I. Introduction
This Audit Report summarizes the audit results of the committee, Ed Lee for Mayor 2011, Identification Number 1340520 (“the Committee”), from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011. The audit was conducted to determine whether the Committee materially complied with the requirements of the Political Reform Act (“the Act”) (California Government Code section 81000, et seq.) and San Francisco’s Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance (“CFRO”) (San Francisco Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code section 1.100, et seq).
II. Audit Authority
San Francisco Charter section C3.699-11 authorizes the Ethics Commission (“the Commission”) to audit campaign statements that are filed with the Commission along with other relevant documents to determine whether the committee complied with applicable requirements of State and local laws.
III. Audit Scope and Procedures
This audit was performed in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. The audit involved a review of the Committee’s records for the period covered by the audit. This review was conducted to determine:
- Compliance with all disclosure requirements pertaining to contributions, expenditures, accrued expenditures, and loans, including itemization when required;
- Compliance with applicable filing deadlines;
- Compliance with restrictions on contributions, loans, and expenditures;
- Accuracy of total reported receipts, disbursements, and cash balances as compared to bank records; and
- Compliance with all record-keeping requirements.
The Commission posts audit reports to its web site and, in cases of apparent violations of law, forwards them to the appropriate enforcement agency.
IV. Committee Information
The Committee was formed in August 2011 to support the election of Ed Lee for Mayor in the November 8, 2011 general election. During the period covered by the audit, the Committee’s Treasurer was Greg Sanborn through November 16, 2011. Derek Jansen then held the treasurer position from November 16, 2011 through January 19, 2012. From January 19, 2012 onwards, Kevin Heneghan of Hanson Bridgett has been the Committee’s treasurer. The Committee remains open as of the date of this report.
V. Audit Findings
For the period covered by the audit, the Committee received $1,614,846 in contributions and incurred $1,949,927 in expenditures. The CFRO provides that any candidate who receives public funds must return unexpended campaign funds to the Election Campaign Fund. The Committee did not receive or apply for public funds.
The Commission determined that there were no material findings with respect to the audit of the Committee. The Committee substantially complied with the disclosure and record-keeping provisions of the Act and CFRO.