San Francisco County Municipal Code Art. V Election Material Mailed to the Voters

Sec. 500. Voter Information Pamphlet; Contents; Format. Sec. 501. Format of Proposed Measures. Sec. 502. Mailing the Voter Information Pamphlet. Sec. 505. Title and Letter Designation of Measures. Sec. 510. City Attorney Statement or Question. Sec. 515. Digest of Measures; Format; Readability Level. Sec. 520. Controller's Financial Analysis. Sec. 521. Controller's Statement on Set-Asides. Sec. 525. Ballot Arguments; Notice of Submission and Review of Ballot Arguments. Sec. 530. Ballot Arguments; Procedures. Sec. 535. Ballot Arguments; Deadlines for Submission, Correction, and Withdrawal. Sec. 540. Proponent and Opponent Arguments. Sec. 545. Proponent's and Opponent's Arguments; Selection if More Than One Submitted. Sec. 550. Proponent and Opponent Arguments; Rebuttals; Assignment of Arguments. Sec. 555. Proponent and Opponent Arguments; Submission as Paid Arguments. Sec. 560. Paid Arguments; Fees; Disclosure of True Source of Funds. Sec. 565. Paid Arguments; Signatures in Lieu of Fee. Sec. 570. Signatures Submitted in Lieu of Ballot Argument Fee; Procedures. Sec. 575. Arguments; Length; Signature. Sec. 580. Arguments; Review By Director of Elections. Sec. 585. Publication of Arguments In Voter Information Pamphlet; Publication of True Source of Funds. Sec. 590. Voter Information Pamphlet; Public Examination. Sec. 595. Voter Information Pamphlet To Contain Information on English Language Classes.

SEC. 500. VOTER INFORMATION PAMPHLET; CONTENTS; FORMAT. With respect to any election to be held in the City and County, the Director of Elections shall prepare a voter information pamphlet. The voter information pamphlet shall contain, in addition to any other material required by the Charter or by general law, the following materials: (a) General contents:

(1) A table of contents; (2) An index of candidates and measures; (3) A brief explanation of the purpose and use of the pamphlet; (4) A summary of voters' rights, including a description of the right provided to every elector by California Elections Code sections 9295 and 13314 to seek a writ of mandate or an injunction prior to the publication of the Voter Information Pamphlet, requiring any or all of the materials submitted for publication in the Pamphlet to be amended or deleted; (5) A brief description of the rules and procedures that govern the submission, selection and publication of ballot arguments in the pamphlet, including a statement explaining that each person entitled to submit a "Proponent's" or "Opponent's" argument is chosen pursuant to the priority list stated in Section 545 of this Code; (6) A disclaimer that neither the Director of Elections nor any other City agency, official or employee verifies the accuracy of information contained in the ballot arguments or candidate qualification statements appearing in the pamphlet, and an explanation that any person submitting a ballot argument or qualifications statement bears the sole responsibility for claims made therein; (7) Artwork, graphics and other material which the Director of Elections determines will make the pamphlet easier to understand or more useful to the voter; (8) Definitions of terms appearing in the pamphlet; and (9) A sample ballot. (b) Contents as to candidates: (1) The candidate qualification statement of each candidate for City elective office; (2) A brief statement of the term, compensation, and duties of each City elective office appearing in the pamphlet; and (3) Any notice required by the Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance or the Political Reform Act, Government Code Section 85600, informing voters whether the candidate has adopted the applicable voluntary expenditure ceiling. (c) Contents as to measures: (1) The identification of each measure by letter and title; (2) The City Attorney's statement or question for each measure; (3) The digest of each measure prepared by the Ballot Simplification Committee; (4) The Controller's financial analysis of each measure; (5) An explanation of how the measure qualified for submission to the voters; (A) If the measure was submitted to the voters by the Board of Supervisors, the explanation required by Subsection (c)(5) of this Section shall identify those Supervisors who voted for submission of the measure and those Supervisors who voted against submission of the measure, (B) If the measure was submitted to the voters by four or more members of the Board of Supervisors, the explanation required by Subsection (c)(5) of this Section shall identify those Supervisors who submitted the measure, (C) If the measure was submitted to the voters by initiative petition, the explanation required by Subsection (c)(5) of this Section shall include the number of valid signatures of registered San Francisco voters that were required to qualify the measure for the ballot, and the date on which the Director of Elections certified that the measure qualified for the ballot; (6) The opponent, proponent, rebuttal and paid arguments, if any, for or against each measure; (7) The full legal text of each Charter amendment to be voted upon at the election. For each Charter amendment, the Department of Elections shall cause to be printed immediately below the Ballot Simplification Committee digest, in no less than 10-point bold type, a statement substantially as follows: "The above statement is an impartial analysis of Measure ____. The full text of this measure appears at page (insert page number)." (8) The full legal text of each measure other than a Charter amendment to be voted upon at the election, unless the legal text of the measure as submitted to the Department of Elections exceeds 100 pages. In that event, the voter information pamphlet shall contain the first 20 pages of the legal text of the measure as submitted to the