California Elections Code

§ 18680

ELEC § 18680 Effective Apr 4, 2011Div. 18 · Ch. 7 · Art. 9

Statute text

Every person who is entrusted with money or things of value for the purpose of promoting or defeating any initiative, referendum, or recall petition or any measure that has qualified for the ballot is a trustee of the money or things of value. If a person wrongfully appropriates the money or things of value to any use or purpose not in the due and lawful execution of the trust, the person shall be punishable by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000), or by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for 16 months or two or three years, or in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment. The following expenses are within the due and lawful execution of the trust:

(a)Securing signatures to initiative, referendum, or recall petitions.

(b)Circulating initiative, referendum, or recall petitions.

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Legislative history

Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 15, Sec. 97. (AB 109) Effective April 4, 2011. Operative October 1, 2011, by Sec. 636 of Ch. 15, as amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 39, Sec. 68.