Upcoming Training Opportunities
These training events provide information on several topics and duties under the Political Reform Act. Registration is required for in-person training and live webinars.
All trainings are free and open to the public.
| Date | Type of Training | Location |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
| - | - | - |
For our webinar trainings listed above, the registration link will be unpublished at 4:00 p.m. the day before the webinar. Please email seminars@fppc.ca.gov with any registration questions.
More Information and Resources
The FPPC also offers video tutorials, that are condensed versions of our workshops that you can watch at any time. Please note that these tutorials are available online only and vary in length from approximately ten to 35 minutes. Each tutorial is accompanied by a PDF of the presentation that you can print and use as a reference tool while you watch. You can find these links as well as more information about our trainings in the accordion below.
These training events provide information on candidate, political treasurer and committee duties as defined by the Political Reform Act. Topics include initial campaign activities, contributions and expenditures, reporting, advertising disclaimers, and post-election tasks.
These training events are intended for state and local government employees who are tasked with creating or updating their agency's conflict of interest code. Topics include the review of existing codes, analysis of disclosure categories, how to designate positions, and how to assign disclosure categories to those positions.
These trainings provide information for filing officers who are tasked with managing campaign reports and Statements of Economic Interests (Form 700s) for state and local agencies. Topics include filing officer logs, filing schedules, public access, amendments, notification, non-filers, fining, enforcement referrals, and form review and retention.
These training events provide general information for public officials and designated employees who must file a Form 700, Statement of Economic Interests. Participants will learn about the relationship between a conflict of interest code and the Form 700, filing deadlines, disclosure categories, reporting thresholds and gifts. A detailed overview of how to complete each schedule of the Form 700 will be provided as well.
Every individual who registers as a lobbyist in California must periodically attend a lobbyist ethics course conducted by the Assembly Legislative Ethics Committee and the Senate Committee on Legislative Ethics. The course is held at least twice each year and the course fee is $50.
When an individual registers as a lobbyist or when a currently registered lobbyist renews registration, the lobbyist must complete a certification statement (Form 604) confirming that he or she has taken the ethics course during the previous 12 months. If the lobbyist has not taken the course within the previous 12 months, the lobbyist's certification is "conditional" and will become void unless:
- The new lobbyist takes the course within 12 months of registering as a lobbyist and files an amended certification indicating the date the course was taken.
- The renewing lobbyist takes the course by June 30 of the following year and files an amended certification indicating the date the course was taken.
If the course is not completed in a timely manner, the lobbyist's certification becomes void and the individual may not engage in lobbying activities until he or she takes the course and amends the certification.
If a lobbyist fails to take the required ethics course or fails to timely file the original or amended certification statement (Form 604), he or she is prohibited from lobbying in California. Any lobbyist who violates this provision may be subject to substantial fines and criminal penalties.
There is no provision for a waiver of the ethics training requirement, and other than the timeframes set forth above, there are no conditional extensions of time to complete the course or to submit the certification statement (Form 604) to the Secretary of State. Non-filers are referred to the Enforcement Division of the Fair Political Practices Commission for non-compliance.
These trainings explain the filing and reporting requirements for different forms, such as Form 803 for behested payments. Topics include reporting requirements of Form 803, when a public official is featured in a solicitation, and newly required disclosure on Donor Advised Funds (DAF)/sponsoring organizations, estimates and written requests for information, and the public official’s role at nonprofit organization or proceeding before their agency.