On a unanimous vote, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors today approved a new anti-corruption proposal that cracks down on lobbying and insider trading on betting apps like Kalshi and Polymarket. 

“This will target the revolving door between government and private lobbying, as well as emerging insider-trading risks on prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket,” said Chair Lawson-Remer.   

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.

“Public service should never become a private payday,” Lawson-Remer said. “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. Trump’s Washington is showing us how quickly insiders can exploit new loopholes. San Diego should close them before the damage is done - not after.”

Click HERE to read the proposal directs County officials to return within 60 days with options to:

• Establish a two-year ban on former County officials and employees lobbying the County, including options to close the “strategic consulting loophole” that allows former officials to direct lobbying campaigns without personally contacting decision-makers.
• Prohibit officials and designated employees from trading prediction-market contracts tied to their County duties or nonpublic information.
• Require disclosure of prediction-market holdings and prevent former officials from trading on matters they personally handled while working for the County.

Why the Proposal is Needed:

• The County oversees a $9.16 billion budget and has no ordinance of its own restricting former officials from lobbying their former offices.
• Nine Polymarket accounts reportedly made $2.4 million betting on U.S. military action in Iran.
• A U.S. Army soldier was arrested this year for allegedly making more than $400,000 on Polymarket using classified government information.
• The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has opened a formal investigation into potential insider trading on prediction-market platforms.
• Governor Gavin Newsom has prohibited California gubernatorial appointees from using confidential information to profit on prediction markets, and the U.S. Senate has barred senators and Senate employees from participating in them.

Lawson-Remer’s proposal is part of her broader effort to modernize accountability at the County. That effort includes Charter reforms to establish an Independent Ethics Commission, Independent Budget Analyst, and Independent Program Auditor, and to require greater public disclosure of County spending and performance.

Together, the reforms advance a simple principle: a government responsible for more than $9 billion in public funds needs modern ethics rules, independent watchdogs, and transparency that allows the public to hold it accountable.