Former California Assemblymember Evan Low tried to conceal hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments to celebrity Alec Baldwin for campaign appearances using a big tech advocacy group he founded, according to a recent state report.
Low — who represented Assembly District 26 and lost a bid for Congressional District 16 to former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo last year — has agreed to pay the state Fair Political Practices Commission a $106,000 penalty for failing to keep timely reports and records about campaign payments. The commission has been investigating Low over Political Reform Act violations since 2020 after CalMatters reported on his nonprofit, the Foundation for California’s Technology and Innovation Economy, which for years hosted events where tech lobbyists paid for access to state lawmakers.
FPPC spokesperson Shery Yang declined to comment on the report. Low and his attorney did not respond to requests for comment.
Low has agreed to the settlement and to pay the fine, but the commission has to approve the agreement, which is expected at its April 10 meeting.
Baldwin appeared at two separate events in 2020: the Foundation’s tech summit in Cupertino and a Lunar New Year fundraiser in San Jose’s Little Saigon for Low’s reelection to the Assembly that year. Investigators say Low tried to hide the fact he paid Baldwin to appear at his fundraiser by having Baldwin’s agents sign two contracts — one stating the fundraiser was “voluntary” and another requiring Baldwin to appear at both the tech summit and fundraiser for more than $227,000.
Low initially told investigators he wasn’t involved in booking Baldwin’s fundraiser appearance and that Baldwin did it of his own accord, according to the report. But after investigators gathered their evidence, Low later admitted to having knowledge of and failing to disclose the activities.
The former Assemblymember’s term ended last year after a contentious effort to win a seat in the House of Representatives against Liccardo. Supporters for both Low and Liccardo lobbied federal election complaints at the other side.
Low was hit with two complaints last year. One was filed by former Federal Elections Commission Chair Ann Ravel in August, alleging Low used an email list from a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Stand with Asians, for campaigning. The other was filed by Defend the Vote in October alleging Low’s state Assembly committee spent money on advertisements to support his congressional campaign.
Defend the Vote confirmed its complaint is still pending. Ravel didn’t respond to requests for an update on her complaint.
Low has since found another way to enter the national arena as president and CEO of LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, a federal political action committee that supports LGBTQ+ candidates running for office across the nation. He started the job at the beginning of March. The pivot comes months after Low lost the race for Congressional District 16 to Liccardo and ended his decade representing Silicon Valley in the California Legislature.
Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X.
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