Skip to content
English| Español| Filipino| 中文
Pay Fees & Penalties Contact Us Search

Main Navigation

SFEC logo

City and County of San Francisco
Ethics Commission

  • Commission
        • About the Ethics Commission
        • Commissioners
        • Meetings
          • Commission Meeting Agendas
          • Regulation Notices
          • Commission Meeting Minutes
          • Meeting Summaries
          • Interested Persons Meetings
        • Policy Issues
        • Annual Reports
        • Budget
        • By-Laws
        • Staff
        • Records Management Policy
        • Jobs
        • Join Our Interested Persons List
        • Disclosure of Gifts to the Agency
        • Racial Equity Plan
        • Implicit Bias Training
        • Privacy Policy
  • Guidance
        • Campaigns
          • Committees
            • Committee Filing Schedules
            • Establishing a Committee
            • Campaign Advertising – Requirements & Restrictions
              • Independent Expenditure Ads Referring to City Candidates
              • Independent Expenditure Ads on Ballot Measures
              • Independent Expenditure Ads on Ballot Measures (by Candidates and Political Party Committees)
              • Independent Expenditure Ads on Candidates (by Candidates and Political Party Committees)
              • All Non-Independent Expenditure Ads (except ads by Candidates and Political Party Committees)
              • All Non-Independent Expenditure Ads by Candidates and Political Party Committees
              • Electioneering Communications
            • Committee Restrictions
            • Committee Reporting Requirements
              • Reporting Instructions for Independent Expenditure Advertisements featuring Local Candidates for City Elective Office
            • Mandatory Training for General Purpose/Ballot Measure, and Independent Expenditure Committee Treasurers
          • Candidates
            • Running for Office
            • Running the Campaign (Fundraising & Campaign Communications)
              • Communications by City Candidate Committees for their own Election
            • Reporting & Recordkeeping for Candidates
            • After the Campaign
            • Committee Account Registration – SFEC Form 112b
            • Public Financing Program
            • County Central Committee
            • Training for Candidates & Treasurers
          • Contributors & Third Parties
            • Contributor & Third Party Restrictions
            • Contributor & Third Party Reporting Requirements
            • San Francisco Ethics Commission Contributor Guide
            • Contributor & Third Party Reporting Requirements – Retirement Board, Health Service System Board, Retiree Health Care Trust Fund Board Elections
          • Candidates, Contributors & Third-Party Spenders in Trustee Elections
          • Campaign Audits
            • Required Records
            • Audit Process
            • Audit Reports
            • Audit Selection
          • Late Fees
          • Register for a Campaign Committee Electronic Filing Account
          • All Campaign & Public Financing Forms
          • Online Political Ads – Who Paid for Them?
        • City Officers & Employees
          • Form 700 – Statement of Economic Interests
            • Form 700 Filers
            • Appointing Authorities & Filing Liaisons
            • Departmental Filing Officer Directory
            • Late Filing and Enforcement
            • Filing Officers
          • Behested Payments
            • Behested Payments: An Overview
          • Gifts and Travel
          • Incompatible Activities
            • Request for Advance Written Determination
          • Conflict of Interest
          • City Contracts
            • Notification of Submission of Proposal
              • Notifying Bidders and Potential Bidders
            • Contract Approval by City Elective Officers
            • Organizations Bidding on City Contracts
          • Post-Employment and Post-Service Restrictions
          • Ethics and Sunshine Training
          • Redistricting Task Force
        • Lobbyists
          • Contact Lobbyists
            • Who Must File as a Contact Lobbyist
            • Contact Lobbyist Registration
            • Contact Lobbyist Training Declaration
            • Contact Lobbyist Reporting
          • Expenditure Lobbyists
            • Who Must Register as an Expenditure Lobbyist
            • Expenditure Lobbyist Registration
            • Expenditure Lobbyist Reporting
          • Lobbyists on Behalf of the City
            • Who Must File as a Lobbyist on Behalf of the City
            • Lobbyists on Behalf of the City Reporting
            • Lobbyists on Behalf of the City Enforcement
          • Lobbying Audits
        • Campaign Consultants
          • Who Must File as a Campaign Consultant
          • Campaign Consultant Registration
          • Campaign Consultant Reporting
          • Campaign Consultant Termination
          • Campaign Consultant Enforcement
        • Permit Consultants
          • Who Must File as a Permit Consultant
          • Permit Consultant Registration
          • Permit Consultant Reporting
        • Major Developers
          • Who Must File as a Major Developer
          • Major Developer Reporting
        • Laws
          • Campaign Consultant Laws
          • Campaign Finance Laws
          • Conflict of Interest Laws
          • Investigations
            • Whistleblower Protection Ordinance Regulations
          • Lobbying Laws
          • Permit Consultant Laws
          • Open Government Laws
          • Major Developer Laws
          • Advice Letters
        • Trainings & Resources
          • Trainings
          • Guides and Manuals
          • Fact Sheets
          • Notices, Memoranda, and Reports
        • Trainings & Resources by Program
          • Candidates, Committees, and Treasurers
          • City Officers, Employees, and Filing Officers
          • Lobbyists
          • Campaign Consultants
          • Permit Consultants
          • Contractors
          • Major Developers
  • Disclosures
        • Campaign Finance Disclosure
          • Data Dashboards
          • Datasets
          • Statements
          • Public Financing
          • Application Programming Interface (API)
          • Contracts
            • Archived Campaign Finance – City Contract Disclosure
            • Notification of Submission of Proposal
          • Expenditure Ceilings and Third-Party Spending
        • Major Developer Disclosure
          • Data Dashboard
        • City Officer & Employee Disclosures
          • Payments Made at the Behest of a City Officer
            • Behested Payment Filings by Elected Officials
            • Behested Payment Filings by Elected Officials, Board and Commission Members, and Department Heads
            • Filings by Donors of Behested Payments
            • Filings by Recipients of Behested Payments
          • Statement of Economic Interests
            • Statements
            • Datasets – Statement of Economic Interests
            • Application Programming Interface (API) – Statement of Economic Interests
          • Ethics and Sunshine Training Declaration
          • Gifts of Travel
          • Compensated Advocacy Ban Waivers
          • Referrals Waivers
          • Post-Employment Restriction Waivers
          • Notification of Recusal
        • Permit Consultant Disclosure
          • Data Dashboard
        • Lobbyist Disclosure
          • Datasets
          • Directory & Search
          • Application Programming Interface (API)
          • Lobbyists on Behalf of the City Disclosure
        • Campaign Consultant Disclosure
          • Data Dashboards
          • Statements
          • Datasets
          • Application Programming Interface (API)
        • How to Join Disclosure Datasets Using Microsoft Excel
  • Complaints
        • How to File a Complaint
          • Complaint Preparation
          • Complaint Submission
          • Preliminary Review
          • Complaint Investigation
            • Investigation Suspension and Parallel Proceedings Policy
          • Stipulated Orders (Settlements)
          • Probable Cause and Hearings on the Merits
          • File a Complaint
        • Case Resolutions
        • Probable Cause Determinations
        • Enforcement Regulations
        • Whistleblower Retaliation
        • Late Fees
        • Streamlined Administrative Resolution Program
        • Sunshine Ordinance
  • E-File
  • Pay Fees & Penalties

