By Luke Thomas
March 1, 2011
A new study by San Franciscans for Clean Government exposes the influence of campaign contributions from non-San Francisco resident sources.
The analysis examined campaign finance disclosures filed with the San Francisco Ethics Commission between January 1, 2009 and January 31, 2011 by candidates for San Francisco Mayor and the Board of Supervisors.
“When candidates raise money from outside their districts they have to divert their precious time and attention away from the needs of the constituents they are running to represent,” said attorney Jon Golinger, spokesman for San Franciscans for Clean Government. “These big donations inevitably raise the question: What are these outside donors expecting for their money?”
In this year’s race for mayor, Businesswoman Joanna Rees tops the list in outside contributions. According to the analysis, 64 percent of Rees’ contributions have been sourced to non-San Francisco residents, followed by Assessor-Record Phil Ting with 53 percent of contributions raised from non-San Francisco donors.
In last year’s races for District supervisor, District 4 Supervisor Carmen Chu tops the list with a whopping 92 percent of contributions from outside sources, followed by District 10 Supervisor Malia Cohen (86 percent) and District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim (82 percent).
“Voters should encourage candidates to spend most of their time, attention, and campaign efforts reaching out to their constituents, rather than to interests and individuals from outside their districts,” concluded Golinger. “San Francisco’s campaign laws should be revamped to incentivize candidates to raise most of their money from the people they are running to represent rather than from outside donors.”
Luke Thomas
Luke Thomas is a former software developer and computer consultant who proudly hails from London, England. In 2001, Thomas took a yearlong sabbatical to travel and develop a photographic portfolio. Upon his return to the US, Thomas studied photojournalism to pursue a career in journalism. In 2004, Thomas worked for several neighborhood newspapers in San Francisco before accepting a partnership agreement with the SanFranciscoSentinel.com, a news website formerly covering local, state and national politics. In September 2006, Thomas launched FogCityJournal.com. The BBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, New York Times, Der Spiegel, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Magazine, 7x7, San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Bay Guardian and the San Francisco Weekly, among other publications and news outlets, have published his work. Thomas is a member of the Freelance Unit of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, TNG-CWA Local 39521 and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
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March 3, 2011 at 1:29 am
I no longer live in San Francisco but I do have an interest in the well being of the city where my family home is in and have lots of relatives still living there. Therefore what is wrong with contributions to those whose views I believe in. There is no benefit to me besides what I have mention. Reread Greco comments he said it all.
March 2, 2011 at 6:36 pm
Even though I am living outside of San Francisco now I still contribute monies to candidates, it isn’t for anything that I can benefit from but to support candidates that carry a view that I support. As el Greco has summed up.
March 2, 2011 at 8:13 am
Interesting statistics and you raise some issues worth discussing. But are there any concrete, specific examples you can cite of an out-of-town donor receiving some type of benefit in return for a campaign contribution? Most every campaign, left, right, and center, takes in money from sources far from home–there’s a reason money is called the “mother’s milk of politics”. California Prop 8 supporters and opponents received lots of money from out-of-state contributors. Other than totally publicly financed campaigns (not a good idea), you can’t tell folks where they can put their money. There’s that pesky First Amendment thing again.