Any candidate committee that receives contributions, makes expenditures, incurs expenses or has funds in its campaign trust account that exceed 100 percent of the applicable expenditure ceiling must, within 24 hours of exceeding 100 percent of the applicable expenditure ceiling, file Form SFEC-134(b) with the Ethics Commission. This requirement applies only if at least one candidate for the City elective office has filed a statement with the Ethics Commission to accept the applicable voluntary expenditure limit.
Within 24 hours after receiving such notice, the Ethics Commission will lift the voluntary expenditure ceiling if:
- a candidate seeking election to the same City elective office, who has declined to accept the voluntary expenditure ceilings, receives contributions or makes qualified campaign expenditures in excess of 100 percent of the applicable voluntary expenditure ceiling; or
- a person or persons make expenditures or payments, or incur expenses for the purpose of making independent expenditures, electioneering communications or member communications that total more than 100 percent of the applicable voluntary expenditure ceiling, and those expenditures or communications clearly identify a candidate seeking election to the same City elective office; or
- a candidate seeking election to the same City elective office, who has accepted the voluntary expenditure ceiling, makes qualified campaign expenditures in excess of 100 percent of the voluntary expenditure ceiling.
If the Commission lifts the limit, the Commission will inform every candidate for that office that the voluntary expenditure ceiling has been lifted.
The provisions related to the raising of the individual expenditure ceilings are considerably different for candidates for Mayor and the Board of Supervisors who seek public financing. These candidates should refer to the Public Financing page.