PRESS RELEASE
Contact: For release:
Mabel Ng
August 5, 2004
(415) 581-2300
SF ETHICS COMMISSION ANNOUNCES THAT THE VOLUNTARY SPENDING LIMIT HAS BEEN LIFTED FOR ALL BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CANDIDATES IN DISTRICT ELEVEN
The San Francisco Ethics Commission announced today that
San Francisco
’s $83,000 voluntary spending limit for candidates for the Board of Supervisors in the November election has been lifted in District 11. Elimination of the spending limit was triggered by one candidate, Gerardo Sandoval, who rejected the voluntary spending limit and raised funds in excess of the spending limit. Today, Mr. Sandoval filed a form indicating that he declined to accept the spending limit. Mr. Sandoval also filed a form today, as required by law, indicating that he had raised contributions to his campaign exceeding 100 percent of the $83,000 voluntary spending limit. Accordingly, by law, the Ethics Commission was required to lift the spending limit.
The Commission has notified all District 11 supervisorial candidates that the spending limit is no longer in effect in that district in the general election. District 11 is the second district in which the spending limit has been lifted in the current election. The Commission earlier lifted the spending limit in District 7.
Under the City’s Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance, the voluntary spending limit for candidates for the office of Board of Supervisors is lifted in a particular district if a candidate who does not agree to abide by the spending limits receives contributions or makes qualified campaign expenditures in excess of 100 percent of the $83,000 voluntary spending limit. The limit is also lifted when a committee, or committees in the aggregate, make independent expenditures, in support of or in opposition to a candidate, that exceed 100 percent of the $83,000 spending limit.
Michael Garcia, Chairperson of the Ethics Commission, said: “It’s clear that the voters want voluntary spending limits because they approved it by a vote of nearly 80 percent in 1999.�
160; However, the lifting of the limits in a second district also makes clear that the Commission must revisit the law and make adjustments as necessary to make sure that spending limits are meaningful and that the public financing program is accomplishing its purposes. I hope the Commission will be able to consider these matters after the November election.”
All candidates running for City office who agreed by the deadline to comply with the voluntary spending limits will be acknowledged in the Voter Information Handbook distributed to
San Francisco
voters.
– – – – – – –
The Ethics Commission, established in November 1993, serves the public, City employees and officials and candidates for public office through education and enforcement of ethics laws. Its duties include: filing and auditing of campaign finance disclosure statements, lobbyist and campaign consultant registration and regulation, administration of the public financing program and whistleblower program, conflict of interest reporting, investigations and enforcement, education and training, advice giving and statistical reporting.
# # # # #
S:\PRESS\CFRO\Nov 2004\lift limits Dist 11 8.04.doc