How do I find out the top xx lobbyist employers based on payments made by the employers?

  1. Go to the "Lobbying Activity" page. (You may also reach this site from the Secretary of State's Home Page - by clicking on "Lobbying Activity & Finance" under "Political Reform.")
  2. Click on the "Advanced Search" link in the upper left-hand corner. The "California Filings Searchable Database" will be displayed.
  3. Under "Lobbying," on the right-hand side of the page, click on "Employer Category." The "Employer Category Search" page will be displayed.
  4. Select the "Legislative Session" from the drop down list box that indicates "Any" or a particular session. Note that you can select for any session back to 1999-2000.
  5. Click on the check marks of the quarters you are NOT interested in viewing to remove them from the search criteria.
  6. Click on "Search" to run the report. Several seconds may be required to process the request.
  7. The report is returned with the following information displayed: "#Records Found" and "Total Payments Made: $____." The employers are listed alphabetically in the first column, the payments received in the second column, and the interest of the employer in the third column. Click on the magnifying glass in the "View Detail" column (fourth column) to see the payment amount the employer paid for each quarter selected.
  8. You can narrow the search by clicking the "Top xx Employers" drop list box to reduce the number of employers you want to view. The report is returned with the "Top xx Employers."
  9. Click on the "Download" button located in the upper right-hand portion of the page to view your results in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.