Ethics Commission asks mayor for expanded budget for e‑filing, enforcement and policy capacity

The Ethics Commission voted Jan. 25 to submit an expanded budget request to the Mayor’s Office that would fund a multi‑year capacity building plan covering e‑filing conversion, strengthened investigations and enforcement staffing, and a small policy and outreach team.

Executive Director Leanne Pelham presented the proposed package as a two‑year effort to modernize disclosure systems, reduce ongoing paper‑processing costs, and free staff time for investigations and proactive policy work. She identified a $250,000 project development estimate for system design and cited a $560,000 reserve originally set aside for Proposition C e‑filing as a potential funding source for the technology work.

Commissioners debated strategy: some urged asking for the full package up front as a policy statement and to give the mayor and Board of Supervisors room to negotiate; others recommended submitting a smaller, conservative alternative to avoid a hard departmental cut. Commissioners ultimately voted unanimously to “go for it” and send the full request, with staff directed to prepare detailed technical backup and a cover letter for the mayor’s office.

Staff estimated the full package represents roughly a 30% increase over the current year’s operating budget but characterized it as modest in the context of the city’s overall budget — “the cost of a Muni bus,” one commissioner noted — and argued the investment would produce long‑term savings and more timely enforcement outcomes.

The commission asked staff to pursue meetings with the mayor’s budget office and to bring any necessary amendments to the Feb. 22 meeting.