District 6 voluntary spending cap lifted

From the Ethics Commission, City of San Francisco

October 6, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco Ethics Commission announced today that San Francisco's $83,000 voluntary spending limit for candidates for the Board of Supervisors in the November election is no longer in effect in District 6. Elimination of the spending limit was triggered by independent spending exceeding the voluntary spending limit.

Under the City's Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance, the voluntary spending limit for candidates for the office of Board of Supervisors is no longer binding in a particular district if a person, or persons in the aggregate, make independent expenditures, in support of or in opposition to a candidate, that exceed 100 percent of the $83,000 spending limit.

"Through evaluation of a variety of campaign materials being distributed throughout District Six, we have determined that independent expenditures, costs for electioneering communications and member communications have exceeded the voluntary spending cap," said John St. Croix, Executive Director of the Ethics Commission. "There have been mass mailings, signage, door hangars, polls, web sites, numerous handouts and fliers, windshield drops - at least one with first-class return postage affixed, staff and legal costs, independent printing and other expenses."

The Commission has notified all supervisorial candidates in Districts 6 that the spending limit is no longer in effect in that district. The spending limit remains in effect in races for school board, community college board and Public Defender but has been lifted in all supervisorial districts on the November ballot. Limits are not in effect for the Assessor's race.

All candidates running for City office who agreed by the deadline to comply with the voluntary spending limits will be acknowledged in the Voter Information Handbook distributed to San Francisco voters.

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