California sets new rules for mystery donations made on behalf of lawmakers
LA TimesGavin Newsom speaks at the Port of Los Angeles in 2020, flanked by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, second from right. The change comes after the Los Angeles Times revealed the little-known practice of unidentified donors routing charitable contributions through accounts that shield their identity, including $1 million given last year on behalf of Gov. California law requires that charitable donations of $5,000 or more requested by elected officials or their representatives — a practice known as “behested payments” — be disclosed to limit undue influence in government. Fidelity Charitable and Vanguard Charitable declined to identify the account holders of donor-advised funds who made behested payments last year on behalf of Newsom, which were directed toward helping students in the state with remote learning during the pandemic. A spokesman for Garcetti declined to reveal the individual or company behind that donation or any others given through donor-advised funds that went to the nonprofit Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles.
History of this topic
How a $1-million donation on behalf of Newsom was hidden in plain sight
LA TimesDiscover Related
