FPPC Releases Top 5 Highest Settlement Cases of 2025

Cathedral City was among the Top 5 Highest Settlement Cases of 2025, according to The Fair Political Practices Commission’s newly released 2025 Enforcement Heat Map alongside its 2025 Annual Report, which provides a detailed look at the Commission’s enforcement activity statewide.

Cathedral City, represented by Eric S. Vail of Burke, Williams, & Sorensen. was fined $31,500 for sending prohibited campaign-related mass mailings at public expense, in violation of Government Code Section 89001 and Regulation 18901.1 (2 counts); failed to include the proper advertising disclosure on mailers, in violation of Government Code Sections 84502 and 84504.2 (2 counts); failed to timely file an independent expenditure committee campaign statement for the period of January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021, in violation of Government Code Section 84200, subdivision (b) (1 count); and failed to timely file two 24-Hour Reports, in violation of Government Code Section 84204 (2 counts).

In 2025, the FPPC Enforcement Division opened more than 1,300 new cases while reducing its overall caseload to among the lowest levels seen this decade, a 40% reduction compared to three years ago. During the same period, the Division successfully prosecuted more than 878 cases and levied $543,539 in fines, the highest total for any off-election year so far this decade.

The cases resolved in 2025 include significant matters involving campaign money laundering, mass mailing at the public expense, conflicts of interest, and other serious violations of California’s ethics and campaign finance laws.

The 2025 Enforcement Heat Map offers the public real-time, case-level access to enforcement data, organized by county and searchable by violation type, fine amount, and case disposition. Each entry includes direct links to underlying stipulations, decisions, and orders.

• 2025 Enforcement Heat Map:
https://www.fppc.ca.gov/transparency/heat-map1.html

• 2025 Annual Report:
https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/NS-Documents/Annual-Report/2025-Annual-Report.pdf

 

Image Sources

  • Financial Penalty: Shutterstock