California Enacts $5,000 Fines for Influencers Concealing Paid Political Posts

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 1130 into law, establishing a $5,000 fine per post for social media creators who fail to disclose payments received from campaign committees to post political material, as reported by The Next Web (https://thenextweb.com/news/california-ab-1130-paid-political-posts-influencer-fine). The statute targets a growing campaign tactic where candidates and political advocacy groups quietly pay online influencers to reach younger voters without clear commercial disclaimers.

While California has required disclosure labels on sponsored political communications since 2023, state regulators previously had no statutory power to penalize creators who ignored the requirement. AB 1130 closes that enforcement gap by granting the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) the authority to levy administrative, civil, or criminal penalties. The commission may also refer willful violations to law enforcement as potential misdemeanors, which can carry sentences of up to one year in prison according to New York Times reporter Ken Bensinger.

The law applies specifically to individuals paid by an official campaign committee to publish online content supporting or opposing a candidate or ballot measure without the required disclaimer. Unpaid creators posting personal political opinions remain outside the bill's scope. Assemblyman Marc Berman introduced the legislation following reporting by the Times on undisclosed payments funneled to online creators during California’s competitive gubernatorial primary.

That reporting revealed that billionaire Democratic candidate Tom Steyer paid dozens of creators across TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Reddit to post supportive content, often without upfront written disclosures. The revelations prompted complaints to the FPPC against both Steyer and primary rival Xavier Becerra, who went on to win the primary. The commission closed one inquiry into Steyer after determining his campaign had notified creators of disclosure rules and requested corrections, while a secondary probe into the campaign remains open.

Newsom signed AB 1130 at the Democracy Center in Los Angeles as part of a 13-bill package governing elections and digital media. The package also includes AB 686, extending California’s restrictions on deceptive election deepfakes to January 1, 2031, from the previous sunset date of January 1, 2027, along with AB 502 on deceptive communications and AB 2281 on state election cybersecurity assessments. The measures expand a regulatory stack that includes 2024 laws AB 2655 and AB 2355, giving California regulators direct enforcement authority just weeks ahead of the general election.