Department of Elections, provided that the Board of Supervisors may adopt a resolution, effective no later than the 94th day prior to the date of the election, requiring the Director of Elections to include the full legal text of a measure in the voter information pamphlet. (A) If the full legal text of a measure is printed in the voter information pamphlet, the Department of Elections shall cause to be printed immediately below the Ballot Simplification Committee digest, in no less than 10-point bold type, a statement substantially as follows: "The above statement is an impartial analysis of Measure ____. The full text of this measure appears at page (insert page number)." (B) If less than the full legal text of a measure is printed in the voter information pamphlet, the Department of Elections shall: (i) cause the full legal text to be posted on the Department's website, provided to the Main Library and every branch library of

the San Francisco Public Library, and mailed to any voter upon request; (ii) cause to be printed immediately below the Ballot Simplification Committee digest, in no less than 10-point bold type, a statement substantially as follows: "The above statement is an impartial analysis of Measure ____. An excerpt of the text of this measure appears at page (insert page number). The full text of this measure is available online at (insert website address) and in every public library. If you desire a copy of the full text of the measure to be mailed to you, please contact the Department of Elections at (insert telephone number and email address) and a copy will be mailed at no cost to you."; and (iii) cause to be printed immediately below the excerpt of legal text in the voter information pamphlet, in no less than 10-point bold type, a statement substantially as follows: "The text above contains the first 20 pages of Measure ____ but does not include the remaining pages of the measure. The pages that have been excluded may include important information that could be useful to voters, and the Department of Elections encourages voters to review those pages as well. The full text of this measure is available online at (insert website address) and in every public library. If you desire a copy of the full text of the measure to be mailed to you, please contact the Department of Elections at (insert telephone number and email address) and a copy will be mailed at no cost to you." (9) The following statement for each measure that would approve a development project or substantial land use or zoning changes on land transferred in trust to the City, acting by and through the Port Commission, under the Burton Act, Chapter 1333 of the Statutes of 1968, as it has been amended and may be amended in the future: “Measure ______ involves the San Francisco waterfront, which includes sovereign lands that the State of California has legislatively granted to the City. These waterfront lands and their resources are protected by the common law public trust doctrine and the City holds them in trust on behalf of all the People of California.” Measures, and the material specified in this Section relating to said measures, shall be printed in the voter information pamphlet in the same order in which designated upon the ballot. If space allows, the items specified in subsections (c)(1) to (c)(5) shall be printed together on the same page of the voter information pamphlet. This page shall be known as the “ballot measure title page.” The ballot measure title page shall also indicate: the page number at which the arguments for or against the measure are printed; and, if applicable the page number at which the definitions of terms appearing on ballot measure title page are printed. The item specified in subsection (c)(9) shall be printed immediately preceding the legal text for the measure. The format of the voter information pamphlet shall be determined by the Director of Elections, subject to the approval of the Ballot Simplification Committee. (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97; amended by Ord. 44-03, File No. 021996, App. 4/3/2003; Ord. 183-03, File No. 030652, App. 7/25/2003; Ord. 291-06, File No. 061375, App. 11/29/2006; Ord. 179-11, File No. 101574, App. 9/21/2011; Eff. 10/21/2011; Ord. 50-13 , File No. 120899, App. 3/28/2013, Eff. 4/27/2013; Ord. 158-13 , File No. 130413, App. 7/26/2013, Eff. 8/25/2013; Ord. 120-18, File No. 180215, App. 5/17/2018, Eff. 6/17/2018) SEC. 501. FORMAT OF PROPOSED MEASURES. Whenever the text of any proposed measure, including a Charter amendment, is printed in the voter information pamphlet pursuant to Section 500(c)(6), the Director of Elections shall distinguish additions to or deletions from existing legislation in the printed text of the measure by underlining, bold type, strike-outs or other appropriate means. An explanation of the method used to distinguish the proposed changes shall immediately precede the text of the measure. Any proposal for amendment of the Charter which is ordered submitted to the electors by the Board of Supervisors shall also be published in the official newspaper. (Added by Ord. 134-99, File No. 990585, App. 5/28/99) SEC. 502. MAILING THE VOTER INFORMATION PAMPHLET. The Director of Elections shall cause the voter information pamphlet, sample ballot, notice of polling place, and associated materials (collectively "ballot materials") to be mailed to each registered San Francisco voter at least 29 days prior to each election, unless the voter has opted to receive ballot materials by electronic means instead of by paper mail. The Director of Elections shall establish a process to enable a voter to opt out of receiving his or her ballot materials by paper mail, and instead receive them electronically via e- mail or by accessing them on the City and County of San Francisco website or the Department of Elections website. This opt out process shall meet the following requirements: (a) The procedures shall establish a method of providing voters with notice that they may request to receive ballot materials electronically in lieu of receiving them by paper mail. (b) The voter e-mail address or any other information the voter provides under this section shall remain confidential pursuant to Section 6254.4 of the California Government Code and Section 2194 of the California Elections Code. The Department of Election's opt out procedures shall provide visible notice to voters about these confidentiality provisions and circumstances when voter information may be disclosed.

