Spending on lobbying firms topped $83.5 million in Q1 2026

Special interests, or as the California Secretary of State calls them “lobbyist employers,” paid lobbying firms more than $83.5 million to lobby state government in the first quarter of 2025, according to a Capitol Weekly analysis of lobbying firm reports.

As Capitol Weekly always notes in quarterly lobbying reports, that number doesn’t include all of the money spent on lobbying during the fifth quarter of the 2025-26 legislative cycle, as lobbying firm disclosure reports don’t include wages and expenses for in-house lobbyists.

The $83.5 million represents a 9% decrease from the amount spent in the fourth quarter of the cycle, after accounting for disclosure amendments. According to updated figures, special interests spent nearly $91.8 million on lobbying firms during the fourth quarter of last year

Special interests spent more in the third quarter of 2025 than any quarter of the cycle thus far—more than $92.5 million, again after accounting for disclosure amendments.

For the 2025-26 cycle, special interests spent more than $436 million on lobbying firms thus far, according to disclosures analyzed during the first few days of May.

(Capitol Weekly notes in these quarterly lobbying spending stories when we gathered our data because the filing of subsequent amendments can change totals. We also note that we try at every turn to catch mis-formatted data, to avoid miscounts. Scraping numbers from Cal-Access, however, can be an imperfect process and mis-formatted data isn’t always flagged in spreadsheet calculations. Please contact us if you see any incorrect totals.)

Through the first 15 months of the last cycle, 2023-24, the total was $381 million, accounting for disclosure amendments. This cycle’s total thus far represents a 14% increase over the last cycle.

Capitol Weekly’s analysis aggregates the total dollar value of all lobbying payments received by lobbying firms that are registered with the state, as disclosed on Form 625, which is filed quarterly with the SoS.

The Form 625 is only for lobbying firms, which are defined as businesses “compensated to communicate directly with any state, legislative or agency official to influence legislative or administrative action on behalf of a client.”

Quarterly receipts

The top-grossing firm for the first quarter of 2026 was John Latimer’s Capitol Advocacy, which reported receiving more than $3.2 million.

In second place was Townsend Public Affairs with receipts of more than $2.55 million.

Five other firms topped $2 million during the quarter:

• California Strategies (more than $2.5 million);
• Axiom Advisors (nearly $2.48 million);
• Platinum Advisors(more than $2.45 million);
• Shaw Yoder Antwih Schmelzer & Lange (more than $2.2 million); and
• Weideman Group(more than $2 million).

The firms reporting receipts of more than $1 million were:

• KP Public Affairs (more than $1.9 million);
• Actum (nearly $1.5 million);
• Deveau Burr Group (nearly $1.42 million);
• Sloat Higgins Jensen and Associates (nearly $1.41 million);
• Political Solutions(more than $1.38 million);
• Lang Hansen Giroux & Kidane(nearly $1.26 million);
• Nielsen Merksamer Parrinello Gross & Leoni (nearly $1.25 million);
• Niemela, Pappas and Associates(nearly $1.15 million); and
• Fernandez Jensen Kimmelshue Government Affairs (more than $1.12 million).

Three more firms topped $900;000 (Joe A. Gonsalves & Son; Aaron Read & Associates; and Caliber Strategies) and eight exceeded $800;000 (California Advocates; Samson Advisors; Lighthouse Public Affairs; Arc Strategies; Carpenter Garcia Sievers; McHugh Koepke Padron Government Relations; Resolute; and Miller; Cespedes and Associates).

One hundred and sixty-one firms reported receiving six figures or more in payments in Q5. Another 151 firms reported receiving five figures in payments.

Cycle totals, thus far

Through five quarters of the cycle, only one firm reported receiving receipts of more than $15 million: Capitol Advocacy, with nearly $15.7 million in total.

Axiom is in second place, with nearly $14.987 million. Cal Strat is third with nearly $13.5 million. Platinum Advisors is fourth at more than $12 million.

Two firms received more than $11 million: Townsend (more than $11.4 million) and KP (more than $11.1 million). Two more pocketed more than $10 million: Shaw Yoder (more than $10.7 million) and Actum (nearly $10.1 million).

Weidman has collected more than $9.6 million.  Political Solutions and Sloat Higgins both have received more than $7 million ($7.15 million and $7.14 million, respectively).

Four firms have collected more than $6 million:

• Nielsen Merksamer (nearly $6.43 million);
• Niemela, Pappas (nearly $6.37 million);
• Deveau Burr (nearly $6.28 million); and
• Lang Hansen (more than $6.1 million).

Fernandez Jensen has collected more than $5.8 million.

Thirteen firms reported more than $4 million aggregate receipts:

• Aaron Read & Associates (nearly $4.85 million);
• Caliber Strategies (more than $4.76 million);
• California Advocates (nearly $4.69 million);
• Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck (more than $4.64 million);
• Joe A. Gonsalves & Son (more than $4.61 million);
• Lighthouse (nearly $4.4 million);
• Campbell Strategy & Advocacy (more than $4.34 million);
• Carpenter Garcia Sievers (more than $4.33 million);
• Resolute (nearly $4.33 million);
• McHugh Koepke (nearly $4.2 million);
• Arc Strategies (more than $4.1 million);
• Sacramento Advocates (nearly $4.1 million); and
• Capitol Advisors Group (more than $4.005 million).

An additional 11 firms reported receipts of more than $3 million, 17 more than $2 million and 47 more than $1 million.

The 104 firms that received more than $1 million over the cycle accounted for 82% of the money spent on lobbying firms. The next 185 firms that collected six figures over the period accounted for just 17 percent of the total spending on lobbying firms.