PRESS RELEASE
Contact:
John St. Croix
(415) 252-3100
For release:August 10, 2007
SF ETHICS COMMISSION ANNOUNCES THAT THE VOLUNTARY SPENDING LIMIT HAS BEEN LIFTED IN THE MAYOR’S RACE
The San Francisco Ethics Commission announced today that San Francisco’s $1,375,000 voluntary spending limit for candidates for the Office of the Mayor in the November election has been lifted. Elimination of the spending limit was triggered by Mayor Gavin Newsom who filed papers indicating that he declined to accept the voluntary spending limit and that he has raised funds in excess of the spending limit. Under the law, if a candidate who has filed a statement declining to accept the expenditure ceiling receives contributions in excess of 100 percent of the applicable expenditure ceiling, the applicable expenditure ceiling will no longer be binding on any candidate seeking election to the same City elective office. This will not impact the spending limits that will apply to candidates who qualify for public financing.
The Commission has notified all candidates for Mayor that the spending limit is no longer in effect in the race for Mayor.
Under the law, the Director of Elections publishes in the Voter Information Pamphlet a notice informing voters whether a candidate has accepted or not accepted the voluntary spending limit. If a candidate is precluded from accepting or rejecting the limit because the ceiling has been lifted before the candidate filed a statement indicating acceptance or rejection of the limit, the notice for that candidate will state, “The voluntary spending limit was lifted before this candidate decided to accept or not accept the limit.”
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The Ethi
cs 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, conflict of interest reporting, investigations and enforcement, education and training, advice giving and statistical reporting.
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