The San Francisco, California Board of Supervisors unanimously passed, on first reading, campaign finance reform legislation aimed at providing more transparency in political contributions.

Among other provisions, the legislation will include pay-to-play provisions, local behested payment reporting requirements for both donors and City officers, and additional disclosure requirements for contributions made by business entities.

The legislation must pass a second reading at the Board of Supervisors and be signed by the mayor prior to becoming law.

The San Francisco, California Board of Supervisors voted 6-3 on January 23 to appoint District 2 Supervisor Mark Farrell as acting mayor and to remove Board President London Breed.

Breed became acting mayor in December when Mayor Ed Lee suddenly died of a heart attack.

By accepting the appointment, Farrell is giving up his District 2 seat and will have a chance to appoint his successor.

Under the city charter, the board may appoint a successor to serve until the June 5 election.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee died in the early hours of December 12 after suffering an apparent heart attack.

The President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, London Breed, is now the acting mayor of San Francisco.

The Board of Supervisors may now vote to make Breed the temporary mayor or choose another candidate.

If a majority of the remaining 10 supervisors cannot agree on a candidate, Breed would remain in the office until the June 2018 election.

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 Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a referral to request a draft lobbying ordinance in order to improve transparency and accountability in county procurements. County Counsel, Orry Korb, is tasked with reviewing existing lobbying regulations in other localities for drafting purposes. The referral specifically mentions San Jose’s lobbying ordinance as one with a proven track record and able to provide much of the necessary framework and language.

A presentation and consideration of a draft lobbying ordinance will be presented to the Finance and Government Operations Committee before a final version is brought to the full board in December, 2013.

Photo of the Santa Clara Government Center courtesy of Coolcaesar in Wikimedia Commons.

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors will be considering a proposal today which would make electronic filing mandatory for all campaign finance reports filed by candidates and PACs.

The county registrar of voters presently has a system that allows for electronic filing; however, use of the system is optional.

The move to mandatory electronic filing is being proposed as a mechanism to increase transparency.