Wednesday, September 13, 2017
5:30 PM to 7:00 PM
25 Van Ness Avenue
Room 70 (basement)
San Francisco, CA 94102
And
Friday, September 15, 2017
12:00 PM to 1:30 PM
25 Van Ness Avenue
Room 70 (basement)
San Francisco, CA 94102
Ethics Commission Staff will be holding two informal public meetings to receive further comment on the proposed draft ordinance under consideration by the Ethics Commission (“Commission”), the 2017 Anti-Corruption and Accountability Ordinance (“Ordinance”).
Background
At its August 28, 2017 meeting, the Commission received and took public comment on the draft Ordinance to amend portions of the Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance and portions of the Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code’s conflict-of-interest provisions. The Ordinance was drafted at the direction of the Commission with input from Staff, interested persons, and the public.
The Ordinance aims to limit the instances of corruption or the appearance of corruption in San Francisco City and County government. It is designed to accomplish this by expanding certain disclosure requirements, restricting the ability of certain parties with defined interests in City decision making to make political contributions and “behested payments,” and expanding the instances in which a public official must disclose potential conflicts of interests. The Ordinance would also limit the ability of officials in specified high-level City positions to raise funds for City elective officials.
The Ordinance, a background memo, and other supporting materials can be viewed at Agenda Item 5 in the Commission’s August meeting material.
Additional related documents are below:
- Behested Payments Overview
- Behested Payments Overview Illustrations
- Fundraising Ban Comparative Chart – SF vs LA
- Citizen Suit Comparative Chart – SF vs LA
Focus of Upcoming Sessions
At the request of the Commission, Staff is seeking additional feedback on particular provisions of the draft Ordinance presented to the Commission at its August 28, 2017 meeting. To make the most effective use of limited meeting time, Staff will specifically seek comment on the Ordinance’s proposed Section 1.126 regarding “behested payments” made by contractors doing business with the City, including the following questions:
- What intended or unintended impacts do you and/or your organization see resulting from the current “behested payments” language?
- What specific changes would you suggest to strengthen the provision to ensure it does not unduly impair the ability of charity organizations to raise funds for their charitable work?
- What examples or scenarios have you/your organization experienced that would help support the approach you propose? Specific examples and information will be most helpful.
Feedback from these meetings will be included in Staff’s further analysis and recommendations on a final draft Ordinance, to be presented at the Commission’s September 25, 2017 meeting.
Staff also welcomes continued written comment on the Ordinance as a whole, which can be sent via email to ethics.commission@sfgov.org, or via mail to the address provided below. Written comments submitted no later than September 18, 2017 will be considered in Staff’s final draft of the Ordinance. Comments received after that date will not be reviewed in that process and will be provided to the Commission for informational purposes only.
For questions about any upcoming Interested Persons meeting, please contact Kyle Kundert at the number provided below. We welcome your input and hope to see you at one of the upcoming meetings.
Please R.S.V.P by Contacting:
San Francisco Ethics Commission
25 Van Ness Ave., Suite 220
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 252-3100
ethics.commission@sfgov.org