California Lawmakers Push for Public Access to Lobbyist Letters

Two bills aim to make letters sent to the legislature by lobbyists and advocacy groups available online.

Published on Mar. 3, 2026

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Two California lawmakers, Assembly members Rebecca Bauer-Kahan and Greg Wallis, have introduced legislation that would require the state legislature to post online the letters that lobbyists and advocacy groups submit to influence legislation. Currently, these letters are technically public records but difficult for even seasoned Capitol insiders to access. The lawmakers argue that making these letters publicly available would improve transparency and allow for a better-informed legislative process.

Why it matters

The letters from lobbyists and advocacy groups provide valuable insight into the positions and arguments of various stakeholders on proposed legislation. However, the current system of having to request each set of letters individually is time-consuming and limits public access to this information. Posting the letters online would make this data more readily available to lawmakers, journalists, and the general public, potentially leading to more informed decision-making and greater transparency in the legislative process.

The details

Under the California Legislative Open Records Act, the letters from lobbyists and advocacy groups are considered public records. However, accessing them requires separately requesting each set of letters for the more than 2,000 bills introduced each year, which is a tedious and time-consuming process. The two bills, Assembly Bill 2063 from Wallis and Assembly Bill 2557 from Bauer-Kahan, aim to streamline access by requiring the legislature to post these letters online. Supporters argue this would improve transparency and allow for a more informed legislative process, as the letters can contain valuable suggestions from organizations on how to improve legislation.

  • The two bills were introduced in the California legislature in February 2026.

The players

Rebecca Bauer-Kahan

A Democratic Assembly member representing the San Ramon area, who introduced Assembly Bill 2557 to require the posting of lobbyist and advocacy group letters online.

Greg Wallis

A Republican Assembly member from Rancho Mirage, who introduced Assembly Bill 2063 to require the posting of lobbyist and advocacy group letters online.

California Legislative Open Records Act

The state law that sets the rules for what correspondence lawmakers and their employees are required to disclose, and states that lobbyist and advocacy group letters are public records.

CalMatters

A nonprofit news organization that has been seeking greater access to the lobbyist and advocacy group letters for over a year, in order to add them to its Digital Democracy database.

Jennifer Fearing

A longtime lobbyist who advocates for nonprofits, and who argues that posting the letters online would be a more efficient use of legislative staff time.

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What they’re saying

“Candidly, I had no idea that the public didn't have access to support and opposition letters. It sort of blew my mind when I found out that that wasn't readily available.”

— Greg Wallis, Assembly Member (lostcoastoutpost.com)

“Even if staff had a desire to be very equitable about sharing that kind of information, that is not a good use of their time; absolutely not.”

— Jennifer Fearing, Lobbyist (lostcoastoutpost.com)

“If I were the leader … I'd say, 'That's bull — . Publish the goddamn letters.'”

— Steve Glazer, Former Democratic State Senator (lostcoastoutpost.com)

What’s next

The two bills, Assembly Bill 2063 and Assembly Bill 2557, will now go through the legislative process in the California state legislature.

The takeaway

Making the letters from lobbyists and advocacy groups publicly available online would increase transparency in the legislative process and allow for more informed decision-making by lawmakers and the public. The current system of having to request each set of letters individually is burdensome and limits access to this valuable information.