(c) The procedures shall provide notice and opportunity for a voter who has opted out of receiving ballot materials by paper mail to opt back into receiving them by paper mail. (d) The procedures shall allow a voter to apply electronically to become a vote by mail voter. (e) The procedures shall provide a deadline at least 29 days prior to the election by which a voter may opt out of, or opt back into, receiving his or her sample ballot and other ballot materials by paper mail. If a voter misses this deadline, the request shall take effect the following election. (f) The procedures shall include a verification process to confirm the voter's identity, which may be accomplished either by verification of a signature submitted by the voter or by review of other identifying information to be determined by the Director of Elections. (Added by Ord. 179-11, File No. 101574, App. 9/21/2011; Eff. 10/21/2011) SEC. 505. TITLE AND LETTER DESIGNATION OF MEASURES. The Director of Elections shall determine the title and letter designation of each measure. The Director of Elections shall assign letter designations according to the procedures set forth in this Section. First, bond measures shall be assigned letter designations. The bond measure involving the largest amount of money shall be assigned the letter designation "A." The bond measure involving the second largest amount of money shall be assigned the letter designation "B." This process shall continue until each bond measure is assigned a letter designation with successive letters of the alphabet. Second, Charter amendments shall be assigned letter designations. The order of designation of Charter amendments shall be determined by random lottery. The first, randomly selected Charter amendment shall be assigned the next available letter of the alphabet. This process shall be repeated until each Charter amendment is assigned a letter designation with successive letters of the alphabet. If there are two or more Charter amendments that concern the same subject matter, the order of designation of Charter amendments shall be determined by random lottery with a limited exception. Once the first of the related Charter amendments is randomly selected and assigned a letter designation, the related Charter amendment(s) shall be removed from the lottery and assigned the next successive letter(s) of the alphabet. The random lottery shall then resume until each Charter amendment is assigned a letter designation with successive letters of the alphabet. Third, ordinances shall be assigned letter designations. The order of designation of ordinances shall be determined by random lottery. The first, randomly selected ordinance shall be assigned the next available letter of the alphabet. This process shall be repeated until each ordinance is assigned a letter designation with successive letters of the alphabet. If there are two or more ordinances that concern the same subject matter, the order of designation of ordinances shall be determined by random lottery with a limited exception. Once the first of the related ordinances is randomly selected and assigned a letter designation, the related ordinance(s) shall be removed from the lottery and assigned the next successive letter(s) of the alphabet. The random lottery shall then resume until each ordinance is assigned a letter designation with successive letters of the alphabet. Fourth, declarations of policy shall be assigned letter designations. The order of designation of declarations of policy shall be determined by random lottery. The first, randomly selected declaration of policy shall be assigned the next available letter of the alphabet. This process shall be repeated until each declaration of policy is assigned a letter designation with successive letters of the alphabet. If there are two or more declarations of policy that concern the same subject matter, the order of designation of declarations of policy shall be determined by random lottery with a limited exception. Once the first of the related declarations of policy is randomly selected and assigned a letter designation, the related declaration(s) of policy shall be removed from the lottery and assigned the next successive letter(s) of the alphabet. The random lottery shall then resume until each declaration of policy is assigned a letter designation with successive letters of the alphabet. (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97) SEC. 510. CITY ATTORNEY STATEMENT OR QUESTION. (a) Format. Except as provided in subsection (c) of this Section 510, the City Attorney shall prepare a general statement of any ballot measure to be submitted to the voters, followed by the words “yes” and “no,” so arranged that voters may indicate a choice upon the ballot. The general statement or question shall not exceed 30 words, except where the subject measure is unusually complex, in which case the general statement or question shall not exceed 100 words. (b) Deadline. The general question or statement for any measure shall be transmitted to the Director of Elections no fewer than 85 days prior to the election to which it relates, for printing and inclusion in the voter information pamphlet.

