San Francisco Ethics Commission proposes cutting or rewriting four low-performing programs; asks supervisors to drop trustee-election filings

San Francisco — At its June 13 meeting the San Francisco Ethics Commission reviewed staff recommendations to scale back or eliminate four programs it says provide limited public benefit while consuming staff time: the Major Developers registration and reporting program, the Campaign Consultant registration program, the supplemental recusal notification requirement for local boards and commissions, and the trustee-election disclosure regime for certain retirement and benefit boards.

The commission’s policy and legislative affairs manager, Michael Canning, and senior policy research specialist Ryan Abusa presented findings from an internal review and two interested‑persons meetings. Staff said the Major Developers program collects retroactive reports that often arrive after city officers have already met with nonprofits that received developer donations, that the $1,000,000 project threshold is likely low given local market conditions, and that 47% of filings disclose no donations. Staff recommended…