City and County of San Francisco
Ethics Commission

English

Campaign Consultant Filing, First Quarter 2009

FIRST QUARTER 2009 SUMMARY OF EARNINGS AND ACTIVITY OF CAMPAIGN CONSULTANTS REGISTERED WITH THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO

December 1, 2008 through February 28, 2009

Jamienne S. Studley, Chairperson
John St. Croix, Executive Director

Date Issued: April 1, 2009

Report prepared by:
Catherine Argumedo

CAMPAIGN CONSULTANT FILING
FIRST QUARTER 2009

I. Introduction

In November 1997, San Francisco voters approved the Regulation of Campaign Consultants Ordinance (“Ordinance”), San Francisco Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code Sections 1.500-1.540. The Ordinance requires persons who earn $1,000 or more per year for campaign consultant services to register with the Ethics Commission and file quarterly activity reports.

The first quarter activity reports were due on March 16, 2009 and covered the filing period beginning December 1, 2008 through February 28, 2009.

II. Comparative Data

The level of campaign consultant activity has fluctuated since the first filing in June 1998 (the second quarter of 1998). The chart on the next page compares data compiled pertaining to campaign consultant activity since implementation of the Ordinance. As indicated, the level of campaign consultant activity generally increases or decreases depending on 1) whether an election is held and 2) the number and type of local items on the ballot.

Quarter	Number of Consultants	Total Payments Promised	Total Payments Received	Total Contributions Made
Second Quarter 1998	24	$1,560,742	$1,432,631	$4,100
Third Quarter 1998	25	$341,745	$379,859	$3,405
Fourth Quarter 1998	30	$638,498	$784,507	$1,975
First Quarter 1999	22	$71,969	$142,355	$550
Second Quarter 1999	28	$201,983	$485,071	$1,500
Third Quarter 1999	34	$395,440	$1,168,597	$4,150
Fourth Quarter 1999	38	$1,343,362	$2,489,276	$3,800
First Quarter 2000	17	$904,891	$1,293,901	$2,750
Second Quarter 2000	17	$169,599	$186,663	$1,275
Third Quarter 2000	20	$293,110	$467,379	$18,900
Fourth Quarter 2000	25	$2,437,695	$2,332,401	$26,348
First Quarter 2001	17	$216,952	$236,785	$800
Second Quarter 2001	15	$6,500	$6,500	$100
Third Quarter 2001	18	$137,751	$58,560	$5,550
Fourth Quarter 2001	23	$640,589	$690,272	$12,825
First Quarter 2002	22	$242,752	$259,357	$1,100
Second Quarter 2002	23	$121,413	$311,663	$2,100
Third Quarter 2002	40	$320, 373	$345,325	$2,200
Fourth Quarter 2002	50	$3,002,128	$3,243,997	$8,003
First Quarter 2003	42	$368,102	$331,328	$3,850
Second Quarter 2003	51	$486,555	$530,434	$3,250
Third Quarter 2003	64	$618,346	$749,332	$2,805
Fourth Quarter 2003	64	$1,112,506	$1,367,183	$10,125
First Quarter 2004	36	$352,837	$243,578	$1,600
Second Quarter 2004	29	$180,947	$136,950	$1,650
Third Quarter 2004	45	$461,739	$405,991	$11,050
Fourth Quarter 2004	55	$620,070	$943,214	$4,786
First Quarter 2005	17	$78,578	$29,762	$1,750
Second Quarter 2005	17	$87,399	$93,085	$250
Third Quarter 2005	20	$160,430	$102,377	$950
Fourth Quarter 2005	23	$256,254	$283,731	$1,150
First Quarter 2006	9	$68,911	$72,654	$1,900
Second Quarter 2006	13	$400,328	$385,303	$1,000
Third Quarter 2006	18	$279,270	$310,077	$4,200
Fourth Quarter 2006	21	$842,765	$617,275	$12,700
First Quarter 2007	14	$115,761	$135,720	$1,200
Second Quarter 2007	16	$227,514	$163,333	N/A*
Third Quarter 2007	19	$479,895	$414,496	$69,137
Fourth Quarter 2007	19	$1,262,553	$1,324,139	$35,875
First Quarter 2008	21	$622,255	$830,920	$92,950
Second Quarter 2008	27	$718,486	$1,011,559	$3,750
Third Quarter 2008	40	$862,640	$811,954	$4,843
Fourth Quarter 2008	41	$1,985,420	$3,978,592	$4,830
First Quarter 2009	21	$490,230	$451,730	$1,560

III. The Campaign Consultant Ordinance

The Ordinance defines “campaign consultant” as a person or entity that receives or is promised $1,000 or more in a calendar year for providing either of the following services:

“Campaign Management,” defined as conducting, coordinating or supervising a campaign to elect, defeat, retain or recall a local candidate, or to adopt or defeat a local ballot measure, including but not limited to:

1. Hiring or authorizing the hiring of campaign staff and consultants; or
2. Spending or authorizing the expenditure of campaign funds; or
3. Directing, supervising or conducting the solicitation of campaign contributions; or
4. Selecting or recommending vendors or subvendors of goods or services for the campaign.