(c) Bond Measures. The City Attorney shall not prepare the general statement of a bond measure where the Board of Supervisors approves a general statement of the measure by ordinance or resolution. The general statement of a bond measure shall not exceed 100 words. (d) List of Supporters and Opponents of Measure. (1) Except as provided by subsection (d)(2), the names of supporters and opponents of each local ballot measure to be submitted to the voters shall be listed in the general statement or question in accordance with Section 9170(a) of the California Elections Code. (2) For any election in which the Director of Elections determines that compliance with subsection (d)(1) will cause the ballot to consist of more than six ballot cards, the City elects to not include a list of supporters and opponents in the general statement or question for local ballot measures submitted to the voters for that election, as authorized by Section 9170(d) of the California Elections Code. The Director of Elections shall provide written notice to the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor and shall post such notice on the Department of Elections website for elections when applying this subsection (d) to authorize the City to opt out of the requirements of Section 9170(a) of the California Elections Code. (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97; amended by Ord. 183-03, File No. 030652, App. 7/25/2003; Ord. 178-23, File No. 230663, App. 7/28/2023, Eff. 8/28/2023; Ord. 163- 24, File No. 240434, App. 7/3/2024, Eff. 8/3/2024) SEC. 515. DIGEST OF MEASURES; FORMAT; READABILITY LEVEL. (a) The Ballot Simplification Committee shall prepare a digest of each measure submitted to the voters. Each digest shall include four subsections. These four subsections shall be entitled and shall appear in the following sequence in the voter information pamphlet: The Way It is Now, The Proposal, A "Yes" Vote Means, A "No" Vote Means. (b) No digest shall exceed 300 words, exclusive of the title for each subsection provided for in Subsection (a) of this Section, unless the Ballot Simplification Committee determines that a longer digest is required because of the complexity or scope of the proposed measure. (c) In preparing the digest of any measure, the Ballot Simplification Committee shall achieve the closest proximity to the eighth grade level of readability as possible. The Committee may utilize any nationally accepted standard for estimating readability. (d) The digest for any measure shall be transmitted to the Director of Elections no fewer than 85 days prior to the election to which it relates, for printing and inclusion in the voter information pamphlet. (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97) SEC. 520. CONTROLLER'S FINANCIAL ANALYSIS. (a) The Controller shall prepare an impartial financial analysis of each measure submitted to the voters. The Controller's financial analysis shall include the amount of any increase or decrease in the cost of City and County government. The Controller's financial analysis shall also include the effect of the measure upon the tax rate. For any general obligation bond measure placed on the ballot, the Controller’s financial analysis shall include an explanation of the City’s legal debt limit, as well as the impact of the proposed bond measure on that limit. The Controller’s financial analysis for a general obligation bond measure placed on the ballot, including general obligation bond measures submitted by the San Francisco Unified School District or San Francisco Community College District, also shall include an explanation of the passthrough of the change in a landlord’s property tax resulting from the repayment of such indebtedness provided in Administrative Code Section 37.3(a)(6), and an explanation of the impact of that passthrough as it relates to the proposed bond measure. (b) The Controller's financial analysis shall be in a form appropriate for inclusion in the voter information pamphlet. (c) The Controller's financial analysis of any measure shall be transmitted to the Director of Elections no fewer than 85 days prior to the election to which it relates, for printing and inclusion in the voter information pamphlet. (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97; amended by Ord. 202-00, File No. 001156, App. 8/18/2000; Ord. 252-06, File No. 061183, App. 10/11/2006; Ord. 92-24, File No. 240174, App. 5/10/2024, Eff. 6/10/2024, Oper. 7/1/2024) SEC. 521. CONTROLLER'S STATEMENT ON SET-ASIDES. (a) Purpose. The ordinance is adopted to promote the policy contained in Administrative Code Section 3.26. (b) Controller's Statement. Whenever a proposed appears on the ballot that includes a Set-Aside as that term is defined in

