Council Economic Interests
Contents
- 1 Background
- 2 Berkeley City Council Disclosures
- 2.1 2018
Background
Under the Political Reform Act of 1974, California public officials are required, under penalty of perjury, to disclose financial information annually in order to avoid conflicts of interest. These disclosures are governed by the California Fair Political Practices Commission. Additional information about the FPPC can be found on [Wikipedia's entry.
Enforcement
Complaints about potential violations can be reported to the FPPC Enforcement Division.
Berkeley Implementation
All government agencies are required to implement a Conflict of Interest Code. Berkeley's Conflict of Interest Code is posted on the city website. The designated filers and the types of economic interests they must disclose are listed in the Complete Conflict of Interest Code. Officials are notified by mail of their duty to provide a disclosure.
Under the code, the Council, Mayor, Chief of Staff, Assistant to the Mayor, Legislative Assistants, and Administrative Assistants are subject to the highest category of disclosure (Category 1), which requires:
Designated employees assigned to this category shall disclose all business entities and non-profit organizations in which they have an investment or in which they are a director, officer, partner, trustee, employee or hold any position of management; all interests in real property; and all sources of income, including gifts, loans and travel payments.
(Non-profit disclosures are a Berkeley addition to the state's requirements).
Economic Interests of Spouses and Domestic Partners are also subject to reporting
These officials are also required to report 50% of the income of a spouse or domestic partner, as well as any community property, such as investments and real property.
Income generally includes earned income such as salary or wages; gifts; reimbursements of expenses; proceeds from sales, regardless of whether a profit was made; certain loans; and monetary or nonmonetary benefits, whether tangible or intangible. (§ 82030, subd. (a).) Income also includes the official’s community property interest in his or her spouse’s income (the official would meet the $500 threshold if the spouse received $1,000 of income), but does not include dependent children’s income. (In re Cory (1976) 2 FPPC Ops. 48.)
[emphasis added; source: Office of the Attorney General ]
Prohibitions on Honoraria
The Act prohibits elected state and local officers and candidates and persons specified in section 87200 from receiving payments for making speeches, writing articles, and attending meetings. (§ 89502, subds. (a) & (b).) This is often referred to as the ban on honoraria. Also, members of state boards and state or local designated employees are prohibited from receiving honoraria from any source of income that is required to be reported on the official’s statement of economic interests. (§ 89502, subd. (c).)
Generally, an honorarium is a payment made in consideration for any speech given, article published, or attendance at a public or private conference, convention, meeting, social event, meal, or similar gathering. (§ 89501.) However, the definition excludes certain travel- related payments. (§ 89501, subd. (c).)
[source: Office of the Attorney General]
Exemptions
This is not an exhaustive list. For further details, consult the documentation provided by the Office of the Attorney General.
- Income from former employers
- Personal residential property
- Income from government salaries and benefits (Note: these are available separately)
- Returned or donated gifts; gifts from close relatives
- With the exception of gifts, the definition of income does not include payments from a source located outside of the official’s jurisdiction that does not do business in the jurisdiction, does not plan to do so, and has not done so within the past two years. (§ 82030, subd. (a).)
Berkeley City Council Disclosures
Form 700 is the public record of officials' disclosures, signed under penalty of perjury.
2018
These disclosures cover all of 2018 and were filed with a 2019 deadline.
