 30th). Contract Lobbyists will also pay a $25.00 fee once for each client for whom lobbying was undertaken for compensation in excess of $500. The fees for subsequent clients are due with the quarterly reports.
Business/Organization Lobbyists - must pay an annual registration fee of $100.00 ($50.00 if registering for the first time on or after June 30th).
Expenditure Lobbyists - must pay an annual registration fee of $100.00 ($50.00 if registering for the first time on or after June 30th).
Filling out the form:
Section 1 - Completed by all Lobbyists
Section 2 - Completed by Contract Lobbyists only
Section 3 - Completed by Business or Organization Lobbyists only
Section 4 - Completed by Expenditure Lobbyists only
Section 5 - Completed by all Lobbyists (even if there is nothing to disclose)
Section 6 - Completed by all Lobbyists (even if there is nothing to disclose)
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