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David D Cortese

Senator, State Senate

In the Legislature

Senate District 15 D · 3,677 floor votes this session, 1% not voting

Committees they vote in: Education · Public Safety · Transportation · Labor, Public Employment and Retirement · Housing · Agriculture · Natural Resources and Water

Bills they lead: 65 (36 became law) — AB 1928, AB 2694, ACR 6, SB 1246, SB 1250, SB 1306, SB 1375, SB 1392, SB 1425, SB 30, SB 33, SB 400 …

Bills their donors lobbied on

Bills they voted on (latest floor vote) that were lobbied by employers that gave to their campaign, reported spending on them, or paid at their request: the largest first. A lobbying report names the bill, not the side the employer took.

BillTheir voteEmployers that lobbied on it, and what they gave
AB 1374
Rental passenger vehicle transactions: third parties.		Aye
2025-09-04		TURO ($56,230 behested)
AB 2361
Insurance: personal vehicle sharing.		Aye
2026-08-24		TURO ($56,230 behested)
SB 237
Oil spill prevention: gasoline specifications: suspension: California Environmental Quality Act: exemptions: County of Kern: transportation fuels assessment: coastal resources. 		Aye
2025-09-13		UNITED AIRLINES ($26,153 behested); State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
SB 415
Planning and zoning: logistics use developments: truck routes.		Aye
2025-09-13		UNITED AIRLINES ($26,153 behested)
SB 661
Airports: financial assistance.		Aye
2026-08-28		UNITED AIRLINES ($26,153 behested)
SB 1177
Wage statements: airline cabin crew employees.		Aye
2026-05-18		UNITED AIRLINES ($26,153 behested)
AB 431
Advanced Air Mobility Infrastructure Act.		Aye
2026-08-20		UNITED AIRLINES ($26,153 behested)
AB 1883
Workplace surveillance tools.		Aye
2026-08-28		UNITED AIRLINES ($26,153 behested)
AB 1331
Workplace surveillance.		Aye
2026-08-31		UNITED AIRLINES ($26,153 behested)
SB 283
Energy storage systems.		Aye
2025-09-10		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
SB 769
The Golden State Infrastructure Corporation Act.		Aye
2026-08-27		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
SB 809
Employees and independent contractors: construction trucking.		Aye
2025-09-13		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
SB 302
Personal Income Tax Law and Corporation Tax Law: exclusions: environmental credits.		Aye
2025-09-11		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
SB 597
Labor-related liabilities: direct contractor and subcontractor.		Aye
2025-09-09		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
SB 767
Energy: transportation fuels: supply: reportable pipelines.		Aye
2025-09-13		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
SB 787
Energy: equitable clean energy supply chains and industrial policy in California.		Aye
2025-09-13		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
SB 369
Salton Sea: restoration projects: skilled and trained workforce. 		Aye
2025-09-10		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
SB 840
Greenhouse gases: Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: studies.		Aye
2025-09-13		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
SB 20
Occupational safety: high-exposure trigger tasks on artificial stone.		Aye
2025-09-09		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
SB 567
Gravity-Based Energy Storage Well Pilot Program.		Aye
2025-09-09		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
SB 614
Public resources: transportation of carbon dioxide.		Aye
2025-09-13		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
SB 29
Civil actions: decedent’s cause of action.		Aye
2025-06-04		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
AB 361
Best value procurement: school districts.		Aye
2025-09-03		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
AB 1002
Contractors: failure to pay wages: discipline. 		Aye
2025-09-04		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
AB 289
State highway work zone speed safety program.		Aye
2025-09-09		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
AB 527
California Environmental Quality Act: geothermal exploratory projects: geothermal field development projects: enhanced geothermal system wells.		Aye
2025-09-09		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
AB 1280
Energy.		Aye
2025-09-09		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
AB 538
Public works: payroll records.		Aye
2025-09-10		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
AB 889
Prevailing wage: per diem wages.		Aye
2025-09-10		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)
AB 1445
Downtown revitalization and economic recovery financing districts.		Aye
2025-09-10		State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 behested)

Form 700 statements

StatementFiledWhat it lists
2025 Annual
Senator, State Senate		2026-02-261 businesses & trusts, 2 income
2024 Annual
Senator, State Senate		2025-03-021 businesses & trusts, 2 income

Findings

Worth a look Lobbying · the statement

Lobbying reports name $84 in gifts to them in 2024 from 1 source this statement doesn't list

Lobbyist employers' reports to the Secretary of State (Cal-Access) list activity expenses that benefited them in 2024, $50 or more from each of these sources, none named among the statement's gifts or travel: CALIFORNIA-HAWAII STATE CONFERENCE OF THE NAACP $84 (lunch).

