Candidates and Campaign Committees
2012 Election Notes
Note #1: Candidates for elective City office should review the Ethics Commission's
2012 Candidate Manual. Committees planning to make
independent expenditures supporting or opposing City candidates and ballot measures
should review the Ethics Commission's
2012 Committee Manual .
Note #2: The Ethics Commission's next candidate training session will be held on March 16, 2012,
at 3:00 p.m. in the Committee Room on the 12th floor of the City Administration Building,
202 C Street in downtown San Diego.
Note #3: Some provisions of the City's campaign laws will not be enforced during
the pendency of the Thalheimer v. City of San Diego litigation.
Refer to the bulletins and memoranda below for more information.
Note #4: All candidates for elective City office must have a treasurer.
A candidate may serve as his/her own treasurer, or ask a friend or relative
to volunteer as the treasurer. Candidates who plan to spend more than
$10,000 are strongly encouraged to retain a professional treasurer
to ensure compliance with the City's laws. The majority of candidates who
spend more than $10,000 will have their campaigns audited, and may be required
to pay fines if the audits reveal material violations of campaign laws. Information
regarding professional campaign treasurers doing business in California can be obtained
from the California Political
Treasurers Association.
Candidates for local elective office, and campaign committees that support or oppose such candidates, are subject
to both state and local campaign finance laws. The Ethics Commission has jurisdiction over local campaign finance laws,
also referred to as the Election Campaign Control Ordinance, or "ECCO." Local campaign finance laws are more
restrictive than those at the state, and include campaign contribution limits and disclosure requirements not found
in state law. This portion of the Ethics Commission's website contains links to ECCO and to a number of Fact Sheets
that discuss, in plain language, many of the provisions of ECCO.
State campaign laws are enforced by the Fair Political Practices
Commission [FPPC], which has prepared campaign manuals
applicable to all candidates and committees. The Ethics Commission has prepared its own campaign manuals
(see links below) specifically designed for candidates and committees participating in City
of San Diego elections.
For questions regarding how to become a candidate or when to file campaign statements, please contact
the City Clerk's office. If you have questions regarding
what to disclose on those statements, contact the Ethics Commission.
Relevant Documents
Thalheimer v. City of San Diego Litigation
The City of San Diego is currently a party to litigation challenging the constitutionality
of various provisions of its campaign finance laws. Several court rulings
in Thalheimer v. City of San Diego have impacted the City's enforcement of these laws.
Bulletins and memoranda pertaining to these impacts are set forth below.
- Bulletin of January 24, 2012
- Bulletin of September 10, 2010 (PDF)
- Bulletin of July 12, 2010 (PDF)
- Bulletin of June 14, 2010 (PDF)
- Bulletin of May 24, 2010 (PDF)
- Bulletin of February 24, 2010 (PDF)
- Staff Memo to Ethics Commission (September 7, 2010) (PDF)
- Staff Memo to Ethics Commission (June 30, 2010) (PDF)
- Staff Memo to Ethics Commission (June 8, 2010) (PDF)
- Executive Director Memo to Ethics Commission (March 4, 2010) (PDF)
Campaign Forms
Most Recent Revisions to the Election Campaign Control Ordinance
2007-2008 Review of City's Campaign Finance Laws
Note: The 2008 proposed amendments were adopted by the City Council on October 21, 2008.
- Executive Director Memo to City Council (Sept. 12, 2008) (PDF)
- Proposed Amendments to ECCO: Legal Defense Fund Provisions (August 29, 2008) (PDF)
- Executive Director Memo to the Rules Committee (August 20, 2008) (PDF)
- Proposed Amendments to ECCO: Legal Defense Fund Provisions (August 6, 2008) (PDF)
- Executive Director Memo to Ethics Commission (July 1, 2008) (PDF)
- Proposed Amendments to ECCO: Legal Defense Fund Provisions (June 27, 2008) (PDF)
- Proposed Amendments to ECCO: Telephone Communications (June 23, 2008) (PDF)
- Proposed Amendments to ECCO: Additional Pre-Election Report (June 19, 2008) (PDF)
- Executive Director Memo to the Rules Committee (May 30, 2008) (PDF)
- Proposed Amendments to the Election Campaign Control Ordinance (May 9, 2008) (PDF)
- Proposed Amendment: Campaign Fundraising Activity (Lobbying Ordinance)(May 9, 2008) (PDF)
- Executive Director Memo to Ethics Commission (February 6, 2008) (PDF)
- Executive Director Memo to Ethics Commission (October 11, 2007) (PDF)
