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Rules committee advances amendment allowing limited redaction of nonprofit economic statements to protect safety
Summary
The committee approved amendments to an administrative-code ordinance to permit redaction of certain nonprofit economic-statement information when disclosure could reasonably risk personal safety; it also raised the reporting threshold to the federal single-audit standard and postponed final vote to allow substantive changes to circulate.
The Rules Committee voted to advance a set of substantive amendments to an ordinance that modifies nonprofit disclosure requirements in the administrative code, including a new safety-based redaction standard for annually required economic statements of city-funded organizations.
President Mandelmann described the package as a response to requests from organizations serving communities under heightened threat, including LGBTQ-serving and domestic violence service organizations. He said the proposed amendments raise the reporting threshold to $1 million (consistent with the federal single-audit standard), remove certain itemized public disclosures that remain available through other required reporting channels, and add a redaction standard allowing organizations to redact information when they have a reasonable basis to believe disclosure could lead to harm to their agents, employees or officers.
“ The information will still need to be disclosed. We're still requiring some additional information that was not required before 2023 to be submitted, but, we're not gonna make it quite so easy for the harass potential harassers out there, and ill wishers to do harm to organizations serving, serving vulnerable communities,” Mandelmann said, describing the balance the amendments aim to strike. He credited staff in the city administrator’s office and nonprofit stakeholders for shaping the changes.
Beverly Upton of the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium told the committee the revisions would help survivors and other marginalized people provide services “without fear,” noting ongoing risks to organizations that work with victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and trafficking.
A public commenter raised broader political points unrelated to the ordinance text; another business owner, Leilani Powers of Star Belly restaurant, urged expansion of a different item on the agenda (the Castro entertainment zone) that she said would provide neighborhood economic benefit.
Because the amendments are substantive, Mandelmann said the legislation must be continued; the committee voted to accept the amendments and continue the ordinance to the April 7 meeting to allow the revised language to circulate.
The motion to amend and continue as amended passed without objection (recorded votes: Member Mandelmann, aye; Chair Cheryl, aye; Walton excused).
