(The Center Square) – Local government agencies in California are legally barred from advocating for or against local tax initiatives, yet those same agencies stand to gain millions—or billions—if voters say yes.
Political consultants have turned that conflict into a business, collecting taxpayer dollars to help governments run secret campaigns under the guise of “neutral” public education, an investigation by The Center Square found. If fines are levied against the government, they typically pale in comparison to the amount of money already raised by an initiative.
“Even a million dollar fine would be chump change considering they could raise hundreds of millions of dollars on a tax increase,” said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. “(We have) repeatedly alerted voters about public funds being used for political advocacy. Local governments are the worst offenders.”
Some companies are more direct than others with the way they advertise their ability to use your tax dollars to influence elections and raise tax dollars.
One such company, The Lew Edwards Group, brands itself as “the California leader in successful sales tax measures” and advertises its ability to help elected officials benefit from “highly targeted strategy, mail, media, paid digital, field operations, and social media approaches.”
The company’s website is chock-full of references to helping government agencies “win” rather than providing down-the-middle information to voters.
“They are experts at using phrases that will encourage a yes vote,” said David Kline, a spokesman for CalTax. “(They are) trying to stay out of legal trouble… or at least pushing the envelope as much as they can.”
According to her biography, company founder Catherine Lew prides herself on helping government agencies find ways to raise billions of dollars.
“With Catherine’s leadership and an incredible organizational team, The Lew Edwards Group has enjoyed 28 years of success, passing nearly $50 Billion in California finance measures at a 95%+ win rate… Selected clients represented by Catherine include: Los Angeles Unified School District (four successive bond elections); Long Beach Unified School District ($2.7 Billion total); Coast Community College District ($1.068 Billion total); Peralta Colleges ($800 Million Bond/$64 Million Parcel Tax); and scores of other cities and school districts up and down California.”
Kline said the company has been on CalTax’s radar for years, but he was surprised and dismayed to see the organization blatantly marketing its “win rate” and “strategy” on behalf of government agencies despite state laws requiring neutrality with taxpayer dollars.
“It raises all kinds of red flags,” he said. “It’s very unlikely that anyone would hire this group, or another consulting group, if all they needed was to provide unbiased language.”
The Lew Edwards Group website lists an impressive roster of clients, with hundreds of government agencies across California.
The Center Square called more than a dozen of those government clients to ask a simple question: What projects did the Lew Edwards Group work on, and how much taxpayer money was spent?
None of the cities or counties responded to The Center Square’s inquiry, with one exception.
“In January 2026, the City of Santa Rosa worked with… The Lew Edwards Group to conduct a survey about community issues and funding options to maintain City services,” according to Misti Wood, a spokesperson for the city.
The Lew Edwards Group also did not respond to requests for comment.
The FPPC has declined to comment on the use of government agencies hiring political consultants for “educational” outreach. Instead, the commission focuses on the “style, tenor, and timing” of supposedly informational materials to determine whether those materials cross the line between education and advocacy.
In some enforcement decisions, FPPC documents note that a government agency hired a political consultant to create mailers, but it does not list the name of the consulting firm. The responsibility ultimately lies with the government to decide what materials are distributed to voters. In 2010, the San Gabriel Unified School District was fined $3,000 for two mass mailers that were “sent by a campaign consulting firm… to conduct a voter education, outreach and information effort.”
FPPC records show Cathedral City was fined $31,500 in 2025 due to “informational” mailers produced by The Lew Edwards Group in 2021 that were “egregious in providing a one-sided argument in favor of Measure B.”
Measure B sought to impose additional regulations and restrictions on short-term vacation rentals in Cathedral City. FPPC records show the city spent $81,168 to produce mailers that used “inflammatory and overly argumentative language.”
For example, the mailers showed images of “what appears to be a loud, alcohol fueled party” with girls in bikinis. The materials also showed a large pile of trash and highlighted a police response to a short-term vacation rental that resulted in “multiple stabbings.”
“There are no words or images present on the mailer that could be interpreted to oppose Measure B or show the benefits of (short-term vacation rentals),” wrote FPPC Chair Adam Silver.
The Lew Edwards Group also performs campaign work on behalf of organizations such as “YES on M.” Campaign mailers funded by those clients are allowed to be one-sided because they are not paid for with taxpayer dollars. However, the majority of clients listed on the Lew Edwards Group website are government agencies who are legally prohibited from sending biased materials to voters at the expense of taxpayers.
The issue is particularly timely since California voters across 32 counties will decide 113 local ballot measures on Tuesday. The Center Square has conducted an analysis of the informational materials surrounding those ballot measures, which can be found here.
