Ordinance amending the Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code to modify the public financing program for candidates for the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors by replacing the current process of continuous adjustments of individual expenditure ceilings to an approach in which the ceiling is removed for candidates within the race once certain spending reaches a specified amount, and adjusting reporting requirements; raising the contribution limit for contributions to candidates for local office from $500 to $1,000 and authorizing the Ethics Commission to adjust the contribution limit going forward for changes in the Consumer Price Index; allowing the Ethics Commission to designate the website to be used in campaign advertisement disclaimers; and increasing the rate at which public funding is made available to qualified candidates for Mayor or Board of Supervisors.

The Ethics Commission began the Streamlining Project to evaluate and improve various programs and policies, including the public financing program for candidates.

The Ethics Commission held two public Interested Persons meetings to gather feedback on the proposed changes to the public financing program.

Staff presented preliminary recommendations to the Ethics Commission regarding changes to the public financing program, including expenditure ceilings and contribution limits.

The Ethics Commission unanimously approved two ordinances, including the one amending the public financing program, which requires supermajority approval from both the Commission and the Board of Supervisors.

The proposed ordinance was received from the Ethics Commission and assigned under the 30-day rule for consideration by the Board of Supervisors.

The ordinance is currently pending committee action within the Board of Supervisors, following its introduction and referral.