Ethics commission completes random audit draw; rejects motion to add Mayor Ed Lee’s 2015 campaign

The San Francisco Ethics Commission completed its random-selection process on March 28 to identify campaign committees and lobbyists for the coming audit cycle, and it defeated a separate motion to add Ed Lee’s 2015 mayoral campaign to the audit list.

Executive staff outlined a tiered random-selection approach intended to focus audits on higher levels of spending. Staff proposed auditing 11 of 53 campaign committees (20%), with selections skewed toward committees reporting larger expenditures: six from those spending more than $100,000, three in the $50,000–$100,000 tier, and two from the $10,000–$50,000 tier. For lobbyists, staff proposed selecting four from a pool of 40 (about 10%). The process used public volunteers to draw names from the respective activity-level pools.

Several commissioners raised concerns about audit timeliness, arguing that audits need to be completed more quickly so findings are actionable; staff said the plan aimed to complete the selected audits within roughly 18 months of start date, with process improvements and more focused staffing. Public commenters urged transparency in the lists, inclusion of losing candidates earlier in the queue and stronger follow-up on high-dollar committees.

During the audit discussion Commissioner Peter Keane moved to add the Ed Lee for Mayor 2015 committee to the audit list. Deputy City Attorney Andrew Shen and Executive Director Leanne Pelham advised that public-financed candidates are subject to mandatory audits; for non-publicly financed committees, the executive director may initiate targeted audits or the commission may select them. Commissioners and public speakers debated whether a targeted audit of the mayor’s campaign would erode perceptions of fairness or whether public allegations and federal investigations warranted special scrutiny.

After extended public testimony and discussion of audit policy, the commission voted 2–3 against Commissioner Keane’s motion to add the mayor’s committee to the selected audits. Commissioners who opposed the motion cited the need for a clear, predictable audit policy and expressed concern about setting precedent for ad hoc targeted audits without codified criteria.

The random-selection audit list and lobbyist draws proceeded as announced; staff said finalized audit schedules and notices will be sent to selected committees and lobbyists and that staff will report back on expected completion schedules and any policy proposals to improve timeliness.