What to check
  • Whether they attended or accepted it: the report is the lobbyist employer's account.
  • What Schedule D doesn't require (Form 700 instructions): gifts returned within 30 days; free admission and food at an event where they made a speech, from its organizer; up to two tickets to a campaign or 501(c)(3) fundraiser from the organization holding it; informational material; plaques worth less than $250.
  • Whether it's on the statement under another name.
  • That the report's beneficiary is this person (matched by name and office).
CALIFORNIA-HAWAII STATE CONFERENCE OF THE NAACP $84
Rule: Lobbying gifts not on the statement
“A gift is reportable if its fair market value is $50 or more. In addition, multiple gifts totaling $50 or more received during the reporting period from a single source must be reported.”Form 700 (2025/2026), Instructions – Schedule D ✓ quoted from the saved copy · how this rule works

Context Behested payments

Of $226,900 paid at their request since 2024: 3 sources ($102,383) are registered lobbyist employers

Payments made at their request (Form 803) from sources that also appear in Cal-Access: Turo Inc. ($56,230 to Italian Caucus of California; lobbyist employer); United Airlines ($26,153 to Italian Caucus of California; lobbyist employer); State Building and Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000 to Italian Caucus of California; lobbyist employer).

What to check
  • Context: behested payments are legal and public; this puts two public records side by side.
  • Whether the official later acted on matters involving these sources.
  • The full Form 803 reports (available from the FPPC on request).
Rule: Behested payments from donors or lobbyist employers
“Unlike gifts and contributions, there are no limits on the amount of payments an official may behest.”FPPC, Reporting Behested Payments – Form 803 ✓ quoted from the saved copy · how this rule works

Context Lobbying

5 of their donors and benefactors lobbied on 88 bills they voted on

Employers that lobbied on bills they voted on (as their lobbying reports name the bills) and that gave $109 in gifts reported by lobbying interests, $102,383 in payments at their request. Largest: TURO ($56,230); UNITED AIRLINES ($26,153); State Building & Construction Trades Council of California ($20,000); CALIFORNIA-HAWAII STATE CONFERENCE OF THE NAACP ($84); GENERAL MOTORS LLC ($25). They voted aye on 87 of the 88.

What to check
  • Context: lobbying a bill and funding a member are both legal and public.
  • A report names the bills an employer lobbied on, not which side it took: read the bill and the employer's position before drawing anything from a vote.
  • The bills on their page, sorted by how much these interests gave.
Rule: Bills their donors lobbied on

How this rule works

Behested payments

What David D Cortese reported others paying at their request (FPPC Form 803) since 2024: $226,900 in 13 payments to 3 recipients. Officials report a source that pays $5,000 or more in a year; there is no limit.

Largest recipients: Italian Caucus of California $190,267 · Italian Caucus of CA $30,000 · ITALIAN CAUCUS OF CALIFORNIA $6,633

Paid byTo, forAmount
Turo Inc.
San Francisco · registered lobbyist employer · campaign donor		Italian Caucus of California · Italian Caucus of California - donation to general fund
Charitable · 2026-03-02		$50,000
PhRMA
WASHINGTON		Italian Caucus of CA · Italian Caucus of CA - donation to general fund
Charitable · 2025-10-02		$30,000
United Airlines
Chicago · registered lobbyist employer · campaign donor		Italian Caucus of California · Italian Caucus of California - caucus trip
Charitable · 2026-08-03		$26,153
California Advocates/Dennis Albiani
Sacramento		Italian Caucus of California · Italian Caucus of California - Caucus trip
Charitable · 2026-05-12		$20,000
State Building and Construction Trades Council of California
Sacramento · registered lobbyist employer		Italian Caucus of California · Donation to the Italian Caucus of California charitable organization
Charitable · 2026-08-04		$20,000
California Life Sciences/Sam Chung
Sacramento		Italian Caucus of California · Italian Caucus of California - Caucus trip
Charitable · 2026-08-24		$20,000
PhRMA
Washington		Italian Caucus of California · Italian Caucus of California - donation to general fund
Charitable · 2026-02-11		$15,000
Recology/Evan Boyd & Mario Puccinelli
San Franciscso		Italian Caucus of California · Italian Caucus of California - caucus trip
Charitable · 2026-09-15		$12,884
California Advocates/Dennis Albiani
Sacramento		Italian Caucus of California · Italian Caucus of California - Caucus trip
Charitable · 2026-05-08		$10,000
SAN FRANCISCO Giants Baseball Club LLC
San Francisco		ITALIAN CAUCUS OF CALIFORNIA · Italian Heritage Night
Charitable · 2025-09-24		$6,633
Turo, Inc.
San Francisco · registered lobbyist employer · campaign donor		Italian Caucus of California · Event Sponsorship
Charitable · 2026-02-05		$6,230
NATERA ATTN: Todd Trautner
Austin		Italian Caucus of California · Italian Caucus of California - donation to general fund
Charitable · 2025-12-15		$5,000
Mike Gatto For Lt. Governor 2030
Encino		Italian Caucus of California · Donation to the Italian Caucus of California charitable organization
Charitable · 2026-08-31		$5,000

From the FPPC's Form 803 data (search and download). “Campaign donor” links to a donor who gave to two or more 2026 state candidates.

Reported by lobbying interests

What lobbyist employers, lobbyists and lobbying firms told the Secretary of State they spent on David D Cortese since 2024: $109 across 2 items from 2 sources. Each amount is their share as the report gives it. Matched by name and office.

Reported byWhat, whenTo them
CALIFORNIA-HAWAII STATE CONFERENCE OF THE NAACP
$84 in all		LUNCH at LAX AIRPORT MARRIOT HOTEL · 2024-10-25 · report$84
GENERAL MOTORS LLC
$25 in all		Lunch at GM Tech Center · 2025-09-21 · report$25

Reports on Cal-Access may ask you to pass a security check first.