January 9, 2018
At its next regular meeting on Friday, January 19, 2018, the San Francisco Ethics Commission will consider and possibly act on a proposed regulation to improve the administration of electronic filing procedures for Statements of Economic Interest (Form 700) filings to better support timely and complete public disclosure filings. This 10-day notice is provided under Charter Sec. 4.104 to encourage public comment on the proposals in advance of the Commission’s next meeting.
Section 3.1-103 of the SF Campaign & Governmental Conduct Code provides that persons required to file public Statements of Economic Interests (Form 700) must file them with the filing offices specified in that section. For example, elected officials, members of boards and commissions, and department heads must file their statements with the Ethics Commission. Other persons holding positions designated in a department-specific Conflict of Interest Code in Sec. 3.1-103 are required to file their statements with their respective departments:
“All other persons holding designated positions shall file their Form 700 Statements of Economic Interests with their respective department head or the executive director of the agency.” SF C&GCC Sec. 3.1-103(d)
To help implement these filing requirements, existing Ethics Commission Regulation 3.1-103-2 provides that board and commission members and department heads required to file with the Ethics Commission must provide a “working and unique email address,” which may be a City email address, in addition to other contact information required by the Commission and consistent with the purposes and provisions of the Conflict of Interest Code. It also requires that the Ethics Commission be informed within 15 calendar days of any change in a filer’s contact information:
All persons listed in Section 3.1-103(a) and (b) of the Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code shall provide to the Ethics Commission a working and unique email address, in addition to a mailing address and telephone number and any other information required by the Ethics Commission consistent with the purposes and provisions of the Conflict of Interest Code. The email address shall be a personal or business email address, which may be a City email address. All such persons shall inform the Ethics Commission within 15 calendar days whenever a change is made to the email address, mailing address, or telephone number provided. All such persons shall provide the email addresses under this regulation within 15 calendar days of assuming office or by January 1, 2014, whichever is later. Ethics Comm. Regulation 3.1-103-2
These regulations are designed to support timely and complete public disclosure filings by City officials. Since first implementing electronic filing for Form 700s and these associated regulations, Ethics Commission Staff have identified the need to refine existing regulations to further these goals. The proposed regulation is intended to improve the effective administration of electronic fling procedures, by clarifying information required to be submitted and by strengthening methods to authenticate filer accounts.
The Commission invites all input on the proposed regulation. Because the Commission’s offices will be closed in observance of the Martin Luther King Holiday on Monday, January 15, 2018, Staff encourages the submission of written public comment by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 11, 2018, to ensure it can be included in the Commission’s packet of meeting materials for its January 19th meeting. Opportunity for public comment will also be provided during the Commission’s meeting.
Staff welcomes written comments on the proposed changes, which can be sent via email to ethics.commission@sfgov.org, or via regular mail to San Francisco Ethics Commission, 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 220, San Francisco, CA 94102.