OR

“Campaign Strategy,” defined as planning for the election, defeat, retention or recall of a local candidate, or for the adoption or defeat of a local ballot measure, including not but limited to:

1. Producing or authorizing the production of campaign literature and print and broadcast advertising; or
2. Seeking endorsements of organizations or individuals; or
3. Seeking financing; or
4. Advising on public policy positions.

Employees of campaign consultants do not themselves qualify as campaign consultants. However, persons and entities that subcontract with a campaign consultant to provide campaign consulting services and that receive or are promised $1,000 or more in a calendar year do qualify as campaign consultants. Similarly, employees of campaigns who engage in campaign management or campaign strategy and are promised or receive $1,000 or more in a calendar year also qualify as campaign consultants.

Campaign consultants are required to report only activity associated with local candidates or local ballot measures. For purposes of the Ordinance, “candidate” means: (1) a person who has taken affirmative action to seek nomination or election to local office, or (2) a local officeholder who has taken affirmative action to seek nomination or election to any elective office, or (3) a local officeholder who is the subject of a recall election.

“Local officeholder” means the following elected officers: Mayor, Members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, City Attorney, District Attorney, Treasurer, Sheriff, Assessor, Public Defender, Members of the Board of Education of the San Francisco Unified School District, and Members of the Governing Board of the San Francisco Community College District.

“Measure” means a local referendum, or a local ballot measure, whether or not it qualifies for the ballot.

The Commission staff has compiled the information filed by campaign consultants for the fourth quarter of 2008 in the attached tables. All amounts reported by campaign consultants have been rounded to the nearest whole dollar.

IV. Description of Quarterly Report Tables

Table 1: Total Reported Activity (December 1, 2008 – February 28, 2009)

Table 1 summarizes all reported activity by campaign consultants for the first quarter of 2009. Filers are listed in alphabetical order. Also reported are the total payments promised by clients and any political contributions or gifts to officeholders made by the filers.

Consultant	Payments Promised By Clients	Payments Received From Clients	Political Contributions
Barry Arata, Paige	$22,543	$23,017	$0
Bowman, Christopher L.	$0	$165	$0
Clemons, Nick	$46,500	$46,500	$100
Fisher, Ron	$0	$0	$0
Ground Floor Public Affairs	$15,000	$15,000	$500
Hope Road Consulting, LLC	$19,371	$14,435	$0
Hsieh & Associates	$0	$0	$0
Hsieh, Francisco	$4,500	$4,500	$0
Jaffe Public Strategies	$0	$0	$0
Left Coast Communications	$163,500	$144,105	$0
Lyons, Nichelle	$0	$0	$0
MSHC Partners, Inc.	$0	$0	$0
Rock Paper Scissors Consulting	$0	$0	$0
Roumeliotes, Stefanie (SGR Consulting)	$0	$0	$0
SCN Strategies, Inc.	$30,000	$30,000	$0
The Garry South Group	$66,926	$67,677	$0
Stearns Consulting, Inc.	$12,466	$12,466	$0
Storefront Political Media	$52,362	$60,828	$960
Talmus, Laura	$46,541	$33,037	$0
Terris Barnes & Walters	$0	$0	$0
Whitehurst Campaigns, Inc.	$10,521	$0	$0
TOTAL	$490,230	$451,730	$1,560

Table 2: Client Payment Report

Filers are required to report “economic consideration” promised by or received from clients in exchange for campaign consulting services during the applicable reporting period. Economic consideration includes payments, fees, commissions, and reimbursements for expenses, gifts or anything else of value.

Table 2 lists the name of the filer in alphabetical order, the filer’s clients, the services performed for that client, the payment promised by the client in the reporting period, and the payment actually received. The table also indicates the total payments promised or received by all filers. The payments promised by all clients to filers during the first quarter totaled $490,230. The payments received by all filers from clients during the first quarter totaled $451,730.

