CAL.Regulation
California ends penalty exemption for paid influencers who hide campaign payments
Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1130 (Chapter 335, Statutes of 2026) on September 19, 2026, amending Government Code section 84513 to remove the Political Reform Act exemption that shielded paid online political posters from penalties. From January 1, 2027, a person paid by a committee to post political content without the required disclaimer, and the paying committee, are jointly and severally liable for penalties, and the committee must flag the payment as a paid third-party post on its report.
Enrolled text (California Legislative Information) → · Governor of California, TechCrunch, WebProNews
Key points
- Disclaimer must be legible to an average viewer; one form reads 'The author was paid by [committee] in connection with this posting.'California Legislative Information
- The FPPC may impose administrative fines of up to $5,000 per violation or seek civil penalties, and a Political Reform Act violation is a misdemeanor.WebProNews
- Liability is joint and several: the paid poster and the paying committee share responsibility for the missing disclaimer.WebProNews
- TechCrunch, citing the New York Times, reported billionaire Tom Steyer paid dozens of influencers during his 2026 gubernatorial bid and many did not initially disclose.TechCrunch
- Chapter 335, Statutes of 2026, takes effect January 1, 2027; author Marc Berman said existing disclosure enforcement was ambiguous.California Legislative InformationTechCrunch
Sources4 articles across 4 outlets
California Legislative Information
Governor of California
TechCrunch
WebProNews