Bill Commons

CA AB 953

enacted

Political Reform Act of 1974: contributions and expenditures by foreign nationals.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

Quick answers

Did CA AB 953 pass?

Yes. CA AB 953 has been enacted into law as of 2025-10-01. Latest recorded action (2025-10-01): Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 170, Statutes of 2025.

What is CA AB 953 about?

The Political Reform Act of 1974 provides for the comprehensive regulation of political campaigns, lobbying, and other matters relating to governmental ethics and elections. The act prohibits a foreign government or foreign principal from making any contribution, expenditure, or independent expenditure in connection with the qualification or support of, or opposition to, a state or local ballot measure or an election for a state or local office. The act prohibits a person or committee from soliciting or accepting a contribution from a foreign government or foreign principal for the same purposes. The act makes a violation of these prohibitions a misdemeanor. This bill would expand the prohibitions described above to apply to foreign nationals. The bill would define "foreign national" as a person who is not a citizen of the United States and who is not a lawfully admitted permanent resident. The bill would exclude from this definition a person who has been granted deferred action, and whose deferred action has not expired, under the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, as described in guidelines issued by the United States Department of Homeland Security. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act's purposes upon a 23 vote of each house of the Legislature and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.

Who sponsors CA AB 953?

Pacheco is the primary sponsor of CA AB 953, joined by 1 cosponsor.

Description

The Political Reform Act of 1974 provides for the comprehensive regulation of political campaigns, lobbying, and other matters relating to governmental ethics and elections. The act prohibits a foreign government or foreign principal from making any contribution, expenditure, or independent expenditure in connection with the qualification or support of, or opposition to, a state or local ballot measure or an election for a state or local office. The act prohibits a person or committee from soliciting or accepting a contribution from a foreign government or foreign principal for the same purposes. The act makes a violation of these prohibitions a misdemeanor. This bill would expand the prohibitions described above to apply to foreign nationals. The bill would define "foreign national" as a person who is not a citizen of the United States and who is not a lawfully admitted permanent resident. The bill would exclude from this definition a person who has been granted deferred action, and whose deferred action has not expired, under the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, as described in guidelines issued by the United States Department of Homeland Security. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. The Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative measure, provides that the Legislature may amend the act to further the act's purposes upon a 23 vote of each house of the Legislature and compliance with specified procedural requirements. This bill would declare that it furthers the purposes of the act.

Introduced
2025-03-24
Latest action
2025-10-01 — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 170, Statutes of 2025.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Pachecoauthor
  • Alanisauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

  1. 2025-02-20

    Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

  2. 2025-02-21

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.

  3. 2025-03-24

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on ELECTIONS. Read second time and amended.

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  4. 2025-03-24

    Referred to Com. on ELECTIONS.

    referral-committee

  5. 2025-03-25

    Re-referred to Com. on ELECTIONS.

    referral-committee

  6. 2025-04-30

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (April 30).

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee

  7. 2025-05-01

    Read second time and amended.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2

  8. 2025-05-05

    Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    referral-committee

  9. 2025-05-14

    From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (May 14).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  10. 2025-05-15

    Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

    reading-1,reading-2

  11. 2025-05-23

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 71. Noes 0. Page 1663.)

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  12. 2025-05-23

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    reading-1,referral-committee

  13. 2025-06-18

    Referred to Com. on E. & C.A.

    referral-committee

  14. 2025-07-01

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (July 1).

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee

  15. 2025-07-02

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  16. 2025-07-14

    From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar.

    committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2

  17. 2025-07-15

    Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

    reading-1,reading-2

  18. 2025-07-17

    Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-3

  19. 2025-07-17

    From Consent Calendar.

  20. 2025-09-08

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 2608.).

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  21. 2025-09-08

    In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  22. 2025-09-09

    Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 80. Noes 0. Page 3115.).

    amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  23. 2025-09-16

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.

    executive-receipt

  24. 2025-10-01

    Approved by the Governor.

    executive-signature

  25. 2025-10-01

    Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 170, Statutes of 2025.

    became-law

Versions

  • 02/20/25 - Introduced — 2025-02-20Compare
  • 03/24/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-03-24Compare
  • 05/01/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-05-01Compare
  • 07/02/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-07-02Compare
  • 09/11/25 - Enrolled — 2025-09-11Compare
  • 10/01/25 - Chaptered — 2025-10-01Compare
  • AB953Compare
  • (document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass as amended, and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-04-30 · pass · 7-0

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Macedo: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Bennett: yes

  • Do pass. To Consent Calendar.

    2025-05-14 · pass · 15-0

    Member-level votes (15)
    • Fong: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Arambula: yes

  • AB 953 Pacheco Consent Calendar Second Day

    2025-05-23 · pass · 71-0

    Member-level votes (79)
    • DeMaio: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Hadwick: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Castillo: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Jeff Gonzalez: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Gallagher: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Wallis: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Bryan: other
    • Sharp-Collins: other
    • Nguyen: other
    • Ellis: other
    • Schultz: other
    • Sanchez: other
    • Chen: other
    • Wicks: other

  • Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-07-01 · pass · 5-0

    Member-level votes (5)
    • Allen: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • Choi: yes

  • 3rd Reading AB953 Pacheco et al. By Umberg

    2025-09-08 · pass · 39-0

    Member-level votes (40)
    • Wahab: yes
    • Niello: yes
    • Jones: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Choi: yes
    • Rubio: yes
    • McGuire: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Ochoa Bogh: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Reyes: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Valladares: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • McNerney: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Hurtado: yes
    • Blakespear: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
    • Strickland: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Grove: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Alvarado-Gil: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Becker: yes
    • Stern: other

  • AB 953 Pacheco Concurrence in Senate Amendments

    2025-09-09 · pass · 80-0

    Member-level votes (80)
    • Addis: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • DeMaio: yes
    • Hadwick: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Johnson: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Jeff Gonzalez: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Chen: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Castillo: yes
    • Wallis: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Gallagher: yes
    • Ellis: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Garcia: yes

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB953

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z

Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:

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