EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT
TO THE SAN FRANCISCO ETHICS COMMISSION
For the Meeting of May 9, 2011
1. Budget.
As mentioned previously, the Mayor is expected to propose his budget to the Board of Supervisors on June 1. The Commission has requested an operating budget of $2,250,000 and $2,000,000 for the Election Campaign Fund for FY 11-12. The Board is scheduled consider the Commission’s budget on June 20 and 27. I will continue to work closely with both the Mayor and the Board regarding the Commission’s budget.
2. November 8, 2011 Election.
Four candidates for Mayor have submitted an application for public funds. The Commission has disbursed a total of $1,173,523 to three of these four candidates; the fourth candidate’s application is currently under review.
Candidates for Mayor who are interested in seeking public funding may submit an application for public funds beginning February 8. In order to receive public funds, an interested candidate must demonstrate, among other things, that he/she has received at least $25,000 in qualifying contributions from at least 250 individuals who reside in the City.
3. Investigation and enforcement program.
Since its last regular meeting on April 11, 2011, the Ethics Commission has received no new complaints. There are 24 pending complaints alleging violations within the Ethics Commission’s jurisdiction.
| Category | # of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Campaign Finance | 8 |
| Conflict of Interest | 5 |
| Governmental Ethics | 0 |
| Lobbyist Ordinance | 0 |
| Campaign Consultant Ordinance | 2 |
| Sunshine Ordinance | 9 |
| TOTAL | 24 |
4. Campaign finance disclosure program.
a. Filing deadline. The next filing deadline that applies to all committees falls on August 1, 2011 for the First Semi-Annual statement, which covers the reporting period ending June 30, 2011. In the interim, staff continues to receive and process campaign statements for other filing deadlines. Staff continues to answer questions from and conduct outreach to candidates and other committee representatives about campaign finance filing obligations.
b. Collection of late filing fees and contribution forfeitures. In the FY 10-11, as of April 30, the Commission collected a total of $38,547 in campaign finance late fees and forfeitures. Outstanding late fees and forfeitures total $131,416, of which waiver requests are pending for $93,080; and $21,569 is pending at the Bureau of Delinquent Revenues.
c. Status of accounts to San Francisco Bureau of Delinquent Revenues (BDR). The following chart provides details on pending accounts referred to BDR:
| # | Committee/ Filer | ID # | Treasurer or Responsible Officer | Date referral effective | Original amount referred | Last month’s balance | Current balance (Changes are in bold) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johnnie Carter for Community College Board | 1226264 | Johnnie Carter | 6/16/06 | $9,520 | $6,595 | $6,595 |
| 2 | Committee to Elect M. Valle for Treasurer | 1278937 | Manuel B. Valle | 6/14/07 | $5,525 | $5,525 | $5,525 |
| 3 | Bill Barnes for District 5 | 1265969 | Alix Rosenthal | 1/3/08 | $3,120 | $113 | $113 |
| 4 | Care Not Cash | 1244505 | Ronald Jin | 2/29/08 | $5,331 | $1856 | $1,556 |
| 5 | Omar Khalif for Board of Educ. | 1287030 | Omar Khalif | 7/30/09 | $1,800 | $1,775 | $1,775 |
| 6 | Myrna Lim for District 11 Sup | 1306882 | Myrna Lim | 7/30/09 | $1,180 | $1,180 | $1,180 |
| 7 | Myrna Lim for District 11 Sup | 1256697 | Jia Jun Chen | 8/20/07 | $3,855 | $2,775 | $2,775 |
| 8 | San Francisco Women’s Political Committee | 1243711 | Giselle Barry | 5/16/06 | $1,906 | $50 | $50 |
| 9 | Johnny K. Wang JKW Political Consulting | 100716 | Johnny K. Wang | 4/19/11 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| TOTAL | $21,569 |
5. Revenues report.
For FY 10-11, the Commission is budgeted to generate $78,000 in revenues. As of May 4, 2011, the Commission received and deposited $98,763 as summarized below. The figure represents collection of approximately 126 percent of expected revenues for FY 10-11.
Revenues received and deposited as of May 4, 2011:
| Source | Budgeted Amount FY 10-11 | Receipts |
|---|---|---|
| Lobbyist Fees | $8,000 | $41,050 |
| Other Ethics General | $1,000 | $307 |
| Campaign Finance Fines | $50,000 | $36,110 |
| Campaign Consultant Fees | $15,000 | $15,750 |
| Lobbyist Fines | $1,000 | $2,050 |
| Statements of Economic Interests Fines | $1,000 | $70 |
| Other Ethics Fines | $1,000 | $1,076 |
| Campaign Consultant Fines | $1,000 | $2,350 |
| Total | $78,000 | $98,763 |
6. Draft regulations related to complaints regarding Sunshine Ordinance and referrals from the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force.
The Sunshine Ordinance Task Force (SOTF) has informed the Commission that its review of draft regulations related to the handling of complaints regarding alleged violations of the Sunshine Ordinance and referrals from the SOTF continues. The SOTF anticipates that it will complete its work sometime this spring.
7. Lobbyist program.
As of May 1, 2011, 73 individual lobbyists were registered with the Commission. In FY 10-11, total revenues collected to date amount to $41,050, which consist of $39,000 in lobbyist registration fees and $2,050 in late fines. The April 2011 reporting period deadline is May 16, 2011.
8. Campaign Consultant program.
As of May 2, 2011, 28 campaign consultants are active and registered with the Commission. $15,750 in registration fees and $2,350 in late fines have been collected during the 2010-2011 fiscal year. The next campaign consultant quarterly report deadline is Wednesday, June 15, 2011. Staff will mail and e-mail reminder notices to all active campaign consultants two weeks before the deadline.
9. Statement of Economic Interests program.
Between March 19 and May 2, staff entered 210 SEI-related filings into SFEDS. Staff continues to work on processing the filings.
10. Outreach and Education.
On April 12, staff conducted a Candidates’ Training which covered filing requirements for potential candidates for the City elective offices of Mayor, District Attorney, and Sheriff. This training focused on campaign finance requirements that apply to candidates for all City elective offices and provided an overview of the Mayoral public financing program.
On April 14, staff met with three members of the Parliament of Poland, who were in the United States as part of the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program. The group explored political campaigning, ethics and local government in general.
On April 21, staff convened a second interested persons meeting regarding possible changes to the Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance. Staff expects to present proposed amendments to the Commission for its consideration in the near future.
The Commission continues to offer trainings on Statements of Incompatible Activities to City departments.
The following are web video trainings available on the Commission website:
Department of Building Inspection SIA Training
Candidates’ Training (new)
Controller’s Office SIA Training (new)
Department on the Environment SIA Training (revised)
Governmental Ethics Ordinance Training for City Employees
Lobbyist Ordinance Training (new)
Medical Examiner’s Office SIA Training (revised)
Non-Candidate Recipient Committee Training
Public Utilities Commission SIA Training (revised)
SIA Template Language Training (new)
The following are the currently scheduled live trainings for 2011:
Candidates’ Training: June 23, and August 9
SIA Training for the Fire Department: May 11
SIA Training for the Planning Department: May 17 and June 14
Respectfully submitted,
_________________________
John St. Croix
Executive Director
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