Using Common Area Facility for Political Use

On that last part, are you sure the bill doesn't say something like "the bill will prohibit HOAs from requiring residents to obtain liability insurance for such events?"

If this is a bill, that means HOAs and everyone else may have time to weigh in on this and then it can be tweaked before going up the food chain. Or it may just die in committee (either voted down or doesn't come to a vote at all). If it looks like this is going somewhere, you may want to sent a letter to all the committee members and express your concern. Better yet, attend a meeting where the bill is being discussed and speak your piece there (check the legislature website to see if/when it'll be heard and what you need to do to address the committee)

For what it's worth, the HOA common area is intended for residents' use only, as you've noted. It's one thing to hold a birthday party, in, say, a clubhouse, but since these areas aren't gigantic to start with, it doesn't make sense to me to hold something where every damn body could show up for a meet and greet with an elected official or candidate. Fire Marshall rules alone might rule that out. Otherwise, I agree with you - if you want to invite the entire town to something at your clubhouse, you should get some sort of event or liability insurance because you never if something will pop off. Especially when you consider how volatile people can be these days....

While I may have an opinion/belief as it is CA, I will gracefully back out.