From A’s games to Sur La Table: What lawmakers’ campaign finance filings reveal
A Modesto politician who was the subject of a Sacramento Bee investigation in October has continued a pattern of spending campaign funds on top-dollar travel, dining and entertainment, according to recently released campaign finance filings.
Campaign funds are not taxpayer dollars but are given by companies or organizations that would like to have a say in how state laws are crafted. Assembly Republican Leader Heath Flora, R-Ripon, raised $663,459.56 in 2025, 163% more than the average legislator, according to the CalMatters Digital Democracy database.
Among his top contributors were the utility company Sempra Energy, which gave $11,800 last year, a group representing pistachio growers, which gave $10,900, and the utility company Pacific Gas & Electric, which gave $9,000. Businesses are allowed to contribute up to $11,800 to a candidate per election.
Campaign spending in California is overseen by the Fair Political Practices Commission, which monitors hundreds of statewide accounts each filing period, in addition to thousands of local races. The agency primarily opens investigations in response to complaints, though it also conducts random audits each year.
However, former FPPC leader Dan Schnur has described campaign finance spending as a “massive gray area,” where lines are often blurred between clearly political and clearly personal use.
Here are some of the expenditures disclosed in the latter half of 2025 that caught our eye. Unless noted, the spending described appears to follow FPPC regulations.
1. Heath Flora for Assembly 2026: $626 at Robert Graham in Las Vegas and $498 at a Canadian business listed as Sun Glass hut.
Flora reported more than $205,000 in credit card spending in the latter half of 2025. California law requires campaigns to itemize any charge over $100.
Among the disclosed expenses were multiple purchases at clothing retailers, including two charges — $187 and $438 — at Robert Graham, a men’s designer brand with locations in Las Vegas. Another $498 charge was made at Sun glass hut in Canada.
Campaign records show Flora traveled to Las Vegas roughly once a month during that period, citing a legislative trip in September, an event in October, a campaign event in November and a fundraiser in December.
FPPC regulations generally prohibit the use of campaign funds for clothing, except for specialized attire required for a political or official event. Flora did not respond to multiple emails and a phone call seeking comment about the purchases.
2. Heath Flora for Assembly 2026: $26,370 to the A’s for Meetings
Flora’s latest filings also show significant spending tied to A’s games in West Sacramento before the team’s expected move to a Las Vegas ballpark for good in 2028. His campaign paid $16,620 in July and $9,750 later in the year to the team for what was described as a “venue for multiple meetings.”
Across both filing periods in 2025, Flora’s campaign reported $70,620 in payments to the Athletics Investment Group, located in West Sacramento.
FPPC rules prohibit campaigns from purchasing entertainment or sporting event tickets “unless attendance at the event is directly related to a political, legislative, or governmental purpose.” Flora did not respond to questions about how many meetings were held or how many people attended.
3. Buffy Wicks for Assembly 2026: $11,189.21 for a roundtrip flight to Copenhagen on United Airlines
The campaign committee for Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, paid $11,189.21 for a roundtrip flight from San Francisco to Copenhagen in October for a legislative trip to Sweden on the use of homes made in factories and put together on site. Wicks, in December, was chosen to chair a Select Committee on Housing Construction Innovation to try and find ways to build homes cheaper and faster in the state.
Wicks, in an interview Thursday, said she flew international business class because “we hit the ground running on business meetings” after landing. During a hearing last month, she said she was “blown away” by what she saw on the Sweden trip “in terms of modular prefab housing.” Other members of the select committee went on the trip and had airfare covered by campaign accounts. A re-election committee for Assemblymember Jessica Caloza, D-Los Angeles, spent $1,148.75 on a flight. One for Assemblymember Juan Carrillo, D-Palmdale, spent $1,525.33.
4. Bill Dodd Ballot Measure Committee for Progress, Reform & A Stronger California: $21,000 to Latitude 38 Entertainment for a 2026 BottleRock Deposit
A ballot measure committee for former state Sen. Bill Dodd, a Democrat who represented parts of Sacramento and Yolo counties, last year spent $21,000 on a deposit for the 2026 BottleRock music festival in Napa. In the first half of 2025, records show, the committee also spent more than $14,000 in BottleRock-related deposits, food and drinks. Dodd owns a lobbying firm, although he is not a registered lobbyist.
“I’ve used my ballot measure committee to support numerous measures at the state and local level over the years,” Dodd said in an email to The Bee. “In order to raise money to support these measures, I hold an annual event as a fundraiser so the committee has the resources to engage on ballot measures.”
In the last two months of 2024, the committee did contribute $5,500 to a group opposing a sales tax increase by the city of Napa. But that was eclipsed by a $7,512.50 payment the committee made for another BottleRock deposit.
5. Cottie Petrie-Norris for Assembly 2026: $890 at Sur La Table for office expenses
Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, D-Irvine, spent $890 at the cookware store Sur La Table, which she coded as “office expenses.”
When asked about the charge Thursday, Petrie-Norris described the event as a “team policy conference” where the team planned their policy priorities and agenda for the year.
Shortly after, Petrie-Norris’ staff sent photos of her legislative team participating in a cooking class at Sur La Table.
6. Fabian Núñez for State Treasurer 2026: $45,000 for Pomona College
Fabian Núñez, a former Democratic Assembly speaker from Los Angeles, has opened a new campaign account for statewide office every four years since leaving the Legislature in 2008, according to state records. He has never ultimately run for the offices listed, instead transferring remaining balances into new future campaign committees. Núñez has been a partner at several lobbying firms since he left office, although he is not a registered lobbyist.
On Dec. 19, 2025, filings show Núñez’s state treasurer committee paid $45,000 to Pomona College, a school with an endowment of roughly $3 billion according to filings from 2024. Núñez’s spokesperson, Steven Maviglio, said the contribution supports a long-running program called the “Sacramento Seminar.”
“Former Speaker Fabian Núñez strongly believes in supporting the next generation of California’s political leaders, which is why, in accordance with state law, his campaign generously donates to this highly-respected program that brings student leaders to the Capitol to learn about policy and politics,” Maviglio said in an emailed statement.
Núñez did not respond to a question about why the money came from his campaign account rather than his personal funds.
