EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT
TO THE SAN FRANCISCO ETHICS COMMISSION
For the Regular Meeting of April 22, 2013
1. Statements of Economic Interests.
April 2, 2013 was the deadline for the receipt of annual Statements of Economic Interests (SEIs). Staff is currently processing the SEIs, Sunshine Declarations and Ethics Training documents that have been received, which will be posted to the Commission’s website.
2. Investigation and enforcement program.
As of April 16, 2013, there are 22 pending formal complaints alleging violations within the Ethics Commission’s jurisdiction. At its special meeting of April 1, 2013, the Commission approved one settlement agreement and it is available to review on the Commission’s website.
| Category | # of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Campaign Finance | 10 |
| Conflict of Interest | 7 |
| Governmental Ethics | 0 |
| Lobbyist Ordinance | 0 |
| Campaign Consultant Ordinance | 2 |
| Sunshine Ordinance | 3 |
| TOTAL | 22 |
3. Campaign finance disclosure program.
a. Filing deadline. The most recent filing deadline was on January 31, 2013 for the Second Semi-Annual statement, which covers the reporting period ending December 31, 2012. The next filing deadline that applies to all campaign filers is July 31, 2013 for the First Semi-Annual Statement, which covers the reporting period ending June 30, 2013.
b. Collection of late filing fees and contribution forfeitures. In the FY12-13, as of April 15, the Commission collected a total of $37,438 in campaign finance late fees and forfeitures. Outstanding late fees and forfeitures total $31,230 of which waiver requests are pending for $210; and $6,659 is pending at the Bureau of Delinquent Revenues (BDR).
c. Status of accounts to San Francisco Bureau of Delinquent Revenues (BDR). The following chart provides details on active 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 | Johnny K. Wang JKW Political Consulting |
100716 | Johnny K. Wang | 4/19/11 | $4,000 | $4,000 | $4,000 |
| 2 | Coalition to Elect Chris Jackson to Community College Board | 1302351 | Chris Jackson | 6/17/11 | 2,658.90 | $2,658.90 | 2,658.90 |
| TOTAL | $6,659 |
4. Revenues report.
For FY 12-13, the Commission was budgeted to generate $100,000 in revenues. As of April 15, 2013, the Commission received $ 112,638 as summarized below. The figure represents collection of approximately 113 percent of expected revenues for FY 12-13.
Revenues received as of April 15, 2013:
| Source | Budgeted Amount FY 12-13 | Receipts |
|---|---|---|
| Lobbyist Fees | $27,000 | $46,075 |
| Other Ethics General | $1,000 | $110 |
| Campaign Finance Fines | $50,000 | $37,478 |
| Campaign Consultant Fees | $18,000 | $6,800 |
| Lobbyist Fines | $1,000 | $600 |
| Statements of Economic Interests Fines | $1,000 | $5,480 |
| Other Ethics Fines | $1,000 | $1,300 |
| Campaign Consultant Fines | $1,000 | $150 |
| Unallocated | $0 | $14,645 |
| Total | $100,000 | $112,638 |
5. Lobbyist program.
As of April 16, 2013, 82 individual lobbyists were registered with the Commission. For
FY 12–13, as of April 16, 2013, total revenues collected were $46,675, including $46,075 in lobbyist registration fees and $600 in late fines. The filing deadline for the next lobbyist disclosure statement is May 15, 2013.
6. Campaign Consultant program.
As of April 15, 2013, 20 campaign consultants were registered with the Commission. $6,800 in registration fees and $150 in fines have been collected so far during the 2012-2013 fiscal year. The next campaign consultant quarterly report deadline is Monday, June17, 2013. Staff will send reminders to all active campaign consultants two weeks before the deadline.
7. Outreach and Education.
The first candidates’ training for the November 5, 2013 election will be held on May 1, 2013 at noon – 1:30 p.m. in Room 421 City Hall. Staff will provide information to candidates and their treasurers about campaign finance requirements, the voluntary expenditure ceilings applicable to each race (City Attorney, Treasurer, Assessor/Recorder) and the public financing program applicable to candidates for the District 4 seat on the Board of Supervisors.
The Commission continues to offer trainings on Statements of Incompatible Activities to City departments via web trainings. The following are web video trainings available on the Commission website:
- Department of Building Inspection SIA Training
- Candidates’ Training
- Controller’s Office SIA Training
- Department on the Environment SIA Training
- Governmental Ethics Ordinance Training for City Employees
- Lobbyist Ordinance Training
- Medical Examiner’s Office SIA Training
- Non-Candidate Recipient Committee Training
- Public Utilities Commission SIA Training
- SIA Template Language Training
8. Open Data
Commission staff has been working closely with the Department of Technology to synchronize the Commission’s campaign finance and lobbyist data with the City’s open data system at data.sfgov.org. The system can be used to filter, sort, and download City data, build charts and summaries, and access City data via an application programming interface (API). Socrata, the vendor that builds the software for the data.sfgov.org system, wrote a case study about San Francisco’s site and the ability to move data into the system using a software product called FME. Socrata chose to focus the case study on the Commission’s use of the system. The case study is called “Set it and Forget it” Saves San Francisco Time and is available at the following URL: http://www.socrata.com/san-francisco-case-study/
Respectfully submitted,
_________________________
John St. Croix
Executive Director
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