Draft Minutes – April 10, 2026 – San Francisco Ethics Commission

Draft Minutes of the Regular Meeting of
The San Francisco Ethics Commission
Friday, April 10, 2026

Hybrid meeting conducted in-person in City Hall Room 400, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, and also held online as a Remote Meeting via WebEx and aired live on SFGovTV

Note: SFGovTV provides a continuous archive of audio, video, and Caption Notes recordings of Ethics Commission meetings that allows viewers to watch those meetings online in-full at the viewer’s convenience. These archives of Ethics Commission meetings may be accessed at SFGovTV at http://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=142.

(Note: A complete recording of this meeting can be found on SFGovTv.)

COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Vice Chair Yaman Salahi and Commissioners Karen Bell Francois and Kevin Yeh participating, a quorum was present. Chair Argemira Flórez Feng and Commissioner David Tsai had an excused absence.

STAFF PRESENTING: Executive Secretary & Commission Clerk, Charlie Machado-Morrow; Executive Director, Patrick Ford; Policy and Legislative Affairs Manager, Michael Canning; Audit Manager, Eamonn Wilson.

REPRESENTATIVES OF THE OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY PRESENT: Michael Gerchow, Deputy City Attorney.

MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED:

Item 1. Call to Order and Roll Call

Acting Chair Yaman Salahi called the meeting to order at 10:02am and stated that members of the public may participate in-person or remotely.

Commission Clerk Charlie Machado-Morrow summarized the procedures for participation by members of the public for the meeting.

Item 2. Public Comment on Matters not Appearing on the Agenda.

James Chaffey addressed the Commission, referring to a prior sworn complaint and noting a 26-day response time. He expressed concern that San Francisco government favors insiders over private citizens and emphasized the importance of adherence to written rules as a foundation of fairness. He questioned the application of public comment time limits, citing Commission bylaws that require a finding of necessity before imposing restrictions, and raised concerns about whether the Commission adequately informs the public of their rights regarding speaking time. You can view a copy of his written public comment here.

Esther Marks called in and provided public comment on Item 5, supporting proposed reforms to enforce contribution limits and strengthen accountability for violations of city law. She endorsed extending contribution limits to candidates controlling ballot measure committees to prevent circumvention of existing limits, expressed concerns about applying limits to Democratic County Central Committee candidates due to legal considerations, and supported restricting the use of candidate legal defense funds to cover penalties where candidates are found personally liable.

CONSENT CALENDAR: Items 3 and 4

Under its Consent Calendar, it provided the opportunity for public comment on all Consent Calendar items and voted 3-0 to adopt a motion by Commissioner Yeh seconded by Commissioner Francois to approve the following consent calendar item that required action by the Commission:

Item 3, Draft Minutes for March 13, Regular Meeting.

The following Consent Calendar items were informational and required no action by the Commission, but the opportunity for public comment was provided.

Item 4, Executive Director’s Report dated April 6, 2026

Public Comment:

No public comment was received on the item.

Motion 260410-01 (Yeh/Francois): Moved, seconded, and approved (3-0) to approve the consent calendar item that required action by the Commission.

REGULAR CALENDAR

Item 5. Report & Discussion on Proposed Campaign Finance Reforms to Reinforce Contribution Limits and Ensure Accountability for Violations of City Law

Michael Canning, Policy and Legislative Affairs Manager, presented a policy report outlining campaign finance reform recommendations to reinforce contribution limits and ensure accountability for violations of city law. The report identifies gaps in current regulations, including candidates controlling multiple committees not subject to limits and third-party republication of campaign materials that can circumvent contribution caps.

Staff recommended extending contribution limits to candidate-controlled committees during active campaigns with specific exceptions, treating republication of campaign materials as contributions, and restricting the use of committee and legal defense funds to pay penalties, particularly for ethics violations. The presentation also outlined stakeholder engagement, recent enforcement examples, and proposed next steps, including further discussion, legislative development, and potential Commission action.

Commissioners discussed the policy report and requested additional context from staff regarding feedback received during interested persons meetings. Staff reported that good government groups were generally supportive of the proposed reforms, while members of the regulated community emphasized the need for thoughtful implementation, adequate training, compliance materials, and a delayed operative date.

Commissioners praised the report as thorough and well-supported, asked clarifying questions about the proposed $10,000 legal defense fund contribution limit and the scope of restrictions on candidate-controlled ballot measure committees, and discussed whether similar concerns may extend to officeholders not actively running for office.

Staff explained that the recommendations were intentionally narrowly tailored to address the most immediate risks identified during active campaigns, drew from approaches used in other jurisdictions, and confirmed that no action was required at this meeting, with potential action to return at a future meeting.

Public Comment:

Sharon McMorris with California Common Cause called in and expressed strong support for the proposed campaign finance reforms, emphasizing the need to close loopholes allowing candidates to bypass contribution limits through controlled committees, to treat third-party republication of campaign materials as contributions, and to restrict the use of campaign and legal defense funds to pay penalties. She stated that these measures would strengthen transparency, accountability, and protections against undue influence.

Item 6. Presentation on Completion of 2024 Public Financing Audits

Audit Manager Eamon Wilson presented an overview of completed audits for 27 publicly financed candidates from the 2024 election cycle, noting that all committees were found to be in substantial compliance with applicable laws despite 120 findings, including 24 material issues. He described the audit methodology, key operational constraints, and progress in reducing backlog, as well as common findings such as reporting and recordkeeping deficiencies, contractor contribution violations, issues with mass mailing disclosures, sub-vendor payment reporting inconsistencies, and risks related to campaign assets.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions regarding audit practices, sampling methods, potential expansion of reviews, and discussed possible policy considerations, including contractor contribution timing rules. No action was taken by the Commission as the item was informational only.

Public Comment:

No public comment was received on this item.

Item 7. Items for Future Meetings (Discussion)

Commissioners inquired about reported layoffs affecting Ethics Commission staff, and Director Ford confirmed that one payroll clerk position was eliminated as part of the Mayor’s budget decisions despite the Commission’s efforts to propose alternative cost-saving measures. He noted the decision was not supported by the department, expressed concern about the impact, and stated that staff would support the affected employee while continuing to monitor and update the Commission on broader layoff developments.

Public Comment:

No public comment was received on this item.

Item 8. Additional Opportunity for General Public Comment

James Chaffey spoke again and reiterated concerns that the Commission must adhere to its own bylaws to maintain accountability and public trust, criticized the use of time limits and perceived lack of responsiveness, and emphasized the importance of respecting rules, language, and public participation in government processes. You can view a copy of his written public comment here.

Item 9. Adjournment

The Commission adjourned at 11:18am.