TABLE 2
PAYMENTS
CAMPAIGN CONSULTANT	CLIENT(S)	SERVICES PERFORMED	TOTAL PAYMENTS PROMISED	TOTAL PAYMENTS RECEIVED
Barry Arata, Paige	Newsom for California Exploratory Committee	Fundraising services	$22,543	$23,017
Bowman, Christopher L.	Choice for Students	Precinct map of results of Yes on Prop. V	$0	$165
Clemons, Nick	Newsom for California Exploratory Committee	Campaign management	$46,500	$46,500
Ground Floor Public Affairs	Re-Elect Dennis Herrera	Campaign consulting & strategy	$15,000	$15,000
Hope Road Consulting	Natalie Berg	Campaign consulting and direct mail production	$3,395	$3,395
Hope Road Consulting	Norman Yee	Campaign consulting and direct mail production	$3,717	$3,717
Hope Road Consulting	Steve Ngo	Campaign consulting; direct mail production	$7,436	$2,500
Hope Road Consulting	Hydra Mendoza	Campaign consulting services	$4,823	$4,823
Hsieh, Francisco	Fiona Ma	Fundraising and outreach	$4,500	$4,500
Left Coast Communications	Sandra Fewer for School Board	Design, production, printing of campaign literature	$21,691	$21,691
Left Coast Communications	Mark Sanchez ’08	Photography; design, production and printing of campaign literature	$43,566	$25,971
Left Coast Communications	Milton Marks ’08	Photography; design, production and printing of campaign literature	$33,135	$33,135
Left Coast Communications	Barbara Lopez for School Board	Photography; design of logo and window signs	$2,500	$700
Left Coast Communications	Coleman Action Fund	Photography; design, production and printing of campaign literature; design and production of website	$16,016	$16,016
Left Coast Communications	San Francisco Housing Fund	Design, production, printing of campaign literature; photography	$23,550	$23,550
Left Coast Communications	SF Clean Energy	Photography; design, production and printing of campaign literature	$17,631	$17,631
Left Coast Communications	Close the Loopholes – Yes on N Yes on Q	Design, production and printing of campaign literature	$5,411	$5,411
SCN Strategies, Inc.	Kamala Harris for Attorney General	Campaign management and strategy	$30,000	$30,000
The Garry South Group	Newsom for California Exploratory Committee	Campaign consulting services	$66,926	$67,677
Stearns Consulting, Inc.	Kamala Harris for Attorney General	Campaign advice on political media and strategy	$12,466	$12,466
Storefront Political Media	Newsom for California Exploratory Committee	Campaign consulting; media production, distribution and placement	$52,362	$60,828
Laura Talmus & Associates	Kamala Harris for Attorney General	Fundraising services	$46,541	$33,037
Whitehurst Campaigns, Inc.	Cisneros for Treasurer 2009	General campaign management consulting	$10,521	$0
TOTAL			$490,230	$451,730

Table 3: Political Contributions

Filers must report each political contribution of $100 or more to a candidate for local office, a committee controlled by a local officeholder or a candidate for local office, or a ballot measure committee whether or not the committee is controlled by a local officeholder or a candidate for local office. Filers must report contributions of $100 or more made or delivered by the filer, or made by the filer’s client at the filer’s behest, or for which the filer acted as an agent or intermediary during the reporting period. This chart indicates the political contributions made by campaign consultants during the reporting period. Filers reported a total of $1,560 in political contributions during the first quarter.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO CITY OFFICERS/CANDIDATES FOR CITY OFFICE
Committee Name	Consultant Name	Amount
Dennis Herrera	Ground Floor Public Affairs	$500
Newsom for California Exploratory Committee	Nick Clemons	$100
Newsom for California Exploratory Committee	Storefront Political Media	$960
GRAND TOTAL OF CONTRIBUTIONS OF $100 OR MORE MADE BY CAMPAIGN CONSULTANTS DURING FIRST QUARTER 2009		$1,560

Vendor/Subvendor Payments

Each filer must report economic consideration promised to or received by the filer during the reporting period from vendors and sub-vendors who provide campaign-related goods or services to the filer’s current clients. No filers reported receiving any vendor/subvendor payments during this reporting period.

Gifts to Local Officeholders

Each filer must report any gifts promised or made by the filer to a local officeholder during the reporting period which in the aggregate total $50 or more. No filers reported any gifts promised or made to a local officeholder during this reporting period.

Employment of Local Officeholders and City Employees

If the filer employs a local officeholder or City employee during the reporting period, the filer must report the name of the officeholder or City employee and describe the nature of the employment by the filer. In addition, if a client of the filer employs a local officeholder or City employee at the behest of the filer during the reporting period, the filer must report the name of the client, the name of each officeholder or City employee hired by the client, and the nature of the employment by the client. No filers reported activity in this category.

City ContractsObtained During the Reporting Period

If the filer obtains a City contract during the reporting period and the contract is approved by a local officeholder who is the filer’s client, the filer must report the contract, the date the contract was obtained, and the name of the officeholder who approved the contract. No filers reported obtaining a City contract during the reporting period.

Appointment to Public Office

If the filer is appointed to public office during the reporting period and the appointment is made by a local officeholder who is the filer’s client, the filer must report the public office to which the filer was appointed, the date of the appointment, and the name of the officeholder who appointed the filer. No filers reported appointment to public office during the reporting period.