SB 952, Torres. Prohibited financial interests: aiding and abetting.
Existing law prohibits Members of the Legislature and state, county, district, judicial district, and city officers or employees, from being financially interested in any contract made by them in their official capacity, or by any body or board of which they are members. Existing law also prohibits state, county, district, judicial district, and city officers or employees, from being purchasers at any sale or vendors at any purchase made by them in their official capacity. Existing law also prohibits the Treasurer, Controller, county and city officers, and their deputies and clerks from purchasing or selling, or in any manner receiving for their own or any other person’s use or benefit any state, county, or city warrants, scrip, orders, demands, claims, or other evidences of indebtedness against the state, a county, or city. A willful violation of these prohibitions is a crime punishable by fine or imprisonment in the state prison, and forever disqualifies the offending public officer or person from holding any office in the state.
This bill would prohibit an individual from aiding or abetting a public officer or person in violating these prohibitions, and expand these penalties to also apply to the individual who willfully aids or abets.
This bill would also make technical, nonsubstantive changes.
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 people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 1090 of the Government Code is amended to read:
(a) Members of the Legislature, state, county, district, judicial district, and city officers or employees shall not be financially interested in any contract made by them in their official capacity, or by any body or board of which they are members. Nor shall state, county, district, judicial district, and city officers or employees be purchasers at any sale or vendors at any purchase made by them in their official capacity.
(b) An individual shall not aid or abet a Member of the Legislature or a state, county, district, judicial district, or city officer or employee in violating subdivision (a).
(c) As used in this article, “district” means any agency of the state formed pursuant to general law or special act, for the local performance of governmental or proprietary functions within limited boundaries.
Section 1093 of the Government Code is amended to read:
(a) The Treasurer and Controller, county and city officers, and their deputies and clerks shall not purchase or sell, or in any manner receive for their own or any other person’s use or benefit any state, county or city warrants, scrip, orders, demands, claims, or other evidences of indebtedness against the state, or any county or city thereof.
(b) An individual shall not aid or abet the Treasurer, Controller, a county or city officer, or their deputy or clerk in violating subdivision (a).
(c) This section shall not apply to evidences of indebtedness issued to or held by an officer, deputy, or clerk for services rendered by them, nor to evidences of the funded indebtedness of the state, county, or city.
Section 1097 of the Government Code is amended to read:
(a) Every officer or person prohibited by the laws of this state from making or being interested in contracts, or from becoming a vendor or purchaser at sales, or from purchasing scrip or other evidences of indebtedness, including any member of the governing board of a school district, who willfully violates any of the provisions of those laws, is punishable by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in the state prison, and is forever disqualified from holding any office in this state.
(b) An individual who willfully aids or abets an officer or person in violating a prohibition by the laws of this state from making or being interested in contracts, or from becoming a vendor or purchaser at sales, or from purchasing scrip, or other evidences of indebtedness, including any member of the governing board of a school district, is punishable by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in the state prison, and is forever disqualified from holding any office in this state.
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.
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