Senator Min’s Anti-Corruption Legislation Signed into Law

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Today Senator Dave Min (D-Irvine) announced that his Senate Bill (SB) 1111 was signed into law by the Governor. The bill, referred to as the Rebuilding Public Trust Act, was inspired by news reports that revealed an Orange County Supervisor directed millions in county contracts, including multi-million dollar COVID-19 relief contracts, to a nonprofit led by his adult daughter. SB 1111 strengthens the State’s anti-corruption laws outlined in the Political Reform Act to expressly prohibit elected officials from voting on public contracts that would benefit their adult children. The new law also establishes penalties for violators, including a bar on seeking elected office and jail time.

“The signing of SB 1111 is a huge win for our efforts to root out public corruption and stop the cheating of taxpayers,” said State Senator Dave Min. “Whether it’s a County Supervisor or the President of the United States, elected officials steering public contracts to their family members is unfair and should not be tolerated. I’d like to thank the Governor and my colleagues in the Legislature for their strong support of the Rebuilding Public Trust Act, which will help to restore confidence in our government. Last but not least, I want to thank the hardworking journalists at LAist who shined a spotlight on this issue in Orange County and whose reporting was the inspiration for this legislation.”

Senator Min introduced SB 1111 after news reports uncovered that an Orange County Supervisor voted to award multi-million dollar contracts to an organization run by his daughter. Despite the clear conflict of interest, existing state law did not forbid elected officials from awarding public contracts to their adult children until the passage of SB 1111.

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