Audit Authority
Public disclosure of the identity and extent of efforts of lobbyists to influence decision-making regarding local legislative and administrative matters is essential to protect public confidence in the responsiveness and representative nature of government officials and institutions.
To promote transparency and accountability for lobbyists’ activities, City law requires lobbyists to register with the Ethics Commission and file reports to disclose their contacts with public officials, the local legislative or administrative actions they seek to influence, and any payments they receive from clients.
Pursuant to San Francisco Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code (“C&GCC”) Section 2.135, the Ethics Commission has authority to audit lobbyist disclosure statements to substantiate the reported information. On an annual basis, the Commission must initiate audits of one or more randomly selected lobbyists. Lobbyists are required to retain all books, papers and documents necessary to substantiate their registration and disclosure reports for a period of five years. A lobbyist, or individual required to register as a lobbyist, must provide such required records within ten business days of receiving a request by the Ethics Commission.
Audit Reports
After all audit work has been completed and the auditee has had the opportunity to respond to any audit findings, Commission staff release a written audit report to the auditee and to the Commission’s public website. These reports provide an overview of the lobbyist’s activity during the period covered by the audit and identify any instances in which they failed to comply with applicable laws.