Appendix 21004. Restrictions on when contributions may be received.
(a)
No candidate, including the candidate's controlled committee, and no committee primarily formed to support or oppose any such candidate or candidates, shall accept any contributions more than six (6) calendar months prior to any election in which the candidate is attempting, or has qualified, to be on the ballot or is a write-in candidate. In the case of a recall effort, the pre-election fund raising period set forth in this paragraph shall commence on the date a notice of intent to circulate a recall petition is served on the officer.
(b)
No candidate or the controlled committee of such candidate, and no committee primarily formed to support or oppose any candidate or candidates, shall accept any contributions after the earlier of: (i) ninety (90) days after the date of the candidate's withdrawal as a candidate, defeat or election to office; or (ii) the date on which outstanding bills or debts owed by the candidate or committee are paid in full. Contributions received during such ninety (90) day period shall be used only to pay outstanding bills or debts owed by the candidate or committee for that election. The limitations of this paragraph shall not apply to funds raised by a candidate or the candidate's controlled committee to retire outstanding debts from any election for city elective office held prior to the effective date of this section, provided that such funds are collected pursuant to the contribution limits established in this chapter. Such funds raised to retire debts remaining from elections held prior to the effective date of this section shall not count against the single election contribution limits established in this chapter.
(c)
If, at the end of the period specified in subsection (b) above, there remains any unexpended balance in the campaign bank account of any candidate or committee, such unexpended funds remaining in the account shall be immediately disposed of in the following manner:
(1)
Subject to the limitations in section 21005, funds may be transferred from the candidate's campaign account to the candidate's officeholder account, if such an account is permitted to be established by this chapter.
(2)
Any remaining unexpended funds shall be returned to contributors pro rata, turned over to the General Fund of the City of Agoura Hills, or donated to any bona fide charitable, educational, civic, religious, or similar tax exempt, non-profit organization, where no substantial part of the donation will have a material financial effect on the former candidate, any member of his or her immediate family, or his or her campaign treasurer.
(d)
Under no circumstances shall funds raised for a campaign for city elective office be redesignated, transferred, or used for any future election other than the single election for which the funds were contributed.
(Ord. No. 99-294, § 11, 2-10-99)