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Public commenter alleges widespread election corruption; commissioners advise evidence and jurisdiction limits
Summary
A public commenter told the San Francisco Ethics Commission the city's election system is '100% corrupt' and urged an investigation; commissioners recommended lodging criminal allegations with the district attorney and clarified the commission's jurisdiction is limited to public financing.
A member of the public told the San Francisco Ethics Commission that San Francisco's election system was corrupt and urged the commission to investigate, prompting commissioners to ask for evidence and to remind the speaker about the commission's limited jurisdiction.
Ellen Li Zhao, who identified herself as a longtime city social worker and civic grand jury member, told the commission she had run for mayor and said she had seen "association between board of supervisors and the donors who are cannabis operators." She went on to allege problems with the voter roll and public-financing access, saying in part, "our San Francisco voter system is 100% corrupt because we have 120% qualified people voted." (Ellen Li Zhao)
Commissioner Lee urged caution and said the commission needed evidence before acting on claims about undocumented persons voting: "as far as we're concerned as of today, there is no evidence that undocumented... persons were voting." (Commissioner Lee) Commissioner Culp recommended that allegations of criminal conduct be brought to the district attorney, saying the conduct described could constitute crimes and that it would be appropriate to lodge such allegations with the DA.
Staff and commissioners also clarified the commission's statutory responsibilities. Deputy City Attorney John Giffner and staff reminded the public that the Ethics Commission's oversight is focused on public financing and enforcement within the campaign finance code; the commission cannot, as a body, investigate general voting administration or remove criminal jurisdiction from the DA.
Commissioners acknowledged concerns raised about candidate training and public-financing access and asked staff to continue improving candidate guides and trainings. Pat Ford said the office already provides mandatory in-person trainings for candidates and treasurers and will revise the supplemental guides if the commission adopts regulatory changes.
The commission did not open a formal inquiry based on the public comment during the meeting; staff advised the speaker to pursue complaints with the district attorney and emphasized that the commission's enforcement work focuses on public-financing statutes and campaign disclosure rules.
