County Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer is proposing an "anti-corruption" measure that would ban post-employment lobbying and prohibit county officials from using betting platforms, such as Kalshi, for insider trading.
According to a statement, Lawson-Remer's proposal would direct officials to return within two months with options for:
- Establishing a two-year prohibition on former officials and employees lobbying the county, including alternatives to close a "strategic consulting loophole" allowing them to direct lobbying campaigns without personally contacting lawmakers;
- Banning officials and designated employees from trading prediction- market contracts tied to their duties or nonpublic information; and
- Requiring disclosure of prediction-market holdings and preventing former officials from trading on matters they handled while on the county payroll.
Currently, there is no county ordinance prohibiting former officials from lobbying their former offices.
Lawson-Remer cited several examples of why the county needs ethical safeguards, including:
- A U.S. Army soldier being arrested for allegedly making over $400,000 on Polymarket using classified government information;
- Nine Polymarket accounts reportedly making $2.4 million betting on recent U.S. military action in Iran;
- The U.S. Senate barring senators and Senate employees from participating in them;
- The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform formally investigating potential insider trading on prediction-market platforms; and
- Gov. Gavin Newsom banning state gubernatorial appointees from using confidential information to profit on prediction markets.
Lawson-Remer stated the proposal "comes after a White House teleprompter operator was placed on leave for reportedly making more than $100,000 betting on the contents of President Donald Trump's speeches on Kalshi.
"The White House had previously warned its staff against using nonpublic information on prediction markets," Lawson-Remer added.
Lawson-Remer said that public service "should never become a private payday."
"You should not be able to cash in by selling access to your former colleagues or betting on confidential information the public does not have," she added. "Trump's Washington is showing us how quickly insiders can exploit new loopholes. San Diego should close them before the damage is done."
During a news conference via Zoom last week, Lawson-Remer said San Diego County "relies on a state one-year restriction on direct lobbying contracts, but we don't have our own post-employment lobbying ordinance."
Lawson-Remer added that if the board passes a formal policy, she would like it to take effect "as soon as possible," she said. "At the same time, we (have to) make sure the rules are written correctly."
Lawson-Remer said spending time with her new baby has made her think about what's happening in the world.
"We all rely on each other and government to provide incredibly important functions to keep us safe," when it comes to public health threats like the Tijuana River sewage crisis or wildfire safety.
"You gotta know that you can trust the government, and that government's working for people," she added.
The supervisors' regular meeting is at 9 a.m. inside chambers at the county Administration Building, 1600 Pacific Highway.
