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Rules Committee recommends Quentin L. Kopp to fill Ethics Commission vacancy
Summary
The Rules Committee unanimously recommended former supervisor, state senator and judge Quentin L. Kopp for appointment to the San Francisco Ethics Commission, after Kopp reviewed his decades of work on campaign, open‑government and conflict‑of‑interest reforms and answered committee questions about public financing.
Quentin L. Kopp, a former San Francisco supervisor, state senator and superior court judge, won the Rules Committee’s unanimous recommendation to fill seat 1 on the San Francisco Ethics Commission.
The committee acted after Kopp outlined a decades‑long record of work on campaign finance, open‑government legislation and conflict‑of‑interest rules and after public supporters urged his appointment. Supervisor Eric Marr moved the recommendation and the committee forwarded the appointment to the full Board of Supervisors without objection.
Kopp told the committee he applied out of "good citizenship," citing a career that began in 1972 and included drafting a conflict‑of‑interest prohibition, early city campaign finance rules and later revisions to the Ralph M. Brown Open Meeting Act and the California Public Records Act. "I believe in law enforcement," he said, and described enforcement and transparency as central to the commission’s work.
Kopp was asked about prior positions he helped craft, including his role in Proposition 73 and earlier limits on campaign expenditures. Asked whether he still opposed public financing provisions in Prop 73, Kopp said San Francisco’s public financing program is "the law of San Francisco" and that, as a commissioner, he would treat proposals and enforcement in a "quasi‑judicial" manner, evaluating evidence and arguments impartially.
Supporters who spoke during public comment emphasized Kopp’s experience. Peter Keane, vice chair of the Ethics Commission, said Kopp would "bring more than a fresh breath of fresh air" to the body. Peter Shear of the First Amendment Coalition highlighted Kopp’s role in Brown Act and public‑records reform. Other backers included leaders from neighborhood and civic groups and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.
The committee record shows the item will be transmitted to the full Board of Supervisors agenda for 2016‑09‑06 unless otherwise stated; the committee recommendation is positive and was made without objection. The committee did not record a roll‑call vote in the transcript beyond the unanimous, no‑objection recommendation.
