City of Rio Vista Campaign Contribution Limits
In November 2025, City Council adopted Ordinance 023-2025 which imposes the limits on Campaign Contributions to Candidates listed here. A copy of the Ordinance is available in its entirety at the bottom of this page.
1. Effective January 1, 2026, a person shall not make to a candidate for City elective office, and a candidate for City elective office shall not accept from a person, a contribution totaling more than five hundred dollars ($500) per election.
2. Effective January 1, 2026, a candidate for City elective office shall not accept total combined contributions of more than five thousand nine hundred dollars ($5,900) per election, or the default cap defined by the California FPPC.
3. A candidate for City elective office shall have no more than one candidate committee for that office and one checking account into which all campaign contributions shall be deposited and out of which all expenditures shall be made. This paragraph shall not prohibit the establishment of savings accounts, but no qualified campaign expenditures shall be made out of such savings accounts.
4. The limit in subsection (C)(1) of this section shall not be deemed to prohibit contributions or loans from a candidate to their own candidate committee in accordance with state law, or to limit the amount a candidate may contribute or loan to their own candidate committee. Contributions from the spouse of a candidate from such spouse's separate property shall be subject to the limit set forth in subsection (C)(1) above.
5. The limit in subsection (C)(1) of this section shall not apply to contributions made to a committee that is organized solely for the purpose of supporting or opposing the recall of an incumbent City elected officer, but shall apply to all candidates and their candidate committees seeking election to replace the incumbent City elected officer.
6. The limit in subsection (C)(1) of this section is subject to the laws of when contributions must be aggregated under the Political Reform Act of 1974, as amended. To determine when contributions are aggregated, "entity" means any person other than an individual, and "majority owned" means ownership of more than fifty percent. If an individual directs or controls an entity's contributions, the entity's contributions shall be aggregated with contributions made by both of the following: (a) that individual; and (b) any other entity whose contributions that individual directs or controls. If two or more entities make contributions that are directed or controlled by a majority of the same persons, the contributions of those entities shall be aggregated. Contributions made by entities that are majority owned by a person shall be aggregated with the contributions of the majority owner and all other entities majority owned by that person, unless those entities act independently in their contribution-making decisions.
7. If a candidate or the treasurer of a candidate committee for City elective office is offered a contribution which would violate this limitation, the candidate or treasurer must refuse the contribution. If, however, a contribution which is in violation of this section is deposited into the campaign trust account, the candidate or treasurer must report in writing within ten days of receipt of the unlawful contribution to the City Clerk the facts surrounding such payment or contribution and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, return the contribution. If the candidate or treasurer fails to return the contribution to the contributor within 10 days of receipt, the candidate or treasurer shall forfeit the amount of the unlawful contribution and pay the amount of the unlawful contribution to the City for deposit into the City's general fund.
8. The limit in subsection (C)(1) of this section shall not apply to political contributions made on or prior to January 1, 2026. After January 1, 2026, a person may make, and a candidate for City elective office may accept from a person, a contribution of up to five hundred dollars, regardless of whether that person made to the candidate for City elective office a contribution totaling more than five hundred dollars before January 1, 2026.
Campaign Reporting Requirements
The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) provides free, expert advice; toll free number is (866) ASK FPPC (275-3772); The FPPC website is at http://www.fppc.ca.gov. All FPPC campaign forms and manuals with instructions are available on their website.