The Ethics Commission has voted to prevent independent committees from using material produced by candidates in committee advertisements.

The amendment to the Election Campaign Control Ordinance (ECCO) will classify a committee’s otherwise independent payment as a “contribution” if the payment is for an advertisement duplicating materials found in a candidate’s advertisement or on the candidate’s website. Such payments would be subject to both contribution limits and source prohibitions.

The amendment now must be considered by City Council. Approval is not expected before September, 2014.

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The Ethics Commission has prepared draft amendments to the Election Campaign Control Ordinance (ECCO). The proposed ECCO amendments include a provision to classify a committee’s otherwise independent payment as a “contribution” if the payment is for an advertisement duplicating materials found in a candidate’s advertisement or on the candidate’s website. Such payments would be subject to both contribution limits and source prohibitions.

The commission has invited public comment at the next meeting on May 8, 2014. The draft amendments are available here.

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The Ethics Commission fined Marc Chase $80,000 for funneling illegal contributions to the 2012 campaigns of San Diego County Dist. Atty. Bonnie Dumanis and ex-Mayor Bob Filner. Chase, the co-owner of a luxury car dealership in La Jolla, admitted he laundered money from Mexican businessman Jose Susumo Azano Matsura into the mayoral campaigns of Dumanis and Filner.

Azano was a major customer of Chase, who served as a “straw” donor to hide Azano’s name. Election law forbids contributions from foreign nationals.

Chase also pleaded guilty in federal court to eight misdemeanor counts of campaign funding violations. He could face eight years in prison when sentenced Nov. 13, 2014.

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The Ethics Commission will be holding a series of workshops over the next few months to receive input concerning proposed amendments to campaign laws. The suggested reforms include classifying the duplication of candidates’ campaign materials as nonmonetary contributions instead of independent expenditures.

In addition, the commission seeks to curb the practice of making independent expenditures on credit so as to delay disclosure of donors who verbally agree to pay the debt after the election.

Commission staff researched and produced a report to be discussed at the next commission meeting on Thursday, March 13, 2014. The report is available here.

On November 19, 2013, a special election was held to replace former mayor Bob Filner, who submitted his resignation amid scandal. Because no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election is scheduled for February 11, 2014.

Individuals may contribute up to $1,000 to the mayoral candidates for the runoff election. Contributions from committees and corporations are not permitted in city elections.

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City Council has scheduled a special election to replace Mayor Bob Filner on November 19, 2013. Filner is scheduled to resign Friday, August 29, following sexual harassment allegations from more than a dozen women.

If one candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, the person would assume office December 17, 2013. If no candidate wins a majority of the vote, a runoff election would be held within the 49-day period called for by the City Charter.

The Ethics Commission is considering ways in which an individual’s role in fundraising may be more accurately disclosed on the lobbyist quarterly disclosure reports. Currently lobbying firms and organization lobbyists must disclose the total amount of all contributions attributable to a reportable individual who has any degree of fundraising responsibility.

For individuals with limited involvement on a host committee, the total amount raised at a particular event may not be reflective of the individual’s limited fundraising efforts. In response, the commission’s staff has prepared three alternative options.

One option would simply allow notation on the report when the individual is not solely responsible for the amount raised. The other two options would amend the lobbying ordinance to remove the dollar amount disclosure requirement for those “assisting a host committee,” or to require reporting of only the amount an individual knows or has reason to know where collected as a result of his or her solicitations.

Discussions on this matter will be held at the commission’s December 13, 2012 meeting at 5:00 p.m. in Room 202 of Council Committee. Feedback may also be sent by email to ethicscommission@sandiego.gov.

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The city council’s rules committee has tentatively approved amendments to the city’s campaign finance laws that would increase the contribution limits for citywide offices from $500 to $1,000.

Limits for elections within districts would remain at $500.

If the entire city council approves the amendments, the new contribution limits would be in effect for the 2014 election cycle.

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The San Diego Ethics Commission is meeting June 14, 2012 to discuss a prepared draft of municipal code amendments concerning campaign related issues, including one which pertains to the lobbying ordinance. Decision point 14 would amend applicable provisions of the lobbying ordinance to require the disclosure of contributions provided to, and fundraising performed for, committees that are primarily formed to support city candidates.

The draft amendments are available on the commission’s website.

The public is invited to provide comment on the proposed amendments at the June 14, 2012, meeting, which will be held at 5:00 p.m. in the committee room on the 12th floor of the city administration building. Correspondence may also be sent by e-mail at: ethicscommission@sandiego.gov.

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Pursuant to the city of San Diego’s Election Campaign Control Ordinance, the San Diego Ethics Commission has released the final version of the 2012 Committee Manual.

The manual addresses the recent changes to San Diego’s campaign finance laws and how they will impact each type of committee required to make a report in the 2012 election year.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has issued an opinion in Thalheimer v. City of San Diego. The Court upheld San Diego’s prohibition on political contributions to candidates, political parties, and political action committees by non-individual entities such as corporations and labor unions.

The district court’s injunction of the prohibition on non-individual entity contributions as it applies to political party contributions to candidates was affirmed.

The Ninth Circuit further upheld San Diego’s law prohibiting contributions to candidates outside of a 12 month pre-election window.

The district court’s decision to preliminarily enjoin a $500 limit on contributions to political committees that make only independent expenditures, which includes contributions by individual and non-individual entities was affirmed.