City and County of San Francisco
Ethics Commission

25 Van Ness Avenue, STE 220
San Francisco, CA 94102-6053
ethics.commission@sfgov.org
415-252-3100 | sfethics.org

Category: Advice Letters

The San Francisco Charter gives the Ethics Commission the authority to provide two kinds of advice: written formal opinions and informal advice. Written formal opinions are available to individuals who request advice about their responsibilities under local law. Formal opinions provide the requester immunity from subsequent enforcement action if the material facts are as stated in the request for advice, and if the District Attorney and City Attorney concur in the advice. Formal opinions prepared by staff must be approved by the full Commission. Informal advice does not provide similar protection.

Advice Letter – January 30, 2017 – Advice Letter to Minouche Kandel regarding Gifts

Posted on January 31, 2017
Posted in Advice Letters

Advice Letter – October 4, 2016 – Advice Letter to Rebecca Foster re Post-Employment Restrictions and One-Year Communications Ban

Posted on December 19, 2016
Posted in Advice Letters

Advice Letter – September 16, 2016 – San Francisco Government Code Sec. 3.230 and SFUSD Officers

Posted on November 23, 2016 (Updated December 19, 2016)
Posted in Advice Letters

Advice Letter – July 7, 2015 – Advice Letter to Jonathan Mintzer re Campaign Consultant Registration

Posted on July 20, 2015
Posted in Advice Letters

Advice Letter – May 8, 2012 – Advice letter to James Sutton re CFRO section 1.126

Posted on May 9, 2012
Posted in Advice Letters

Advice Letter – November 7, 2011 – Advice letter to Thomas Willis re CFRO section 1.126

Posted on November 7, 2011
Posted in Advice Letters

Advice Letter – October 5, 2011 – Advice Letter to Steven Gold, Esq./ActBlue re CFRO and Intermediaries

Posted on October 6, 2011
Posted in Advice Letters

Advice Letter – May 17, 2011 – Letter to Enrique Pearce re Campaign Consultant Ordinance and CFRO section 1.115

Posted on May 20, 2011
Posted in Advice Letters

Advice Letter – February 14, 2011 – Letter to Jesse Mainardi re Lobbyist Ordinance

Posted on February 14, 2011
Posted in Advice Letters

Advice Letter – July 13, 2010 – Advice letter to Michael Kim re post-employment restrictions

Posted on July 13, 2010
Posted in Advice Letters

Posts navigation

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 6
  • »

San Francisco Ethics Commission

Address:
25 Van Ness Ave, STE 220
San Francisco, CA 94102

Phone: 415-252-3100
Fax: 415-252-3112
Email: ethics.commission@sfgov.org
Twitter: @sfethics

Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

Policies & Notices

  • Privacy Policy
  • Official Public Notices

Sign up to receive agendas, filer courtesy notices & important updates via email:

Records Requests

Request public records from the Ethics Commission via NextRequest:

City Resources

  • City & County of San Francisco
  • Department of Elections
  • Controller's Office Budget Information