The Sacramento Bee's recently updated state leader gift database contains data on nearly 82,000 gifts from registered lobbying entities valued at approximately $4 million. The database, which covers the last 10 years, is searchable by corporations/interest groups that lobby or the name of the gift recipient. The Bee recommends searching partial and last names to include gifts to legislators' family members. The results for each query will include:
- Who gave the gift
- The name of the recipient and his/her title
- Description of the gift, its value and from where it was purchased
- Date of gift
- Link to source document
The database draws its information from Reports of Lobbying Firms (CA Form 625) and Reports of Lobbyist Employers/Coalitions (CA Form 635). Lobbying firms and lobbyist employers are required to report gifts and certain government officials are required to disclose gifts they receive in Statements of Economic Interest (Form 700). Researchers can cross reference these forms for instances where lobbying entities reported one thing and individuals another. Important to note that non-lobbying entities (members of the general public, companies that do not lobby) are not required to disclose gifts to government officials so these gifts will be reported on Form 700s only.
See our blog entry written after the Bee first released the database in 2009.