Proposition C, a measure requiring registration fees and monthly reports from expenditure lobbyists, was approved by voters in San Francisco. The measure creates a new category of lobbyists, termed expenditure lobbyists, defined as organizations who employ lobbyists to influence city officials.

The measure imposes a registration threshold of $2,500 or more in a calendar month spent soliciting, requesting, or urging other persons to communicate directly with a city official. Expenditure lobbyists must pay a $500 fee to register with the city.

The measure takes effect February 1, 2016.

The Ethics Commission has launched a new online tool to track financial activity for the November 3, 2015, election.

These interactive campaign finance dashboards will provide visual summaries of the contributions and expenditures of candidate and ballot measure committees, lobbyists, contributors, and third parties. It will also provide information on expenditure ceilings and any public funds dispersed through the city’s public financing program.

The dashboards can be found here. The data utilized by the dashboards can be downloaded from the Ethics Commission website or the SF OpenData website.

The San Francisco Ethics Commission has unanimously approved a ballot measure requiring expenditure lobbyists to register and report city lobbying activity. The measure will appear on the city’s November 3, 2015 ballot.

The measure creates a new category of lobbyists, termed expenditure lobbyists, defined in the measure as organizations who employ lobbyists to influence city officials. The measure imposes a registration threshold of $2,500 or more in a calendar month spent soliciting, requesting, or urging other persons to communicate directly with a city official.

If approved by voters at the November 3, 2015 election, the measure would become operative February 1, 2016. A draft of the proposed measure can be found here.

John St. Croix, the executive director of the city’s Ethics Commission, has announced his intention to resign after 11 years leading the organization.

St. Croix’s resignation letter to commissioners did not give a specific reason for leaving, but did announce August 27, 2015, as his final day.

The resignation and search for a replacement is a discussion item on the commission’s April 27 meeting agenda.

The Ethics Commission has announced the release of a new online report entitled “Spending to Influence: Campaign Finance and Lobbying in San Francisco in 2014.”

The report explores the interests and financial activity of campaign influencers during the November 2014 election cycle by using publicly available data of committees, parties, consultants, major contributors, and lobbyists.

The report was prepared by two graduate students in the Master of Public Administration program at San Francisco State University, with guidance from commission staff. The report is available here.

The Ethics Commission has voted to approve legislative amendments to update, simplify, and improve the city’s Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance during a meeting on January 26, 2015.

The amendments repeal aggregate contribution limits, simplify reporting requirements for corporations and committees, and clarify disclaimer requirements for campaign communications.

The amendments will become law only if approved by two-thirds of the Board of Supervisors.

The Ethics Commission has released a memorandum summarizing legislative amendments proposed by staff to update, simplify, and improve the city’s Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance. The proposed amendments will repeal aggregate contribution limits, simplify reporting requirements for corporations and committees, and clarify disclaimer requirements for campaign communications.

The amendments will be considered during the Ethics Commission’s meeting on January 26 and will become law only if passed by the commission and approved by two-thirds of the Board of Supervisors. The memorandum is available here.

The Ethics Commission has posted on its website six new fact sheets concerning the city’s lobbying ordinance. The fact sheets are to provide general guidance about registration and reporting requirements for lobbying in easily understandable language.

The fact sheets were produced in collaboration with the University of California Hastings Center for State & Local Government Law and are available here.

The Ethics Commission has announced two interested persons meetings on November 10 and November 13 to discuss possible changes to the city’s Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance (CFRO). Discussion at the meetings will be limited to potential changes to CFRO’s disclaimer and third-party reporting provisions.

Staff plans to distribute draft CFRO amendments to interested parties prior to the meetings.

Written comments regarding CFRO’s disclaimer and third-party reporting provisions can be sent to Jesse Mainardi at jesse.mainardi@sfgov.org or (415) 252-3100. R.S.V.P. by email at ethics.commission@sfgov.org.

New regulations to compliment the Lobbyist Ordinance take effect today, September 26, 2014.

Preparation and research are included in the definition of “lobbyist services” and a single conversation (or email) with multiple officials counts as multiple “contacts” for purposes of the new registration threshold.

The new regulations are designed to interpret and otherwise provide guidance concerning recent amendments to the ordinance effective July 26, 2014.

The Ethics Commission has produced a summary of changes to the city lobbyist ordinance taking effect July 26, 2014. Ordinance File No. 130374 expands the definition of “lobbyist” and requires random audits of lobbying reports.

Meeting the registration threshold of a lobbyist will now depend on the number of compensated contacts with a covered official rather than the level of compensation received. The lobbying exemption for contractors and their attorneys will be limited to in-house officers and employees. Outside consultants communicating with public officials regarding contract bidding and negotiating will be subject to the registration and reporting requirements of lobbying.

The commission’s summary is available here. 

The Board of Supervisors passed amendments to the city’s lobbying law at a meeting on June 17, 2014. Ordinance 130374 expands the definition of “lobbyist” and requires random audits of lobbying reports.

The lobbying exemption for contractors and their attorneys will be limited to in-house officers and employees. Meeting the definition of a lobbyist will now depend on the number of compensated contacts with a covered official rather than the level of compensation received. Outside consultants communicating with public officials regarding contract bidding and negotiating will be subject to the registration and reporting requirements of lobbying.

The ordinance will be effective 30 days following Mayor Ed Lee’s signature.

The Ethics Commission adopted a resolution stating it will not enforce the aggregate limit on contributions to city candidates in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission.

The San Francisco Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code imposes an aggregate limit of $500 multiplied by the number of city elective offices to be voted on in the election. The McCutcheon decision found federal aggregate limits to be a violation of constitutional free speech.

The city’s $500 limit on contributions from an individual to a single city candidate remains in full force.

The resolution is available here.

The Board of Supervisors will soon vote on ethics legislation introduced last year by City Attorney Dennis Herrera and Board of Supervisors President David Chiu. Ordinance 130374 would amend the Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code to expand the definition of lobbyist and require random audits of lobbying reports.

The lobbying exemption for contractors and their attorneys would be limited to in-house officers and employees. Meeting the definition of a lobbyist would depend on the number of contacts with officials rather than the previous measure of compensation. Outside consultants communicating with public officials regarding contract bidding and negotiating would be subject to the registration and reporting requirements of lobbying.

The ordinance will likely be decided at the board meeting on June 10, 2014.