Last week, San Francisco’s voters passed Prop. F, which provides three new campaign finance rules.
First, Prop. F will ban contributions to the Mayor, Supervisors, City Attorney and candidates for those offices from owners and high-level executives of real estate developers. Despite rumors to the contrary, the law will not prohibit contributions to other City candidates – e.g., District Attorney, Sheriff, Community College and School Board – and will not prevent real estate developers from contributing to City ballot measures or independent expenditure committees.
Second, the law extends the current ban on contributions from corporations to City candidates to limited liability corporations and partnerships – even those which are taxed as individuals.
Finally, Prop. F makes a number of changes to the “paid for by” disclaimer and reporting requirements for campaigns. Most notably, the threshold for a contributor’s name to appear on a ballot measure or independent expenditure campaign ad has been lowered to $5,000.
Prop. F is the latest in a series of laws in San Francisco and throughout the state targeting specific industries or groups. While these restrictions may provide an advantage or disadvantage to various special interests, they also add yet more complexity to the rules and make it more difficult for contributors to comply with the rules.
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Feel free to contact a Sutton Law Firm attorney or Political Compliance Specialist if you have any questions regarding Prop. F or other San Francisco campaign finance laws.
THIS ALERT IS INTENDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE LEGAL ADVICE.