February 7, 2025
For information: Michael Canning, Policy and Legislative Affairs Manager (415) 252-3100
At its regular monthly meeting on Friday, February 7, 2025, the San Francisco Ethics Commission approved a settlement agreement levying $2,513 in penalties against Daniel Anderson (“Anderson”) and the Labor & Working Families Slate (“LWF Slate”) for violations arising from campaign coordination.
In the Matter of Labor & Working Families Slate and Daniel Anderson – The Commission unanimously approved $2,513 in penalties against Anderson and the LWF Slate for campaign finance law violations arising from coordination with staff of the candidate-controlled committee Dean Preston for Supervisor 2024 (“Preston Committee”). While coordination in the planning of a joint event is permissible, Respondents also produced materials targeting Bilal Mahmood, who was both a candidate for the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee and Preston’s opponent in the District 5 Supervisor race. Because Preston’s campaign received some benefit from these materials after the coordination, Respondents’ expenditure is a prohibited contribution. This case includes one count for making a contribution over the $500 limit and one count for failing to report that contribution. Because there is no evidence that the Preston Committee or Dean Preston himself knew or should have known of the substance of Respondents’ communication, including the benefit they would receive, they are not Respondents in this case.
Campaign coordination laws are essential to enforcing a host of campaign finance laws. Coordination laws prevent campaigns from avoiding restrictions, including contribution limits, that do not apply to non-candidate committees. For example, when a general purpose committee like LWF Slate makes an expenditure that benefits a candidate after coordinating details with that candidate’s staff, the expenditure is no longer truly independent. In this case, the coordination laws prevented Respondents from avoiding the contribution limit.
# # #
The San Francisco Ethics Commission was created directly by the City’s voters with the passage of Proposition K in November 1993 and is responsible for the independent and impartial administration and enforcement of laws related to campaign finance, public financing of candidates, governmental ethics, conflicts of interests, and registration and reporting by lobbyists, campaign consultants, permit consultants, and major developers.
Our mission is to practice and promote the highest standards of integrity in government. We achieve that by delivering impactful programs that promote fair, transparent, and accountable governmental decision making for the benefit of all San Franciscans. Public service is a public trust, and our aim is to ensure that San Franciscans can have confidence that the operations of the City and County and the decisions made by its officials and employees are fair, just, and made without any regard to private or personal gain.