All candidates are required to publicly disclose money they raise and spend on their campaign. Both California state law and San Francisco law apply to candidates running for election in San Francisco. FPPC Manual 2 contains detailed information about FPPC forms that are required under state law, along with requirements that apply to candidates who do not raise or spend $2,000 or more as required under state law. As a candidate running for City elective office, you are required to file all campaign finance disclosure forms, including forms required under state law, with the San Franisco Ethics Commission (unless otherwise stated).
Campaign Statements
All candidates who have formed a committee by filing the Form 410 (discussed in the Getting Started page) must also file periodic campaign statements. Campaign Statements are filed electronically with the San Francisco Ethics Commission using the Form 460.
Campaign statements report the financial activity of a candidate’s campaign committee and must be filed whether or not the candidate receives contributions or makes expenditures during the reporting period.
Candidates must file campaign statements at least twice per year so long as the committee is open. Candidates must also file three pre-election campaign statements for elections they are on the ballot for. These filing deadlines and the corresponding reporting periods are provided in the Ethics Commission’s filing schedules.
Forms must include information for the entire reporting period. If your Form 460 includes less than complete information for the entire period covered, you will be required to submit an amendment and you may be subject to late fees or penalties.
Candidates Who Do Not Spend or Raise $2,000 or More
If a candidate does not anticipate raising or spending $2,000 or more in a calendar year, they do not need to form a committee and may file an Officeholder and Candidate Campaign Statement – Short Form (Form 470) instead of a Form 460. Personal funds used to pay filing or ballot statement fees are not counted toward the $2,000 committee qualification threshold.
The deadline for filing the Form 470 is provided in the Ethics Commission’s filing schedules, which are linked above.
If a candidate does not solicit or raise any money and personal funds are used only to pay filing or ballot statement fees, the candidate is not required to file Form 501. If any monetary contributions will be received from others, Form 501 must be filed and a separate campaign bank account must be established.
If a Form 470 is filed and the candidate then raises or spends $2,000 or more in that calendar year, the candidate must file a Form 470 Supplement, a Form 410, and begin filing the Form 460.
Late Contribution Reports
While candidate committees are subject to a $500 contribution limit, Committees may accept contributions of $500 or more from the candidate of the committee. The committee must file a late contribution report (Form 497) when they receive a contribution (including a loan) of $1,000 or more from the candidate within 90 days before the election.
Candidate Mass Mailings
Candidates must file a “mass mailing” report (SFEC Form 161) when they send over two hundred substantially similar pieces of mail supporting their candidacy. This report discloses the itemized costs associated with the mailing, including the amounts paid for photography, design, production, printing, distribution and postage. The report and the copy of the mailing are due within 5 working days of the mailing, unless the mailing occurs within the final 16 days before the election, in which case the report is due within 48 hours. This form and mailing must be e-filed in NetFile.
The candidate must show each separate charge or payment for each cost associated with the mass mailing. If the actual cost of the mailing is not known at the time of filing Form 161, a candidate may provide a good-faith estimate of costs. In the instance that an estimate is provided, the candidate must amend this statement within 48-hours after they receive concise information regarding the actual costs of the mass mailing.
Campaign Consultant Qualification
Individuals who are paid by a campaign to provide services may qualify as campaign consultants and may have filing requirements of their own. These individuals qualify as a campaign consultant if they are paid $1,000 or more within a calendar year for campaign management services or campaign strategy services.
If you believe that an individual working on your campaign may qualify as a campaign consultant, please refer them to the Ethics Commission’s campaign consultant webpage for more information.
Bundled Contributions
A contribution is bundled when someone other than the contributor or the contributor’s spouse delivers or transmits the contribution to a candidate. However, bundling does not include the activities of paid or volunteer campaign staff, a campaign consultant, the campaign consultant’s employees, or the candidate.
If a candidate receives $5,000 or more in contributions that were bundled by a single individual, the candidate must file SFEC Form 125 with the Ethics Commission disclosing information about that individual (including name, occupation, employer, and mailing address), a list of the contributions bundled by that individual, and, if the individual is a member of a City board or commission, the name of the board or commission and the name of the City officer who appointed the individual to serve on the board or commission.
The deadline for filing the report is the same as the deadline for filing the committee’s campaign statement (Form 460) that will include the contribution that makes the amount of bundled contributions from the individual total $5,000 or more.
Example: An individual bundles ten contributions of $500 each for a candidate, and the individual delivers the tenth contribution to the candidate on June 30th. This tenth contribution brings the total amount of contributions bundled by that individual to $5,000. Since the contribution was received on June 30th, the candidate must report this contribution on the Form 460 that is due on July 31st . Since the Form 460 disclosing this contribution is due on July 31st, the candidate’s bundling report is also due on July 31st.
Collection of Contributor Information
Prior to depositing contributions that total $100 or more, a committee must obtain complete contributor information including the contributor’s name, date of contribution, the contributor’s street address, and the contributor’s occupation and employer information.
Committees must report the business name of self-employed contributors. For self-employed contributors, indicate the occupation (i.e., “painter”) and the name of the entity that is on the contributor’s paycheck as the business name. Some professions such as “owner” or “manager” require a business name, while others (i.e., “babysitter”) may or may not. Employer information for contributors who are not employed, such as students, retired, or unemployed individuals may be reported by listing the same information in both the occupation and employer fields (i.e., Occupation: “Student”, Employer: “Student”, or Occupation: “Not employed”, Employer: “Not employed””). Please contact Ethics Commission staff through the Advice Portal if you have questions.
Termination Statements
Candidates who are raising or spending money on their campaign are subject to filing and disclosure requirements until they terminate their committees.
To terminate, a candidate must file a Form 460 Termination Statement with the Ethics Commission and a Form 410 Termination Statement with the Secretary of State. Candidates must provide a copy of the Form 410 Termination Statement to the Ethics Commission. Generally, candidates terminate their committees after the election, however all candidate committees must be terminated within 24 months after the candidate is defeated, leaves office, or withdraws from an election, whichever occurs earliest.
A committee may terminate only if the committee:
- Has ceased receiving contributions or making expenditures and does not anticipate receiving contributions or making expenditures in the future
- Has no remaining campaign funds
- Has filed all required campaign statements, disclosing all reportable transactions, including the disposition of leftover funds, and
- Has eliminated all debts or has no intention or ability to discharge debts.
Duty to Amend and Supplement
Candidates have a duty to timely amend and/or supplement any incorrect or changed information filed on a campaign statement or report. This is done by amending a previously filed form. If there is a change in the committee’s treasurer’s position, contact information (address or telephone number), or other information, the committee must provide the updated information by filing an amendment to the Form 410.
State and local law impose a number of reporting and recordkeeping rules on City candidates, which require the regular disclosure of a campaigns receipts and expenditures.
County Central Committee seats are NOT considered City elective offices and have different filing obligations. Candidates for these seats should see the Information for Candidates for County Central Committee page.