Publicity of Campaign Expenditures on Issues in California

Publicity of campaign funds spent for and against proposed constitutional amendments, initiative and referendum measures, and other propositions voted on by the electorate of the state is the object of a California statute adopted in 1921 and revised in 1923. This is one of the few statutes specially designed to deal with campaign funds on issues rather than candidates, and its operation is a matter of particular interest to students of campaign finance in that it represents a relatively successful effort to compel publicity of expenditures by non-party organizations. All reports under the act have been made by well established pressure groups, corporations, or temporary committees representing interest groups lacking permanent secretariats. The act is broad enough to apply to party committees, but no reports have been made by such agencies, presumably because of their inactivity in this type of campaign.