- In 2022, the California legislature passed and Governor Newsom signed SB 1439, which limited the ability of businesses and contractors to influence local officials through campaign donations. It was passed through both chambers without a single ‘No’ vote, including an affirmative from longtime Sen. Bill Dodd. However, less than two years later, Sen. Dodd was leading the push to water down the bill’s restrictions, complaining that it prevented some sectors from engaging in campaign donations. Wasn’t that the whole point? It seems like Sen. Dodd is saying the quiet part out loud in his push to loosen the restrictions – the only way legislators will support the interests of certain sectors is if related industry groups cut a check to their campaigns. It’s a cynical and corrupt initiative from one of California’s perennially shameful politicians.
- On 11 of the bills evaluated for this scorecard, Sen. Dodd showed us exactly who he is. He voted down progressive legislation to allow civil penalties for air pollution (AB 1465), to disallow the denial of affordable housing loans solely on the basis of immigration status (AB 1840), to require that state prisons maintain average daily empty bed thresholds (AB 2178), and to give local entities the authority to prohibit oil and gas development in a jurisdiction (AB 3233). Across the board, as he has been nearly every year before, Sen. Dodd was a shameless defender of the broken status quo.
Bill Dodd
State senate
Chair of Governmental Organization Committee
F
District
SD-3
Party
democrat
Score
9
Votes
Corporate Money
| Type | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Real Estate | $99,100 | Sources |
| Oil & Gas | $48,184 | Sources |
| Cops | $70,700 | Sources |
| Health Insurance | $47,400 | Sources |