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Ethics Commission unveils upgraded campaign finance dashboard to show near‑real‑time totals
Summary
The San Francisco Ethics Commission previewed an updated campaign finance dashboard that consolidates Form 460 filings and late reports, adds running-sum charts and an estimated cash view, and will add district-level maps and downloadable ad content in future releases.
The San Francisco Ethics Commission on Oct. 18, 2019, saw a demonstration of a redesigned campaign finance data dashboard intended to give the public and press a more current picture of fundraising and spending.
Commission staff showed how the dashboard now combines Form 460 filings with late-period reports so users see more recent totals rather than a snapshot limited to a reporting period. The presenter said the change responds to a frequent question from users "who want to know how much has been raised or spent as of right now." The presenter emphasized remaining limitations where transaction dates are incomplete and noted the "estimated cash" tab is an approximation based on available dates.
New visualizations include "running sums" that chart receipts and expenditures over time, separate displays of independent expenditures, a top-10 occupations and employers listing for contributors, and a ZIP-code concentration map. Staff said future upgrades will allow mapping contributions to supervisor districts and publishing downloadable copies of ads purchased by committees.
Commissioners praised the update as a significant improvement in accessibility. One commissioner called the changes "a quantum leap forward" that will make the information easier to use, and asked staff to report back next month on outreach and which organizations will be targeted for training and demo sessions.
The presenter said outreach to the press and stakeholders will continue and that a policy update will include details about rollout plans. The Commission took no formal action on the demo itself.