Administrative Code Section 3.26, the Controller shall prepare and the Director of Elections shall caused to be printed in the voter information pamphlet a statement analyzing the impact of the measure on the City's budget and finances during the term of the measure, considered alone and in combination with existing Set-Asides. The Controller's statement shall inform the voters of both the policy that this section of the Charter adopts and whether the proposal identifies a specific adequate new funding source for the proposed Set-Aside so that the implementation of the Set-Aside will not cause any anticipated reduction in discretionary funding that the Mayor and Board of Supervisors may allocate in the budgetary process. The Controller may include any other material in the statement that he or she deems useful and appropriate. (Added by Proposition S, 11/4/2008) SEC. 525. BALLOT ARGUMENTS; NOTICE OF SUBMISSION AND REVIEW OF BALLOT ARGUMENTS. (a) The Director of Elections shall, between the ninetieth day and the eighty-first day prior to any election, publish, on three separate occasions, a notice in the official newspaper that arguments may be submitted for or against any measure to be voted upon at said election. Said notice need not include a description of said measures. (b) The Director of Elections shall also distribute a news release relating to the submission of arguments to such other newspapers and radio and television stations as he or she deems will best inform persons of their right to submit such arguments, and to examine such arguments for a 10-day period as provided by California Elections Code Section 9295 and Section 590 of this Article. (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97; amended by Ord. 291-06, File No. 061375, App. 11/29/2006) SEC. 530. BALLOT ARGUMENTS; PROCEDURES. (a) Rules for Submission. These procedures shall govern the submission and publication of ballot arguments for or against any measure submitted to the voters. (b) Authorship. Subject to the provisions of Section 535, the Board of Supervisors, or any member or members of the Board of Supervisors authorized by that body; the Mayor; any proponent of an initiative measure or a referendum; any individual voter who is eligible to vote on the measure, or group of such voters; or association or organization; or any combination thereof, may submit a written argument for or against any measure for publication in the voter information pamphlet. When the Board of Supervisors authorizes a member or members of that body to submit and sign a written proponent's or opponent's argument for or against any measure for publication in the voter information pamphlet, or assigns that right to another person pursuant to Section 550 of this Code, the Board shall provide such authorization by motion and need not take any further action, including voting on or otherwise approving the actual text of the argument before it is submitted for publication. (c) Form. To ensure that all ballot arguments are filed in a uniform format, the arguments shall be submitted in a manner specified by the Director of Elections. (d) Authorization Signatures Required. A ballot argument shall not be accepted unless accompanied by the signature or signatures of the person or persons submitting it, or, if submitted on behalf of an association or organization, the name of the association or organization and the signature of at least one of its principal officers who is a registered San Francisco voter. The association or organization submitting the argument must clearly indicate whether it wishes the name of the officer submitting the argument to be printed as part of the argument. The names of additional associations, organizations, or individuals who are registered San Francisco voters may be submitted as co-authors of the argument. The names and titles of all co-authors, and the name and title of any other person to be included in the text of the argument as printed in the voter information pamphlet, shall be counted against the 300-word limit specified in Section 575 of this Article. Such names and titles shall be subject to the per-word fee specified in Section 830 of this Code. (e) Consent Required. A ballot argument which includes in its text the name of a individual or entity, other than a co-author of the argument, which is represented as being for or against a measure, or which is represented as supporting, opposing, or endorsing the views expressed in the argument, shall not be accepted unless the argument is accompanied by a statement of consent signed by such individual or entity. The consent of an entity shall be signed by an officer or other duly authorized representative. (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97; amended by Ord. 44-03, File No. 021996, App. 4/3/2003; Ord. 183-03, File No. 030652, App. 7/25/2003; Ord. 291-06, File No. 061375, App. 11/29/2006; Ord. 102-14 , File No. 140341, App. 7/2/2014, Eff. 8/1/2014) SEC. 535. BALLOT ARGUMENTS; DEADLINES FOR SUBMISSION, CORRECTION, AND WITHDRAWAL.

