San Francisco County Municipal Code Ch. 5 Regulation of Campaign

CONSULTANTS Sec. 1.500. Findings.

Sec. 1.503. Amendment or Repeal of this Chapter. Sec. 1.505. Definitions. Sec. 1.510. Prohibitions. Sec. 1.515. Registration, Reregistration, Reporting, and Fees. Sec. 1.520. Powers and Duties of the Ethics Commission. Sec. 1.525. Administrative and Civil Enforcement, and Penalties. Sec. 1.530. Code of Conduct. Sec. 1.535. Severability. Sec. 1.540. Electronic Filing of Statements and Reports. Sec. 1.545. Construction with Other Laws.

(a) The City and County of San Francisco has a paramount interest in protecting the integrity and credibility of its electoral and government institutions. Election campaigns are highly competitive in San Francisco, and candidates frequently contract for the services of professional campaign consultants who specialize in guiding and managing campaigns. (b) It is the purpose and intent of the people of the City and County of San Francisco in enacting this Chapter to impose reasonable registration and disclosure requirements on campaign consultants. Required registration and disclosure of information by campaign consultants will assist the public in making informed decisions, and protect public confidence in the electoral and governmental processes. (Added by Ord. 71-00, File No. 000358, App. 4/28/2000) (Derivation: Former Administrative Code Section 16.540; added by Proposition G, 11/4/97)

The voters may amend or repeal this Chapter 5. The Board of Supervisors may amend this Chapter 5 if all of the following conditions are met: (a) The amendment furthers the purposes of this Chapter; (b) The Ethics Commission approves the proposed amendment in advance by at least a four-fifths vote of all its members; (c) The proposed amendment is available for public review at least 30 days before the amendment is considered by the Board of Supervisors or any committee of the Board of Supervisors; and (d) The Board of Supervisors approves the proposed amendment by at least a two-thirds vote of all its members. (Added by Proposition D, 3/5/2024, Eff. 4/12/2024, Oper. 10/12/2024)

It shall be unlawful for any campaign consultant to provide campaign consulting services, or accept any economic consideration for the provision of campaign consulting services, without first registering with the Ethics Commission and complying with the reporting requirements specified in Section 1.515. (Added by Ord. 71-00, File No. 000358, App. 4/28/2000) (Derivation: Former Administrative Code Section 16.542; added by Proposition G, 11/4/97)

If any Section, subsection, subdivision, sentence, clause, phrase or portion of this Chapter, or the application thereof to any person or entity is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by the decision of any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Chapter or its application to other persons, business entities, or organizations. The Board of Supervisors hereby declares that it would have adopted this Chapter, and each Section, subsection, subdivision, sentence, clause, phrase or portion thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more Sections, subsections, subdivisions, sentences, clauses, phrases, or portions, or the application thereof to any person or entity, to be declared invalid or unconstitutional. (Added by Ord. 71-00, File No. 000358, App. 4/28/2000) (Derivation: Former Administrative Code Section 16.547; added by Proposition G, 11/4/97)

Lobbying by campaign consultants and employees of campaign consultants is governed by the applicable provisions of Article II, Chapter 1 of this Code, including Section 2.117, which prohibits campaign consultants and employees of campaign consultants from communicating with current and former clients on behalf of another person or entity for the purpose of influencing local legislative or administrative action in exchange for economic consideration. (Added by Ord. 28-04, File No. 031656, App. 2/20/2004)