Check a figure against the filing
Verify an amount or position against its original public filing.
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The map is a way to find records, not the record itself. Before you quote a figure, open the filing it came from and check what it covers.
What every connection keeps
Each connection carries what you need to find its source. The fields are described in Data files:
| Field | Use it to |
|---|---|
| Source link | Open the source: the bill's analyses for a position, or the Secretary of State's data page for campaign records |
| Filing ID | Find the exact campaign or lobbying filing in CAL-ACCESS |
| Date | See when the record was filed or which period it covers |
| Coverage through | See the end of the statement period a receipts figure runs through |
| Detail | See which analysis a position appears in, or what an amount covers |
Bill positions
- Open the bill's analyses on California Legislative Information.
- Open the analysis named in the connection's detail, such as a Senate Floor Analysis.
- Find the organization in its support or opposition list.
Positions can change between analyses. Each dated appearance is kept.
Campaign records
- Search for the committee by name or filer ID on CAL-ACCESS, or search contributions and independent expenditures on Power Search.
- Open the filing with the connection's filing ID.
- Check that the period, the amount and the names match.
Lobbying records
Lobbying payments and registrations come from CAL-ACCESS lobbying disclosures. Search for the lobbying firm or the organization on CAL-ACCESS and open its quarterly reports for the period shown.
Check what the figure covers
- Reported receipts are contributions received in the calendar year through the end date of the committee's latest included statement. Later money is not in them.
- Givers are already inside the committee's receipts. Don't add them to it.
- Late contributions can be counted again when the committee files its next full statement.
- Independent spending is money spent around a candidate or measure, not money they received.
- Lobbying payments are for lobbying services over the whole period and are not allocated to any bill.
How totals are counted explains each of these, and Why figures differ from CAL-ACCESS covers the usual reasons a figure won't match exactly.
Filings can be amended after the snapshot was taken, which can change an amount. The map shows the figure as of its snapshot date. If the filing and the map disagree, the filing is the record; please tell us.