(a) Definitions. For purposes of Section 535 and 545, the following definitions shall apply: "Author" means the Person whose name appears in italics after the text of a ballot argument in the voter information pamphlet, to signify that the ballot argument is attributed to that Person. There may be more than one Author for a single ballot argument. "Committee" has the same meaning as set forth in the California Political Reform Act, California Government Code section 82013. "Non-supporter" means any Person who, with respect to a measure: (1) is a treasurer, officer, or member of a committee that has made or plans to make expenditures in opposition to a measure; (2) has received or has been promised any compensation or thing of value from such a committee to perform consulting services for that committee; or (3) has authorized his or her name or likeness to appear on campaign literature or in advertising that advocates for the defeat of a measure. "Person" means any registered San Francisco voter, group of registered San Francisco voters, association or organization, or combination thereof. An association or organization must have at least one principal officer who is a registered San Francisco voter. "Supporter" means any Person who, with respect to a measure: (1) is a treasurer, officer, or member of a Committee that has made or plans to make expenditures in support of the measure; (2) has received or has been promised any compensation or thing of value from such a Committee to perform consulting services for that Committee; (3) has authorized his or her name or likeness to appear on campaign literature or in advertising that advocates for the adoption of the measure; or (4) who, with respect to an initiative or referendum petition, is the official proponent of the initiative or referendum petition. (b) Proponent's and Opponent's Arguments. (1) Ballot arguments submitted for selection as the proponent's argument for or opponent's argument against a measure as provided in Section 545 must be submitted to the Director of Elections no later than noon of the eighty-second day prior to the election at which the measure is to be voted upon. (2) Each Author of a ballot argument submitted for selection as the proponent's argument shall attest under penalty of perjury on a form provided by the Director of Elections that the Author is not a Non-supporter of the measure to which the ballot argument pertains. Each Author of a ballot argument submitted for selection as the opponent's argument shall attest under penalty of perjury on a form provided by the Director of Elections that the Author is not a Supporter of the measure to which the ballot argument pertains. (3) No Person may submit more than one ballot argument per measure for selection as either the opponent's argument or proponent's argument. (c) Rebuttal Arguments. Rebuttal arguments as provided for in Section 550 must be submitted to the Director of Elections no later than noon of the seventy-eighth day prior to the election at which the measure is to be voted upon. (d) Paid Arguments. Ballot arguments submitted for publication as paid arguments for or against a measure as provided for in Section 560 must be submitted to the Director of Elections no later than noon of the seventy-eighth day prior to the election at which the measure is to be voted upon. (e) Modification or Withdrawal of Submitted Arguments. Arguments may be changed or withdrawn by the Persons submitting them at any time up to and including the last day for submission. No Person may change an argument, except as provided in Subsection (f), and no Person may withdraw an argument, after the deadline for submission of the argument. (f) Correction of Submitted Arguments. Grammatical, spelling and factual errors contained in a proponent's or opponent's argument may be corrected by any Author of the argument at any time up until noon of the eighty-first day prior to the election. Grammatical, spelling and factual errors contained in a rebuttal argument may be corrected by any Author of the argument at any time up until noon of the seventy-seventh day prior to the election. Grammatical, spelling and factual errors contained in a paid argument may be corrected by any Author of the argument at any time up until noon of the seventy-seventh day prior to the election. For purposes of this Subsection (f), the determination of what constitutes a grammatical, spelling or factual error shall be made by the Director of Elections. No Person may correct grammatical spelling or factual errors contained in an argument after the deadline specified in this Subsection. (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97; amended by Ord. 183-03, File No. 030652, App. 7/25/2003; Ord. 223-04, File No. 040980, App. 8/25/2004; Ord. 291-06, File No. 061375, App. 11/29/2006; Ord. 102-14 , File No. 140341, App. 7/2/2014, Eff. 8/1/2014) SEC. 540. PROPONENT AND OPPONENT ARGUMENTS. The Director of Elections shall cause one argument for and one argument against the measure to be selected as the "proponent's" and "opponent's" argument, respectively, and printed free of charge in the voter information pamphlet in a location following the ballot statement or question, the digest prepared by the Ballot Simplification Committee, and the Controller's statement for that measure.

(Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97) SEC. 545. PROPONENT'S AND OPPONENT'S ARGUMENTS; SELECTION IF MORE THAN ONE SUBMITTED. (a) If more than one argument is submitted for selection as the proponent's argument for or opponent's argument against any measure, the Director of Elections shall no later than 2:00 p.m. on the eighty-second day prior to the election select the argument to be published according to the order of priority shown herein. (1) Arguments supporting a measure: (A) The proponent of an initiative petition; or the Mayor, the Board of Supervisors or four members of the Board of Supervisors if the measure is submitted by the same; (B) The Board of Supervisors, or any member or members designated by motion of the Board; (C) The Mayor; (D) Any individual registered San Francisco voter, group of registered San Francisco voters, association or organization, or combination thereof. (2) Arguments opposing a measure: (A) In the case of a referendum, the person who files a referendum petition with the Board of Supervisors; (B) The Board of Supervisors, or any member or members designated by motion of the Board; (C) The Mayor; (D) Any individual registered San Francisco voter, group of registered San Francisco voters, association or organization, or combination thereof. (b) If more than one argument is submitted for or against a measure at any given level of priority as specified in subsection (a) and no argument entitled to higher priority is submitted, the Director of Elections shall select the proponent’s or opponent’s argument by lot from among all arguments at the highest level of priority. A Person’s name shall not be listed as an Author on more than one ballot argument per measure that is submitted for selection as either the opponent’s argument or proponent’s argument. (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97; amended by Ord. 291-06, File No. 061375, App. 11/29/2006; Ord. 102-14 , File No. 140341, App. 7/2/2014, Eff. 8/1/2014; Ord. 6-17, File No. 161081, App. 1/20/2017, Eff. 2/19/2017) SEC. 550. PROPONENT AND OPPONENT ARGUMENTS; REBUTTALS; ASSIGNMENT OF ARGUMENTS. (a) Exchange of Proponent and Opponent Arguments. Upon selection of the "proponent's" argument for and "opponent's" argument against a measure, the Director of Elections shall immediately send copies of both to the persons whose arguments have been selected. The authors of the direct arguments may each prepare and submit a rebuttal argument not to exceed 250 words. Rebuttal arguments shall be printed in the same manner as the direct arguments and in a location immediately following the appropriate direct arguments. If no direct argument is submitted in support of or in opposition to a measure, the Director of Elections shall not accept or publish any rebuttal argument. (b) When the Board of Supervisors authorizes a member or members of that body to submit and sign a rebuttal argument to any written proponent or opponent argument for or against any measure for publication in the voter information pamphlet, or assigns that right to another person or persons pursuant to Subsection (d), the Board shall provide such authorization by motion and need not take any further action, including voting on or otherwise approving the actual text of the rebuttal argument before it is submitted for publication. (c) Assignment of Proponent and Opponent Arguments. Persons who are entitled, pursuant to Section 545(a)(1)(A), (B) or (C) or Section 545(a)(2)(A), (B), or (C) to submit the proponent or opponent argument for a particular measure may assign the right to submit the argument to another person or persons, provided that the assignee is eligible to submit an argument pursuant to Section 530(b) of this Code. (d) Assignment of Rebuttal Arguments. The authors of a direct proponent or opponent argument may assign to another person or persons the right to submit a rebuttal argument, provided that the assignee is eligible to submit an argument pursuant to Section 530(b) of this Code. (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97; amended by Ord. 44-03, File No. 021996, App. 4/3/2003; Ord. 183-03, File No. 030652, App. 7/25/2003; Ord. 291-06, File No. 061375, App. 11/29/2006)

SEC. 555. PROPONENT AND OPPONENT ARGUMENTS; SUBMISSION AS PAID ARGUMENTS. Any individual or entity submitting an argument for selection as a "proponent's" or "opponent's" argument may separately submit the same as a paid argument, subject to the deadline and fee or signature requirements elsewhere provided in this Article. If an argument is selected as a "proponent's" or "opponent's" argument, the Director of Elections shall return any printing fee already paid to the individual or entity submitting the argument. (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97) SEC. 560. PAID ARGUMENTS; FEES; DISCLOSURE OF TRUE SOURCE OF FUNDS. (a) Upon deposit of the fee specified in Section 830 of this Code and the filing of a statement signed under penalty of perjury disclosing the true source of the funds used for payment of the fee, the Director of Elections shall accept for publication any ballot argument otherwise complying with the provisions of this Article. (b) When the true source of the funds used for payment of a publication fee qualifies as a recipient political committee pursuant to