California Fair Political Practices Commission Frequently Asked Questions: Campaign Activity
51. Q. If a candidate occasionally uses their own personal vehicle to attend campaign events and meet with voters, is the use of the vehicle reportable even if the candidate does not want to be reimbursed for the mileage? A. Incidental use of a candidate’s personal vehicle for campaign purposes is not considered a contribution or expenditure and is not reportable. However, if the use of the vehicle is directly related to a political, legislative or governmental purpose, and the candidate would like to be reimbursed by the committee, the reimbursement must be made at the rate approved by the Internal Revenue Service pursuant to Section 162 of the Internal Revenue Code. 52. Q. If a candidate makes long-distance calls using their home phone to request support from organizations statewide, may committee funds be used to pay the phone bill? A. Committee funds may be used for the campaign portion of the bill; however, the non- campaign portion must be paid with personal funds. 53. Q. If a candidate is defeated in a local election, may the leftover funds be used to run again in the next local election? A. Yes, if specified requirements are met. An unsuccessful candidate for a city or county office in a jurisdiction that has enacted a local contribution limit who plans to run for the same office in a future election must file a new Form 501 and an amended Form 410 before the funds become surplus. Leftover funds become surplus 90 days after an official leaves office (incumbents) or 90 days after the end of the post-election reporting period, whichever is later. The end of the post-election reporting is June 30 for elections held between January 1 and June 30, and December 31 for elections held between July 1 and December 31. (Note: Candidates for a city or county office in a jurisdiction that has enacted a local contribution limit should check with the local jurisdiction to determine if there is a local ordinance that does not allow a candidate to use the same committee for a future election.) A city or county candidate in a jurisdiction that has not enacted a local contribution limit who plans to run for the same office must file a new Form 501 and a new Form 410 as well as open a new bank account and transfer the funds to a new committee before the funds become surplus. An unsuccessful candidate who plans to run for a different office must file a new Form 501, a new Form 410, and open a new campaign bank account and transfer the funds before the funds become surplus as described above. 54. Q. If a candidate receives a refund for a filing fee after their committee has already been terminated, must the committee and bank account be reopened in order to accept the refund? A. No. Candidates are allowed to accept refunds from a governmental entity without reopening the committee and campaign bank account. 55. Q. If a candidate controls a ballot measure committee, must the ballot measure committee file a preelection statement when the candidate’s committee is required to? A. Yes. If a candidate has multiple controlled committees, each of the committees are required to file on the dates the candidate is required to file preelection statements in connection with their election to office. (See Regulation 18405.)
www.fppc.ca.gov FPPC Advice: advice@fppc.ca.gov (866.275.3772) FPPC EAEU • 016 11-2022 • Page 10 of 11
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