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September 12, 2025, Agenda Item 7 – Electronic Disclosure and Data Analysis Report

English

Print copy of memo

Date:   September 8, 2025

To:       Members of the Ethics Commission

From:   Steven Massey, Director of Technology Services

Subject: Agenda Item 7 – Electronic Disclosure and Data Analysis Report

Summary

This report provides programmatic updates from the Electronic Disclosure & Data Analysis (EDDA) Division covering February through August 2025. No action is required by the Commission, as this item is for informational purposes only.

Electronic Filing

Department Gift Form

Since its launch in December 2024, the Department Gift Form has been enhanced based on user testing and feedback. A new CSV import feature now allows departments to upload gift records in bulk directly from spreadsheets. This option complements the existing web entry form, giving departments flexibility to report in ways that align with their recordkeeping practices.

New Form 700 Onboarding and Designated Position Forms

A streamlined onboarding and offboarding process was introduced for Form 700 filers, reducing complexity for filing officers. Previously, multiple forms were required to notify the Commission of a new appointment, to initiate account creation, and when officers leave their position. The new system consolidates these requests in one place available through the Commission’s customer support portal, with built-in status tracking.

The new SFEC SEI Designation Form was also developed to help department heads identify positions that should file Form 700 but are not yet listed in the Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code. This proactive tool helps departments ensure compliance in advance of the next biennial code update.

Notification of Contract Approval

Commission staff collaborated with the Mayor’s Office, Clerk of the Board’s Office, and Department of Technology to begin transitioning the Notification of Contract Approval (SFEC Form 126f4) to the City’s ServiceNow platform, which already supports other contract-related workflows. Since 2019, the Commission has maintained custom-built automations to route filings electronically through the Clerk of the Board and Mayor’s Office. While these workflows replaced paper forms and introduced significant efficiencies, they also required continuous support from Commission staff to manage technical issues, maintain backend infrastructure, and respond to user inquiries. This created a long-term operational burden that was not sustainable given the Commission’s staffing and budget constraints. Transitioning to ServiceNow will shift long-term responsibility to the City’s central IT infrastructure, aligning with FY25-26 budget reduction goals. A prototype developed by the Department of Technology is under review, with Commission staff providing feedback.

Data Visualization and Disclosure Tools

Campaign Finance Dashboards

In June, the Commission launched Campaign Finance Dashboards for the September 16, 2025 special election, offering real-time insights into contributions and expenditures. As of September 1, 2025, over $1.05M in contributions and $1.03M in expenditures have been recorded.

Separately, staff began development of a redesigned platform for the Campaign Finance Dashboards featuring the most significant interface upgrades in more than a decade. The platform will support mobile devices and provide improved navigation and analytical features. Deployment is planned for the 2026 election cycle.

Open Data and Joined Views

Staff improved datasets on DataSF by creating joined views that merge high-level filing summaries with the detailed transaction data they contain. For example, individual contributions are now displayed alongside the filing they belong to. This gives users clearer context about who submitted a report, when it was filed, and what the complete filing includes.

Web Accessibility

The Commission’s website underwent an accessibility audit by WebAIM, achieving a 9.7/10 score. In preparation for the April 24, 2026 compliance deadline under the Department of Justice and the Committee on Information Technology’s (COIT) Digital Accessibility and Inclusion Standard, staff continue to update publishing processes and remediate existing active web content to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards.

Cybersecurity

EDDA led a cybersecurity tabletop exercise as required by the City’s Unified Cyber Command Emergency Response Plan. Staff from EDDA, Operations, Policy, and Executive Management participated in a simulated incident response. The exercise tested readiness and Continuity of Operations Plans. An after-action review identified improvements, and annual exercises are planned going forward.

Contracting

In April, EDDA executed an amendment to the Netfile contract to increase the contract maximum. The amendment supported additional requirements stemming from Proposition D, including development of a new ethics training module.  In addition, the contract allows the Commission to purchase sufficient Form 700 licenses for all designated filers citywide.

AI Implementation

EDDA staff participated in the City’s ChatGPT Discovery Program and supported preparations for the rollout of Microsoft Copilot. Commission staff now have access to Copilot through the City’s Microsoft Office enterprise license. Additionally, the Commission partnered with the Department of Technology to provide ChatGPT licenses to all staff for the remainder of the fiscal year, enabling staff to pilot specific AI use-cases with the product in compliance with the San Francisco Generative AI Guidelines. EDDA continues to evaluate practical use cases for AI, including analyzing data, editing documents, simplifying technical content for broader audiences, and enhancing internal document search capabilities.

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