The article requires careful reading.  It mostly concerns a Hawaii trip sponsored by California Independent Voters Project, which sponsored the proposed initiative that became California's Prop. 14, the "top-two" ballot measure.  CAIVP paid for the air fares and hotels for California legislators for a trip to a Maui resort.

 

The article also mentions a 2nd, smaller conference, but that one has nothing to do with CAIVP and in that 2nd one, the legislators paid their own air fare and hotel.