SACRAMENTO Calif. (Reuters) - Lobbyists in California will be banned from throwing lavish fundraising parties at their homes and offices for state candidates under a bill signed Tuesday by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, who vetoed other proposals introduced in the wake of a series of ethics scandals.
The law prohibiting residence or office-based fundraisers was introduced after a prominent lobbyist was fined $133,500 for throwing lavish parties for candidates, despite a law limiting such events to "meetings" that cost less than $500.
"As public servants, we have a responsibility to uphold the integrity of the offices we serve in," said state Senator Ricardo Lara, a Democrat from the Los Angeles suburb of Huntington Park, who introduced the bill.
Brown vetoed several other bills aimed at tightening campaign finance rules, however, including three introduced after two state senators were indicted on corruption charges.
One measure would have reduced the value of gifts that lawmakers can receive from a single source to $200 per year, down from $250. It also would have banned lobbyists from giving gifts of any value to an elected or government official.
Another would have increased the frequency of required reports by candidates on how much money they raised and spent. A third would have required greater disclosure by organizations paying for lawmakers and other officials to go on trips.
Brown did sign a measure requiring that actors in political ads who are portraying experts such as doctors be identified as such.
(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Eric Walsh)