Sacramento Municipal Code Art. I General Findings

This chapter may be cited as the "Campaign Spending Limits Code" of the city of Sacramento. (Ord. 2003-046 § 1)

The city council of the city of Sacramento finds and declares as follows:

A. The policy of this city is to protect the integrity of the electoral process.

B. Monetary contributions to political campaigns are a legitimate form of participation in the political process, but the financial strength of certain individuals or organizations should not permit them to exercise a disproportionate or controlling influence on the election of candidates for municipal office. The increasing amounts of expenditures in political campaigns have forced many candidates for elective office to raise larger and larger sums from individuals or interest groups with a specific financial stake in city matters. This can cause the public perception that the votes of city council members and decisions of elected officials are being improperly influenced by monetary contributions. Such a perception can undermine the credibility of the city council and the governmental process.

C. The best interests of the citizens of the city of Sacramento are served by reducing the direct and indirect costs of campaigns.

D. The city finds that limitations on contributions of money, services and materials by individuals or groups to municipal election campaigns should be imposed by law to protect the public health, safety and welfare. These limitations, however, should be reasonable so as not to discourage personal expression or participation in the political process.

E. Campaign spending for municipal office campaigns is escalating to dangerous and unreasonable levels.

F. The constant pressure to raise contributions during both election years and off-election years is distracting elected municipal officials from addressing the needs of the community.

G. Some elected municipal officials are responding to high campaign costs by raising large amounts of money in off-election years to either pay off campaign debts previously incurred or to accumulate campaign funds for future use. This fundraising distracts elected officials from important public matters, encourages contributions which may have a corrupting influence or, at the very least, the appearance of improper influence, and gives incumbent elected officials an unfair fundraising advantage over potential challengers.

H. The integrity of the legislative process and public confidence in elected municipal officials are all diminishing.

I. The public has the right to ensure the fullest and most thorough discussion and debate of public issues during an election campaign by expending public funds to secure the widest possible dissemination of information from diverse and opposing sources to assure an unfettered interchange of ideas.

J. The city finds that voluntary campaign expenditure limitations, coupled with the provision of public funds for campaign purposes, are necessary to further these public interests at a reasonable cost to the city, and that such a program should therefore be established. (Ord. 2003-046 § 1)

The city council of the city of Sacramento enacts this ordinance to accomplish the following purposes:

A. To encourage public trust in the electoral and decision-making processes of the city, and to ensure that individuals and interest groups have a fair and equal opportunity to participate in the elective and legislative process;

B. To reduce the potential for influence by large contributors with a specific financial stake in matters before the city, thus countering the perception that decisions of municipal officials are influenced more by the size of contributions than by the merits of proposals and what is in the best interest of the people of the city;

C. To assist candidates for municipal elective office in raising enough money to communicate their views and positions adequately to the public without excessive expenditures or large contributions, thereby promoting public discussion of the important issues involved in political campaigns;

D. To limit overall expenditures and campaigns for municipal elective offices, thereby reducing the pressure on candidates to raise large campaign war chests beyond the amount necessary to communicate reasonably with voters;

E. To provide a neutral source of campaign financing by providing a limited amount of public funds to defray a portion of the costs of campaigns for municipal elective office;

F. To encourage smaller contributions;

G. To allow municipal officials and elected candidates to spend a smaller portion of their time on fundraising and a greater proportion of their time discussing important city issues;

H. To help restore public trust in the city's legislative and electoral institutions; and

I. To limit the use of loans and credit in the financing of political campaigns for municipal elective office. (Ord. 2003-046 § 1)