Date: March 18, 2024
To: Members of the Ethics Commission
From: John Kim, Senior Program Administrator
Re: AGENDA ITEM 7 – Information Session on Lobbyist Program
Summary and Action Requested
This agenda item provides a presentation to help the commission and the public to understand the scope and nature of San Francisco’s lobbyist disclosure requirements and the activity that has been disclosed by lobbyists through this program. It includes information on lobbyist qualification, disclosure requirements, and program statistics. No action is required by the Commission, as this item is for informational purposes only.
Background
San Francisco’s lobbyist laws were created to allow the public to know when parties pay representatives to contact City officers to influence government actions. Once payment is introduced to the efforts of private parties to influence decision-making regarding local legislative and administrative matters, detailed disclosure of information about efforts to influence is essential to protect public confidence in the responsiveness and representative nature of government officials and institutions. In addition to their basic informational purpose, the disclosures can also be used as a tool to deter corruption or the appearance of corruption by restricting gifts and campaign contributions from lobbyists so that governmental decisions are not and do not appear to be influenced by the giving of personal benefits.
In response to a commissioner request, Staff has prepared the attached presentation and plan to provide an overview of its contents at the Commission’s meeting on March 22 and will be available to answer any questions from Commissioners.