Source: https://www.westerncity.com/article/career-saving-tips-mass-mailings
Timestamp: 2020-01-26 08:48:24
Document Index: 516853730

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 81002', '§ 89001', '§ 82041', '§ 18901', '§18901', '§18901', '§ 8314', '§ 424', '§ 18901', '§ 18901', '§ 18901', '§ 18901', '§ 18901', '§ 91000', '§ 83116', '§ 91012']

Career-Saving Tips on Mass Mailings - Western City Magazine
The mass mailing prohibition is part of the state’s Political Reform Act. One of the act’s key purposes was to eliminate practices that favor incumbent elected officials so that elections could be conducted more fairly.1 The mass mailing restriction helps accomplish that goal by prohibiting elected officials from using public funds to perpetuate themselves in office by keeping their name before the voters, as an appellate court noted in upholding it.2
Key Questions to Ask to Determine Whether the Prohibition Applies
So what constitutes a mass mailing? The Political Reform Act states:
“Mass mailing” means over 200 substantially similar pieces of mail, but does not include … mail that is sent in response to an unsolicited request …4
The Law as a Floor for Ethical Conduct
The regulations are tightly written to minimize the opportunity for mischief. Undoubtedly there are clever individuals who can find a way around the restrictions and construct a mailing that falls outside the prohibition. However, as already mentioned, there are also general prohibitions against the use of public resources for political purposes.
[1] Cal. Gov’t Code § 81002(e).
[2] See Watson v. California Fair Political Practices Commission, 217 Cal. App. 3d 1059, 1074, 266 Cal. Rptr. 408, 416-7 (2d Dist. 1990), rev. denied 1990.
[3] Cal. Gov’t Code § 89001.
[4] Cal. Gov’t Code § 82041.5.
[5] See 2 Cal. Code Regs. § 18901.
[6] 2 Cal. Code Regs. §18901(a)(3)(A).
[7] 2 Cal. Code Regs. §18901(a)(3)(B).
[8] See, e.g., FPPC Advice Letter No. A-04-130 (July 13, 2004) (approving the inclusion of a mayor’s welcome message on the city website).
[9] See Cal. Gov’t Code § 8314; Cal. Penal Code § 424.
[10] See 2 Cal. Code Regs. § 18901(a)(4).
[11] See 2 Cal. Code Regs. § 18901(c)(3) (definition of “substantially similar”).
[12] See generally 2 Cal. Code Regs. § 18901(b). The FPPC’s authority to create these exceptions was recognized in Watson v. California Fair Political Practices Commission, 217 Cal. App. 3d 1059, 266 Cal. Rptr. 408 (2d Dist. 1990), rev. denied 1990.
[13] See 2 Cal. Code Regs. § 18901(b)(9)(A).
[14] See 2 Cal. Code Regs. § 18901(b)(9)(B).
[15] See FPPC Advice Letter No. A-04-004 (Jan. 27, 2004).
[16] See FPPC Advice Letter No. A-04-026 (April 26, 2004).
[17] See FPPC Informal Advice Letter No. I-05-183 (Sept. 8, 2005).
[19] See Cal. Gov’t Code § 91000(a).
[20] Cal. Gov’t Code § 83116.
[21] Cal. Gov’t Code § 91012.