Tuesday, March 11, 2024 – 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM
And
Thursday, March 13, 2024 – 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
These meetings will be conducted remotely using an online meeting platform. If you would like to attend, please RSVP to trishia.lim@sfgov.org and you will be provided with a link to the meeting before the date of the meeting.
Please join staff from the Policy Division of the San Francisco Ethics Commission to share your thoughts on potential changes to the City’s rules regarding major developers, campaign consultants, recusals, expenditure limits for candidates receiving public funds, and the reporting requirements for candidates in trustee elections.
The Ethics Commission is evaluating the following programs to determine if they are adding value to the City and furthering the Commission’s mission of promoting the highest standards of integrity in government. If these programs do not serve that purpose or otherwise benefit the City, the Commission may consider amending or discontinuing these programs. Ending or otherwise reworking programs that are outdated, non-functioning, or low performing can help make resources available to support other core functions of the Commission.
Staff are interested in hearing from the public, advocates, and members of the regulated community regarding the following programs and policies.
- Major Developer Program: San Francisco imposes reporting requirements on developers of certain City real estate projects with an estimated construction cost of more than $1,000,000. These developers must file an initial report and four quarterly reports with the Ethics Commission disclosing donations to non-profit organizations that have contacted City officials about their project. These requirements are from Section 3.500, et seq of the San Francsico Campaign & Governmental Conduct Code (C&GCC) and its supporting regulations.
- Campaign Consultant Program: San Francisco requires campaign consultants to register and file various reports regarding their activities. These requirements are per Section 1.500, et seq. of the C&GCC and its supporting regulations.
- Recusal Notification Process: Members of City boards or commissions must file a public recusal notification with the Ethics Commission each time they recuse themselves from a matter being considered by their board or commission, due to a financial conflict of interest. This notification is in addition to the actual recusal, which much be done by following specified recusal procedures. The recusal notification is required by Section 3.209(b) of the C&GCC and its supporting regulations.
- Individual Expenditure Ceilings: Candidates who are participating in the City’s Public Financing Program are currently required to agree to abide by an Individual Expenditure Ceiling (IEC), which limits their overall spending. The IEC is often raised many times over the course of an election. These adjustments are made incrementally for each candidate, following a detailed analysis of spending in the race by Ethics Commission Staff. These requirements are specified in Section 1.100, et seq. of the C&GCC and its supporting regulations.
- Trustee Election Filings: Per San Francisco Administrative Code §16.550, et seq., all candidates for trustee positions on the Retirement Board, Health Service Board, or Retiree Health Care Trust Fund Board, are required to register and file periodic disclosures with the Ethics Commission.
The Ethics Commission is reviewing these program areas to determine their effectiveness and value. For each of the programs listed above, Staff would like to hear from participants about their engagement with the programs, the value they receive from the programs, and any difficulties they may encounter.
During these Interested Persons Meetings, Staff will share information on how these rules, programs, and processes currently function, but the focus of the meetings will be on hearing from participants and learning about their experiences with these program areas.
The Commission looks forward to hearing from the public on these matters. The two meetings will each have the same agenda, and participants are welcome to attend one or both meetings.
Staff also welcomes written comments, which can be sent via email to trishia.lim@sfgov.org, or via U.S. mail to San Francisco Ethics Commission, 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 220, San Francisco, CA 94102.
The meetings will be conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams. The week of the meetings, Staff will distribute links to the meetings via email to all attendees who RSVP.
For questions about the upcoming interested persons meetings, or to RSVP, please contact Trishia Lim at trishia.lim@sfgov.org. We welcome your input and hope to see you at one of our upcoming online meetings.