California weighs fines for undisclosed paid political influencer posts

California is moving toward fines for political influencers and social-media creators who post campaign messages without clear disclosure, extending familiar ad rules into TikTok clips, Instagram reels, YouTube commentary and livestreams. Campaigns are paying for creators to reach younger audiences that spend less time on broadcast television, and Assembly Bill 1130 would require both the creator and the paying campaign to disclose the exchange.

State regulators have warned about the problem for years. An April 5, 2021 memo from the California Fair Political Practices Commission flagged paid social-media influencers as a growing issue in online campaign advertising. A March 2021 commission presentation identified blurred lines between blogging, social posts and other electronic media. Twitter and TikTok have self-imposed bans on paid political ads, and TikTok barred content by paid influencers. FPPC rules already require campaign advertisements to identify the committee that paid for or authorized the communication, and the agency’s AdWATCH enforcement division reviews submitted ads for compliance and can pursue violations.

California’s influencer-disclosure law passed in 2023, but the state campaign watchdog can seek a court order to compel disclosure, and that process can take months. AB 1130, carried by Democratic Assemblymember Marc Berman, is aimed at making penalties immediate.

Tom Steyer’s 2026 campaign spending included creator payments: Isaiah Washington, who posts as Zay-Dante, received $10,000 from the Steyer campaign, and Steyer spent $100,000 on a Texas-based influencer to promote his campaign. Steyer said the payments were for creators’ time, not endorsements.

On Oct. 23, 2025, the Campaign Legal Center petitioned the Federal Election Commission to require on-ad paid-for disclosures on influencers’ political ads.