ASSEMBLYMEMBER MIA BONTA AND SPEAKER ROBERT RIVAS INTRODUCE NEW CANDIDATE SECURITY LEGISLATION

SACRAMENTO – Today, Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) announced new legislation, principal co-authored by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, to strengthen her candidate security legislation, which was signed into law by Governor Newsom last year.

“Everyone should feel safe running for office and representing their community. However, local and state candidates in California face a significant cap on security spending compared to those running for federal offices. This comes at a time when we’re seeing an increase in threats and harassment targeted at candidates for local office, especially women, candidates of color, and LGBTQ+ candidates,” said Assemblymember Mia Bonta. “I’m proud to author AB 789 to protect candidates, elected officials, their families, and staff because safety should never be something we sacrifice for the good of serving our community.”

AB 2041 updated California’s 30-year-old candidate finance policies by doubling the lifetime cap on security expenses from $5,000 to $10,000 and extending eligibility for security expenses to include a candidate's or elected official's family and staff. The new legislation, amended into AB 789, would remove the cap on security spending through 2028 and implement a $10,000 annual cap going forward.

“Political violence has no place in America. And in the current environment — after the deadly shooting of Minnesota legislators and their families and other tragedies — we must make sure elected officials can go about serving the public safely. Assembly Bill 789 does just that. I appreciate Assemblymember Bonta for her commitment to this issue and making sure electeds, their immediate families and staff can respond to any threat and keep safe,” said Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas). 

Princeton University research confirms what can already be felt – hostility against public officials is on the rise. Earlier this month in Minnesota, one state lawmaker was murdered and another injured alongside their spouses in what has been reported as a politically motivated assassination; this comes on the heels of Governor Shapiro and his family being evacuated from their residence in Pennsylvania due to an arson attack and ongoing threats to legislative staff nationwide. While Congressional and Senate candidates are spending upwards of a million dollars on security measures, California candidates reporting to the California Fair Political Practices Commission face a shockingly low limit.

These threats, harassment, and violence disproportionately affect female candidates and even dissuade them from running. From California Women’s List’s 2023 Report:

• Nearly two-thirds of women (65.38%) experienced harassment during their campaign, compared to 50% of men.

• The data was even more stark for women of color–54.76% of whom experienced stalking at least once during their campaign (28.57% reporting experiencing stalking frequently or very frequently)– and LGBTQ+ women, 53.33% of whom experienced stalking during their campaign.

AB 789 continues Assemblymember Bonta’s multi-year commitment to protecting candidate security most recently with AB 2041 (2024), which was signed into law. AB 2041 received bipartisan support and was among the most-watched bills in the legislature last year.

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Assemblymember Mia Bonta represents California’s 18^th Assembly District encompassing the East Bay including Oakland, Alameda, and Emeryville. She also chairs the Assembly Health Committee.

Courtesy photos can be found HERE.