Mayor Jesse Arreguìn
Self
| Category | Source | Amount(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investments (Schedule A-1 && A-2) | None Reported | ||
| Real Property | None Reported | ||
| Income, Loans, & Business Positions | |||
| Alternate Commissioner, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, Stipend for Meeting Attendance | $500 - $1,000 | ||
| Commissioner, Alameda County Transportation Commission, Per Diem for Meeting Attendance | $1,001 - $10,000 | ||
| Vice President, Association of Bay Area Governments, Per Diem for Meeting Attendance | $1,001 - $10,000 | ||
| Director, East Bay Community Energy Authority | $1,001 - $10,000 | ||
| Income, Gifts & Travel Payments | |||
| People for the American Way Foundation | $191.58 | Panel Participation | |
| Charles Koch Institute | $226.44 | Panel Participation |
Spouse or Domestic Partner
None Reported
Councilmember Ben Bartlett
Self
| Category | Source | Amount(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investments (Schedule A-1 && A-2) | Y Strategies | $2,000 - $10,000 | Technology Business Development Corporation |
| Real Property | None Reported | ||
| Income, Loans, & Business Positions | |||
| Of Counsel, Bartlett Law Firm | Over $100,000 | Sole Proprietorship Fair Market Value: $100,001 - $1,000,000 | |
| Member, Joint Powers Financing Authority | No Income - Business Position Only | ||
| Senior Director, Briabe Mobile | $10,001 - $100,000 | ||
| Candidate, Ben Bartlett for Berkeley City Council 2016 | $10,001 - $100,000 | ||
| Member, Berkeley Redevelopment Successor Agency | No Income - Business Position Only | ||
| Director, California Clean Energy Fund | $10,001 - $100,000 | ||
| Councilmember, City of Berkeley | $1,001 - $10,000 | ||
| Loans Received or Outstanding | B. Sevinc Mesbah | $10,001 - $100,000 | Unsecured, no interest rate |
| Income, Gifts & Travel Payments | None Reported |
Spouse or Domestic Partner
Bartlett Law Firm entry is marked "Spouse's Income"
Councilmember Cheryl Davila
Self
| Category | Source | Amount(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investments (Schedule A-1 && A-2) | None Reported | ||
| Real Property | None Reported | ||
| Income, Loans, & Business Positions | None Reported | ||
| Income, Gifts & Travel Payments | US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, Netroots Nation Conference | $787.99 | Total gift amount from four separate entries, on overlapping dates |
Spouse or Domestic Partner
None Reported
Councilmember Lori Droste
Self
| Category | Source | Amount(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investments (Schedule A-1 && A-2) | |||
| IBM | $100,000 - $1,000,000 | ||
| General Electric | $10,001 - $100,000 | ||
| Moody's | $10,001 - $100,000 | ||
| Real Property | None Reported | ||
| Income, Loans, & Business Positions | Assistant Professor, Mills College | $1,001 - $10,000 | |
| Income, Gifts & Travel Payments | None Reported |
Spouse or Domestic Partner
None Reported
Councilmember Sophie Hahn
Self
| Category | Source | Amount(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investments (Schedule A-1 && A-2) | None Reported | ||
| Real Property | 1130 Shattuck | over $1,000,000 | Not a rental |
| Income, Loans, & Business Positions | None Reported | ||
| Income, Gifts & Travel Payments | None Reported |
Spouse or Domestic Partner
None Reported
Councilmember Kate Harrison
Self
| Category | Source | Amount(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investments (Schedule A-1 && A-2) | Kate Harrison Consulting | Fair Market Value: $10,001 - $100,000 | |
| Real Property | None Reported | ||
| Income, Loans, & Business Positions | Regulatory Analyst, City and County of San Francisco | Over $100,000 | |
| Income, Gifts & Travel Payments | None Reported |
Spouse or Domestic Partner
None Reported
Councilmember Rashi Kesarwani
Self
| Category | Source | Amount(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investments (Schedule A-1 && A-2) | iRhythm | $10,001 - $100,000 | Health technology company |
| Real Property | None Reported | ||
| Income, Loans, & Business Positions | None Reported | ||
| Income, Gifts & Travel Payments | None Reported |
Spouse or Domestic Partner
| Category | Source | Amount(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investments (Schedule A-1 && A-2) | None Reported | ||
| Real Property | None Reported | ||
| Income, Loans, & Business Positions | Machine Learning Scientist, iRhythm | Over $100,000 | |
| Income, Gifts & Travel Payments | None Reported |
Councilmember Rigel Robinson
Self
| Category | Source | Amount(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investments (Schedule A-1 && A-2) | None Reported | ||
| Real Property | None Reported | ||
| Income, Loans, & Business Positions | |||
| University of California Student Association | $1,001 - $10,000 | ||
| City of Berkeley | $1,001 - $10,000 | ||
| Income, Gifts & Travel Payments | None Reported |
Spouse or Domestic Partner
None Reported
Councilmember Susan Wengraf
Self
| Category | Source | Amount(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investments (Schedule A-1 && A-2) | None Reported | ||
| Real Property | 1305 Oxford | $10,001 - $100,000 | Fair Market Value $100,001 - $1,000,000 |
| Income, Loans, & Business Positions | None Reported | ||
| Income, Gifts & Travel Payments | None Reported |
Note in July 2019, the fair market value of Wengraf's rental property should be in the "over $1,000,000" category according to Zillow.
Spouse or Domestic Partner
None Reported
