Sacramento Snapshot: George Santos inspires California legislation

By Kaitlyn Schallhorn

Excerpted from Orange County Register

"The George Santos fallout has hit the California Capitol.

Santos is the freshman Republican New York congressman who has grabbed headlines in recent months for fabricating large amounts of his resume and background, including his work history, education and even how his mother died.

Many of these falsehoods have come to light after his election. He’s faced calls from top GOP officials to resign, been the subject of many a late-night television joke and faces local, state and federal investigations.

State Sen. Josh Newman wants to avoid such drama in California.

The Fullerton Democrat introduced legislation last week that would require candidates for elective office, beginning in 2024, to file a form disclosing prior education, employment and military history with the secretary of state when declaring.

Candidates would have to attest to the truthfulness of the information provided, under penalty of disqualification, removal from office or even possible criminal prosecution as a misdemeanor offense, according to Newman’s office.

'By requiring candidates to provide and attest to basic, foundational biographical information, SB 248 will ensure that California voters don’t get duped by frauds or imposters running for elective office,' Newman said, calling Santos a 'cautionary tale.'

'The Santos drama continues to messily unfold, at the expense of not only his constituents but faith in the democratic process overall,' Newman continued.

Now, candidates in California must attest to basic information such as their legal name, address, the office they are campaigning for and financial disclosures.

'Running for election is, at its most basic level, another version of applying for a job, albeit one where the hiring decision is made by the voters of a given jurisdiction,” Newman said. “If someone is found to have obtained elective office under demonstrably false pretenses, it seems more than reasonable that they should be subject to disqualification and other prospective punishments.' "

Read the full article here.