Candidates, political parties, ballot measure campaigns, and independent expenditure committees must report their fundraising and spending to public agencies. Understanding the forms and filing system is essential for following the money in California politics.
The Filing System
Campaign finance filings in California flow to two main destinations:
Cal-Access is the Secretary of State's database for statewide races, state legislative races, statewide ballot measures, and major political party committees. If someone is running for Governor, Assembly, or State Senate—or spending on a statewide proposition—their filings end up here.
Local filing agencies handle city council races, county supervisor races, school board races, local ballot measures, and local political committees. This platform covers local jurisdictions that file electronically through Netfile—approximately 185 counties and cities.
This platform aggregates data from both state and local sources to provide a unified view of campaign finance across California.
The Key Forms
Form 460 is the workhorse of campaign finance reporting. It's the Semi-Annual or Pre-Election Statement that committees file to report all contributions received and expenditures made during a reporting period. Form 460s provide the comprehensive picture of a committee's finances.
Form 497 is the Late Contribution Report. During the 90 days before an election, committees must file within 24 hours of receiving contributions of $1,000 or more. At any other time, contributions of $5,000 or more must be reported within 10 days. These filings reveal money flowing into campaigns between regular reporting periods.
Form 496 is the Late Independent Expenditure Report. When a committee makes an independent expenditure of $1,000 or more in the final days before an election, they must file within 24 hours. These filings reveal late spending for or against candidates and measures.
Form 461 reports independent expenditures made by major donors. When someone spends $1,000 or more on communications that expressly advocate for or against a candidate or measure—without coordinating with a campaign—they must file this form.
Form 410 is the Statement of Organization that creates a new committee. When someone decides to raise or spend money to influence an election, they file a Form 410 to register their committee and declare its purpose.
Committee Types
Candidate Committees are controlled by candidates to raise and spend money on their own campaigns. The candidate is the controlling officer, and the committee typically has their name in the title.
Ballot Measure Committees form to support or oppose specific propositions. They can raise unlimited amounts and are often sponsored by corporations, unions, or interest groups.
Political Party Committees represent the official party organizations at state and local levels. They can contribute to candidates and make independent expenditures.
General Purpose Committees aren't tied to a specific candidate or ballot measure. They can support or oppose multiple candidates and measures. This category includes PACs sponsored by businesses, unions, and advocacy organizations.
Independent Expenditure Committees exist specifically to make independent expenditures—spending that expressly advocates for or against candidates or measures without coordinating with campaigns.
Following the Money
Contributions are money given directly to a committee. California limits contributions to candidate committees but allows unlimited contributions to ballot measure committees and independent expenditure committees.
Expenditures are money spent by committees. They include advertising, staff, consultants, mailers, events, and all other campaign costs.
Independent Expenditures are spending for or against a candidate or measure that isn't coordinated with the campaign. These must be reported separately and often come from outside groups.
Loans are money lent to a committee, often by the candidate themselves. Loans must be repaid and are tracked separately from contributions.
Reading the Activity Feed
The Activity Feed on this platform shows recent campaign finance activity in real-time as filings come in:
New contributions appear when committees report receiving money on Form 460s or file Form 497 late contribution reports.
New expenditures appear when committees report spending money.
Independent expenditures appear when committees file Form 496 reports or report IE activity on Form 460s.
New committees appear when Form 410 statements of organization are filed.
Activity is tagged by the type of race (Assembly, Senate, Governor, local) and by the committee type. You can filter to focus on specific races or types of activity.
Timing and Freshness
Campaign finance data arrives on different schedules:
Late contribution reports (Form 497) must be filed within 24 hours during the 90 days before an election, or within 10 days for $5,000+ contributions at other times. Late independent expenditure reports (Form 496) must be filed within 24 hours. Both typically appear on the platform within a day of filing.
Semi-annual and pre-election statements (Form 460) are filed on fixed deadlines throughout the election cycle. There may be gaps of weeks or months between filings, during which activity is not visible.
Amendment filings correct or update previous reports. Committees sometimes file amendments months or years after the original report.
The platform shows the filing date and period covered for each report, so you can assess how current the data is.
Where to Find Campaign Finance Data
Activity Feed shows real-time campaign finance filings. Find it in the sidebar under Campaign Finance → Activity Feed (for statewide) or Local → Campaign Finance → Activity Feed (for local races).
Committee Profiles provide deep dives into individual committees. Search for a committee by name, or click through from the Activity Feed or a candidate's page.
Jurisdiction-level campaign finance shows committees and activity relevant to a specific place. On any jurisdiction page, click the Finance tab to see local campaign finance activity.
Practical Applications
Researching a candidate: Start with their committee's profile to see total raised, total spent, and cash on hand. Review top contributors to understand their donor base. Check for any independent expenditures supporting or opposing them.
Monitoring a race: Follow the Activity Feed filtered to that race. Watch for late contributions that signal which campaigns have momentum (or desperation) in the final days.
Understanding outside money: Independent expenditure committees often outspend the candidates themselves. Track IE activity to see who's really funding the air war.
Vetting endorsers and donors: When a politician endorses a candidate, you can check if they've contributed money. When a business or union gives to a campaign, you can see their full giving history.
Campaign finance disclosure provides a window into who is funding California politics and where the money is going. The forms can be dense, but understanding the basic structure unlocks a powerful tool for political analysis.