(a) No foreign government or foreign principal shall make, directly or through any other person, any contribution, expenditure, or independent expenditure in connection with the qualification or support of, or opposition to, any state or local ballot measure.
(b) No person and no committee shall solicit or accept a contribution from a foreign government or foreign principal in connection with the qualification or support of, or opposition to, any state or local ballot measure.
(c) For the purposes of this section, a “foreign principal” includes the following:
(1) A foreign political party.
(2) A person outside the United States, unless either of the following is established:
(A) The person is an individual and a citizen of the United States.
(B) The person is not an individual and is organized under or created by the laws of the United States or of any state or other place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and has its principal place of business within the United States.
(3) A partnership, association, corporation, organization, or other combination of persons organized under the laws of or having its principal place of business in a foreign country.
(4) A domestic subsidiary of a foreign corporation if the decision to contribute or expend funds is made by an officer, director, or management employee of the foreign corporation who is neither a citizen of the United States nor a lawfully admitted permanent resident of the United States.
(d) This section shall not prohibit a contribution, expenditure, or independent expenditure made by a lawfully admitted permanent resident.
(e) Any person who violates this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined an amount equal to the amount contributed or expended.
(Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 349, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2001. Note: Stats. 2000, Ch. 102, Sec. 83 (as amended by Stats. 2001, Ch. 241) makes most provisions of Article 3 inapplicable to candidates for statewide elective office until November 6, 2002.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018