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SF Ethics Commission
of Campaign Consultants Registered with The City
| Isabella H. Grant: | Chairperson | |
| Virginia E. Vida | Executive Director | |
| Report prepared by: | Naomi Starkman, Special Assistant | |
| Date Issued: | December 30, 1998 |
The Regulation of Campaign Consultants Ordinance ("Ordinance"), San Francisco Administrative Code Sections 16.540-16.547, was approved by San Francisco voters in November 1997. The Ordinance requires persons who earn $1,000 or more per year for campaign consultant services to register with the Ethics Commission and file quarterly activity reports.
The fourth quarter activity reports were due on December 15, 1998 and covered the filing period beginning September 1 and ending November 30, 1998. Thirty campaign consultants filed with the Ethics Commission in the fourth quarter of 1998. Of those thirty, seven campaign consultants who were obligated to file have not done so as of the date of this report. The number of campaign consultants has grown since the first filing in June of 1998. At that time (the second quarter of 1998), twenty-four campaign consultants filed with the Ethics Commission. In the third quarter of 1998, twenty-five campaign consultants filed with the Ethics Commission.
I. Introduction
The Ordinance defines "campaign consultant" to mean a person or entity that receives or is promised $1,000 or more in a calendar year for providing either of the following services:
"Campaign Management," defined to mean conducting, coordinating or supervising a campaign to elect, defeat, retain or recall a local candidate, or adopt or defeat a local ballot measure, including but not limited to:
- Hiring or authorizing the hiring of campaign staff and consultants; or
- Spending or authorizing the expenditure of campaign funds; or
- Directing, supervising or conducting the solicitation of campaign contributions; or
- Selecting or recommending vendors or subvendors of goods or services for the campaign
"Campaign Strategy," defined to mean planning for the election, defeat, retention or recall of a local candidate, or for the adoption or defeat of a local ballot measure, including not but limited to:
- Producing or authorizing the production of campaign literature and print and broadcast advertising; or
- Seeking endorsements of organizations or individuals; or
- Seeking financing; or
- Advising on public policy positions.
Employees of campaign consultants do not themselves qualify as campaign consultants. However, persons and entities that subcontract with a campaign consultant to provide campaign consulting services and that receive or are promised $1,000 or more in a calendar year do qualify as campaign consultants.
Campaign consultants are required to report only activity associated with local candidates or local ballot measures. For purposes of the Ordinance, "candidate" means: (1) a person who has taken affirmative action to seek nomination or election to local office, (2) or a local officeholder who has taken affirmative action to seek nomination or election to any elective office, (3) or a local officeholder who is the subject of a recall election.
"Local officeholder" means the following elected officers: Mayor, Members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, City Attorney, District Attorney, Treasurer, Sheriff, Assessor, Public Defender, Members of the Board of Education of the San Francisco Unified School District, Members of the Governing Board of the San Francisco Community College District.
"Measure" means a local referendum, or a local ballot measure, whether or not it qualifies for the ballot.
The Commission has compiled the information filed by campaign consultants for the fourth quarter of 1998 in the attached tables. All amounts reported by campaign consultants have been rounded off.
II. Description of Quarterly Report Tables
Almost all filers reported activity pertaining to the November 3, 1998 election. Some filers also listed payments received from the June 2, 1998 election. Table 1 lists the ballot measures and elective offices appearing on the November 3, 1998 ballot.
Table 2 summarizes all reported activity by campaign consultants for the fourth quarter. Filers are listed in descending order of the payments received. Also reported are the total payments promised by or received from clients and any political contributions made by the filers. In addition, any payments promised from vendors are reported in Table 2.
Filers are required to report "economic consideration" promised by or received from clients in exchange for campaign consulting services during the applicable reporting period. Economic consideration includes payments, fees, commissions, reimbursements for expenses, gifts or anything else of value. Table 3 lists the name of the filer in alphabetical order, the filer's clients, the services performed for that client, the payment promised by the client in the reporting period, and the payment actually received. The table also indicates the total payments promised or received. The total payments promised to the filer by each client are shaded in gray. The total payments promised by all clients to filers during the fourth quarter were $638,498. The total payments received by all filers from all clients during the fourth quarter were $784,507.
Filers must report each political contribution of $100 to a candidate for local office; or committee controlled by local officeholder or candidate for local office; or ballot measure committee whether or not the committee is controlled by a local officeholder or a candidate for local office. Filers must report contributions of $100 or more made or delivered by the filer, or made by the filer's client at the filer's behest, or for which the filer acted as an agent or intermediary during the reporting period. This chart indicates the political contributions made by campaign consultants during the reporting period. The total reported amount of political contributions given by filers during the fourth quarter was $1,975.
Each filer must report economic consideration promised to or received by the filer during the reporting period from vendors and subvendors who provide campaign-related goods or services to the filer's current clients. This chart indicates the name of the filer, the name of the vendor and the amount of the payment promised to or received by the filer. The total amount of reported vendor payments to filers during the fourth quarter was $7,170.
Each filer must report any gifts promised or made by the filer to a local officeholder during the reporting period which in the aggregate total $50 or more. No filer reported making a gift to a local officeholder during the reporting period.
If the filer employs a local officeholder or City employee during the reporting period, the filer must report the name of the officeholder or City employee and describe the nature of the employment by the filer. In addition, if a client of the filer employs a local officeholder or City employee at the behest of the filer during the reporting period, the filer must report the name of the client, the name of each officeholder or City employee hired by the client, and the nature of the employment by the client. No filer reported employing a local officeholder or City employee during the reporting period.
If the filer obtains a City contract during the reporting period and the contract is approved by a local officeholder who is the filer's client, the filer must report the contract, the date the contract was obtained, and the name of the officeholder who approved the contract. No filer reported obtaining a City contract during the reporting period.
If the filer is appointed to public office during the reporting period and the appointment is made by a local officeholder who is the filer's client, the filer must report the public office to which the filer was appointed, the date of the appointment, and the name of the officeholder who appointed the filer. No filer reported appointment to public office during the reporting period.
Amendments
There were no amendments made by any filers to any previous report.
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