90000-90007
GOVERNMENT CODE
SECTION 90000-90007
90000. Except as provided in Section 90006, the Franchise Tax Board shall make audits and field investigations with respect to the following: (a) Reports and statements filed with the Secretary of State under Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 84100), Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 85100), and Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 86100). (b) Local candidates and their controlled committees selected for audit pursuant to subdivision (i) of Section 90001. 90001. Audits and investigations shall be made pursuant to Section 90000 with respect to the reports and statements of: (a) Each lobbying firm and each lobbyist employer who employs one or more lobbyists shall be subject to an audit on a random basis with these lobbying firms or lobbyist employers having a 25-percent chance of being audited. When a lobbying firm or lobbyist employer is audited, the individual lobbyists who are employed by the lobbying firm or the lobbyist employer shall also be audited. (b) Each statewide, Supreme Court, court of appeal, or Board of Equalization candidate in a direct primary or general election for whom it is determined that twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) or more in contributions have been raised or twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) or more in expenditures have been made, whether by the candidate or by a committee or committees controlled by the candidate or whose participation in the direct primary or general election is primarily in support of his or her candidacy. Each statewide candidate whose contributions and expenditures are less than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) shall be subject to an audit on a random basis of 10 percent of the number of such candidates. (c) Each candidate for the Legislature or superior court judge in a direct primary or general election shall be subject to audit by random selection if it is determined that fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) or more in contributions have been received or fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) or more in expenditures have been made, whether by the candidate or by a committee or committees controlled by the candidate or primarily supporting his or her candidacy. Random selection shall be made of 25 percent of the Senate districts, 25 percent of the Assembly districts and 25 percent of the judicial offices contested in an election year. (d) Each candidate for the Legislature in a special primary or special runoff election for whom it is determined that fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) or more in contributions have been raised or fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) or more in expenditures have been made, whether by the candidate or by a committee or committees controlled by the candidate or primarily supporting his or her candidacy. (e) Each controlled committee of any candidate who is being audited pursuant to subdivision (b), (c), or (d). (f) Each committee, other than a committee specified in subdivision (c) of Section 82013, primarily supporting or opposing a candidate who is being audited pursuant to subdivision (b), (c), or (d) if it is determined that the committee has expended more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000). (g) Each committee, other than a committee specified in subdivision (c) of Section 82013, whose participation is primarily in support of or in opposition to a state measure or state measures if it is determined that the committee has expended more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) on such measure or measures. (h) Each committee, other than a committee defined in subdivision (c) of Section 82013, a controlled committee or a committee primarily supporting or opposing a state candidate or measure, if it is determined that the committee has raised or expended more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) supporting or opposing state candidates or state measures during any calendar year, except that if the commission determines from an audit report that a committee is in substantial compliance with the provisions of the act, the committee thereafter shall be subject to an audit on a random basis with each such committee having a 25-percent chance of being audited. (i) (1) With respect to local candidates and their controlled committees, the commission shall promulgate regulations which provide a method of selection for these audits. (2) With respect to candidates for the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System, the commission shall promulgate regulations that provide a method for selection of these audits. The Public Employees' Retirement System shall reimburse the commission for all reasonable expenses incurred pursuant to this section. (j) In accordance with subdivisions (a), (b), (c), and (h), the Fair Political Practices Commission shall select by lot the persons or districts to be audited on a random basis. For campaign audits the selection shall be made in public after the last date for filing the first report or statement following the general or special election for which the candidate ran, or following the election at which the measure was adopted or defeated. For lobbying firm and lobbyist employer audits, the selection shall be made in public in February of odd-numbered years. 90002. (a) Audits and investigations of lobbying firms and lobbyist employers shall be performed on a biennial basis and shall cover reports filed during a period of two years. (b) If a lobbying firm or lobbyist employer keeps a separate account for all receipts and payments for which reporting is required by this chapter, the requirement of an audit under subdivision (a) of Section 90001 shall be satisfied by an audit of that account and the supporting documentation required to be maintained by Section 86110. (c) No audit or investigation of any candidate, controlled committee, or committee primarily supporting or opposing a candidate or a measure in connection with a report or statement required by Chapter 4 of this title, shall begin until after the last date for filing the first report or statement following the general, runoff or special election for the office for which the candidate ran, or following the election at which the measure was adopted or defeated, except that audits and investigations of statewide candidates, their controlled committees, and committees primarily supporting or opposing those statewide candidates who were defeated in the primary election and who are not required to file statements for the general election may begin after the last date for filing the first report or statement following the primary election. When the campaign statements or reports of a candidate, controlled committee, or a committee primarily supporting or opposing a candidate are audited and investigated pursuant to Section 90001, the audit and investigation shall cover all campaign statements and reports filed for the primary and general or special or runoff elections and any previous campaign statement or report filed pursuant to Section 84200 or 84200.5 since the last election for that office, but shall exclude any statements or reports which have previously been audited pursuant to Section 90001 or 90003. When the campaign statements or reports of a committee primarily supporting or opposing a measure are audited and investigated, the audit and investigation shall cover all campaign statements and reports from the beginning date of the first campaign statement filed by the committee in connection with the measure. For all other committees, the audit and investigation shall cover all campaign statements filed during the previous two calendar years. 90003. In addition to the audits and investigations required by Section 90001, the Franchise Tax Board and the commission may make investigations and audits with respect to any reports or statements required by Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 84100), Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 85100), or Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 86100). 90004. (a) The Franchise Tax Board shall periodically prepare reports, which, except as otherwise provided in this section, shall be sent to the commission, the Secretary of State, and the Attorney General. If the reports relate to candidates for or committees supporting or opposing candidates for the office of Attorney General, the reports shall be sent to the commission, the Secretary of State, and the District Attorneys of Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Francisco Counties. If the reports relate to local candidates and their controlled committees, the reports shall be sent to the commission, the local filing officer with whom the candidate or committee is required to file the originals of campaign reports pursuant to Section 84215, and the district attorney for the candidate's county of domicile. (b) The Franchise Tax Board shall complete its report of any audit conducted on a random basis pursuant to Section 90001 within one year after the person or entity subject to the audit is selected by the commission to be audited. (c) The reports of the Franchise Tax Board shall be public documents and shall contain in detail the Franchise Tax Board's findings with respect to the accuracy and completeness of each report and statement reviewed and its findings with respect to any report or statement that should have been but was not filed. The Secretary of State and the local filing officer shall place the audit reports in the appropriate campaign statement or lobbying files. 90005. No member, employee or agent of the Franchise Tax Board shall divulge or make known in any manner any particulars of any record, documents, or information which he receives by virtue of this chapter, except in furtherance of the work of the Franchise Tax Board or in connection with any court proceeding or any lawful investigation of any agency. 90006. Audits and field investigations of candidates for Controller and member of the Board of Equalization and of committees supporting such candidates shall be made by the Commission instead of the Franchise Tax Board. 90007. (a) The commission shall adopt auditing guidelines and standards which shall govern audits and field investigations conducted under Section 90001. The guidelines and standards shall be formulated to accomplish the following purposes: (1) The audits should encourage compliance and detect violations of this title; (2) The audits should be conducted with maximum efficiency in a cost-effective manner; and (3) The audits should be as unobtrusive as possible consistent with the foregoing purposes. (b) In adopting its guidelines and standards the commission shall consider relevant guidelines and standards of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants to the extent such guidelines and standards are applicable and consistent with the purposes set forth in this section.