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The Assembly passed legislation Thursday to limit the sums that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other state politicians can raise for ballot-measure committees they control. AB 709, by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis, would not take effect unless it passes the Senate, is signed by the governor and is approved by state voters. The Assembly vote was 43-29, with Republicans dissenting. The measure limits a person from making contributions exceeding $5,600 during the entire period that a state officeholder or candidate for state office controls the ballot-measure committee. The Fair Political Practices Commission imposed a $22,300-per-donor limit in June 2004, ruling that...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - The Assembly passed legislation Thursday that would curb Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's fundraising by putting a $5,600 limit on donations to ballot measure committees controlled by candidates or officeholders. The bill was designed to close a loophole in a voter-approved campaign finance law that Schwarzenegger has used to raise tens of millions of dollars to support his agenda at the ballot box. "This loophole is bad public policy. It undermines public trust," said Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis, sponsor of the bill. Wolk's bill deals with contributions made to committees such as Schwarzenegger's California Recovery Team, which don't face...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - An Assembly committee Tuesday joined the effort to clamp limits on how much candidates and officeholders such as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger can raise for ballot measure committees they control. The Elections and Redistricting Committee approved a bill by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis, that would allow donors to give no more than $5,600 to those committees, although the limit would be adjusted for inflation every two years. A Sacramento judge last month struck down a broader range of donation limits adopted by the state Fair Political Practices Commission, but Wolk predicted her bill could survive a court challenge...