How to Register As a Lobbyist

Regulation of lobbying activities helps ensure governmental transparency and thereby fosters public confidence in government. The purpose of the law is to provide the public with information on contacts with government officials.

Any individual who receives economic consideration as the employee, representative or contract of a person or entity, other than the City of Santa Monica, for communicating with any official or employee of the City for the purpose of influencing a City action must register as a Lobbyist. Lobbyist also includes an Expenditure Lobbyist. For definitions of "Economic Consideration" and "Expenditure Lobbyist", refer to Santa Monica Municipal Code Section 4.85.10. Lobbyists do not include City contractors, those seeking city contracts through bids/proposals, volunteers in organizations, licensed architects or professional engineers, representatives of other government agencies and when lobbying at public meetings. Lobbyist should annually register with the City Clerk's Office no later than 10 days after qualifying as a Lobbyist. Registration is valid through June 30th and must be renewed annually. More information can be found in the City's Municipal Code.

https://netfile.com/filer with your

With conflict laws, the analysis can sometimes be very fact specific, and details will matter. Please contact the City Attorney's Office at (310) 458-8336 or attorney.mailbox@santamonica.gov for other questions.

Levine Act Disclosure. Pursuant to the Levine Act (Govt Code Section 84308), any party to a permit, license, contract, or other entitlement before the Council is required to disclose on the record any contribution, including aggregated contributions, of more than $250 made by the party or the party's agents within the preceding 12 months to any City official. Participants and agents are requested to make this disclosure as well. The disclosure must include the name of the party, participant, or agent, and any other person making the contribution; the name of the recipient, the amount of the contribution, and the date the contribution was made. Click here for more information.

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Online

Beginning July 1, 2023, lobbyist registrations must be filed online at https://ssl.netfile.com/static/agency/csm/lobbyist.html.

Create an Account
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To create an account, please email the City Clerk's Office with the following information:
Name, Email address (will be the username), Address, Phone number, when you started lobbying and state if you are registering as a Lobbyist Firm or a single Lobbyist?

Once submitted, our office will email you with registration instructions.
File the Lobbyist Form
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Log in at https://netfile.com/Filer to file a new registration, an amendment (ex. adding a new owner, lobbyist and/or client), an addendum (updating existing client information) or an annual renewal.
Pay the Filing Fee
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Acceptable forms of payment are by check, money order or debit/credit card over the phone. Payments will be collected once registration or amendments have been filed. If payment is not received, lobbyist registration is subject to revocation.

Contact Us:

(310) 458-8211
clerk@santamonica.gov

FAQ

Who is currently lobbying with the City of Santa Monica?

Below are logs and forms received for the past two fiscal years. For previous registrations, please submit a public records request.

2023 - 2024 - https://netfile.com/lobbyistpub/#/csm

2022 - 2023

Forms

2021 - 2022

Who are the City officials and which City employees make recommendations to them?

Officials include:

Councilmembers
Board Members, Commissioners, City Manager, City Attorney and City Clerk
City department directors
Any person who is required to file a Statement of Economic Interest per the City's Conflict of Interest Code

When do I register?

Lobbyists must register within 10 days of qualifying as a Lobbyist. The registration is valid through June 30th and must be renewed annually between June 1 and June 30.

Calculation of ten days begins upon the earliest occurrence of one of the following:

• Entering into an agreement for lobbying services

• Lobbyist activity with an official

• Receiving payment and/or retainer for services to be rendered for the purposes of influencing a legislative or administrative action

When is a lobbyist required to amend their registration?

Lobbyist must amend their registration when there is any change in information. The amendment must be filed within 10 days of the change. The amendment fee will only be charged for amendments to client information or the addition of a new client. Simply adding contacts to an existing client require an addendum form to be filed.

Who is exempt from the lobbyist ordinance, and what activities are not considered lobbying?

The lobbyist ordinance does not apply to those who:

Volunteer in organizations, like neighborhood groups
Lobby as an incidental function of a paid position, for example, the Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce
Lobbied other cities or entities, but not Santa Monica
Only appear at City public meetings or submit writings as part of the official record
Architects, engineers, government employees, media, and those are advocating on behalf of their own application or contract

The following activities are not considered lobbying:

General donations to organizations (for example, the ACLU), but only when payments are for the intent and purpose of lobbying Santa Monica
Expenditure of funds to support a ballot measure

Registration:	$95.00
Annual Renewal :	$54.00
Amendment:	$54.00
Addendums:	$0.00

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Continue the Process:

Create an Account

File the Lobbyist Form

Pay the Filing Fee

Contact Us:

Lobbyist Check, money order or credit only. 2.95% surcharge will be applied to debit/credit transactions.

Lobbyist
Check, money order or credit only. 2.95% surcharge will be applied to debit/credit transactions.