LawWiki
HomeCodesSearchGlossaryAPIAbout
LawWiki

Plain English summaries of California law with zero-hallucination AI. Every summary is verified against official source text.

Product

  • Search
  • Codes
  • About

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer

© 2026 LawWiki. All rights reserved.

HomeGovernment CodeCh. 9.5Art. 1§ 89502 Honorarium Ban For Officials

§ 89502 Honorarium Ban For Officials

Government Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 89502 Honorarium Ban For Officials

Key Takeaways

  • •If you are an elected official or work for the government in certain jobs, you can't take money for giving speeches or appearing at events (called an 'honorarium').
  • •If you are running for office (like mayor or judge), you also can't take this kind of money once you start your campaign.
  • •Some people, like judges or part-time members of a college board, don’t have to follow this rule unless they were elected.
  • •This rule is about making sure government workers don’t get paid extra in ways that could make them favor certain people.

Example

A city council member is asked to give a speech at a big company’s event. The company offers to pay them $1,000 for speaking.

The city council member cannot take the $1,000 because they are an elected official, and the law says they can’t accept money for things like speeches.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 89502 Honorarium Ban For Officials

(a) An elected state officer, elected officer of a local government agency, or other individual specified in Section 87200 shall not accept any honorarium. (b) (1) A candidate for elective state office, for judicial office, or for elective office in a local government agency shall not accept any honorarium. A person shall be deemed a candidate for purposes of this subdivision when the person has filed a statement of organization as a committee for election to a state or local office, a declaration of intent, or a declaration of candidacy, whichever occurs first. A person shall not be deemed a candidate for purposes of this subdivision after the person is sworn into the elective office, or, if the person lost the election, after the person has terminated the person’s campaign statement filing obligations for that office pursuant to Section 84214 or after certification of the election results, whichever is earlier. (2) Paragraph (1) does not apply to any person who is a candidate as described in paragraph (1) for judicial office on or before December 31, 1996. (c) A member of a state board or commission or designated employee of a state or local government agency shall not accept an honorarium from any source if the member or employee would be required to report the receipt of income or gifts from that source on the member’s or employee’s statement of economic interests. (d) This section does not apply to a person in the person’s capacity as judge. This section does not apply to a person in the person’s capacity as a part-time member of the governing board of any public institution of higher education unless that position is an elective office. (Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 50, Sec. 224. (AB 378) Effective January 1, 2022.)

Last verified: January 22, 2026

Key Terms

educationcommissionemployeeportobligationstatementelectionposition

Related Statutes

  • § 89503 Gift Limits For Officials
  • § 89506 Government Travel Payment Rules
  • § 89511.5 Personal Funds For Non-Campaign Expenses
  • § 89519 Surplus Campaign Funds Use
  • § 12950.3 Hotel Human Trafficking Training

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Government Code. Section 89502.
View Official Source