California Government Code Section 82013(a), the person submitting the ballot argument shall also disclose the names of the three contributors whose cumulative contributions are the largest contributions received by the committee during the six months immediately preceding submission of the ballot argument. (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97) SEC. 565. PAID ARGUMENTS; SIGNATURES IN LIEU OF FEE. (a) The author of any ballot argument otherwise complying with the provisions of this Article may submit a petition containing signatures in lieu of the publication fee required under Section 830. Any registered voter of the City and County may sign an in-lieu petition for an argument for or against a measure. Each signature shall reduce the amount of the publication fee by the amount specified in Section 840 of this Code. A voter may sign both an initiative or referendum petition and an in-lieu publication fee petition; the petitions, however, must be separate documents. (b) Any registered voter of the City and County may sign in-lieu of publication fee petition for more than one argument concerning the same measure. However, a registered voter may not sign an in-lieu publication fee petition for one particular argument more than once. (c) Each in-lieu petition shall include a complete and accurate copy of the text of the proposed argument and shall be submitted in a format prescribed by the Director of Elections. Each petition shall also include spaces for the voter's signature, printed name and residence address. The residence address shall include street and number within the City and County, or other adequate designation of residence so that the location may be readily ascertained. Across the top of each printed page there shall be printed in 12-point boldface type the following: "Petition in Lieu of Ballot Argument Publication Fee." (d) Each in-lieu petition shall include an affidavit signed by the circulator in substantially the same form as set forth in California Elections Code Section 9022, except that the affidavit shall declare that the circulator is a voter of the City and County and shall state the address at which the circulator is registered to vote at the time of the execution of the affidavit. (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97) SEC. 570. SIGNATURES SUBMITTED IN LIEU OF BALLOT ARGUMENT FEE; PROCEDURES. (a) Upon receipt of the minimum number of signatures required, or a sufficient combination of such signatures and pro rata publication fee, the Director of Elections shall provisionally accept the argument for inclusion in the ballot pamphlet. Within seven days

after the receipt of the petition, the Director of Elections shall notify the submitter of the petition of any deficiency in the in-lieu signatures submitted. The submitter may then, prior to the close of the period for the submission of arguments, submit additional signatures in compliance with the provisions of this Article governing in-lieu petitions, or pay a pro rata portion of the publication fee to cover the deficiency. (b) If determination of the deficiency occurs after the close of the period for submission of arguments, the submitter, within 24 hours of being notified of the deficiency, shall pay an amount sufficient to cure the deficiency or the Director of Elections shall not publish the argument. In the event the Director of Elections does not publish the argument, the Director of Elections shall reimburse the submitter for any payment previously made. (c) The submitter of an in-lieu petition may submit a greater number of signatures than required to allow for subsequent losses due to the invalidity of some signatures. The Director of Elections shall not be required to determine the validity of a greater number of signatures than that required to qualify the argument for publication. (d) The author of an argument may submit both an in-lieu petition and deposit a fee which combined exceed the number of signatures and/or amount of money required to qualify the argument for publication, up to and including submittal of the full number of signatures and payment of the full fee. The Director of Elections shall thereafter refund any remaining portion of the fee not needed to cure any deficiency in the in-lieu petition caused by invalid signatures. (e) If the number of signatures affixed to an in-lieu petition is 100 or more, the Director of Elections may use a random sampling technique for verification of the signatures. The random sampling shall include an examination of 100 signatures, or three percent of the total number of signatures submitted, whichever is greater. Upon completion of the verification of signatures in the sample, the percentage of signatures which are valid shall be applied and projected to the total number of signatures submitted. (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97) SEC. 575. ARGUMENTS; LENGTH; SIGNATURE. No argument filed in accordance with the provisions of this Article shall exceed 300 words in length and each such argument shall be subscribed by the name or names of the person or persons submitting the same, or, if submitted on behalf of an association or organization, the name of the association or organization and the name of at least one of its principal officers who is a registered San Francisco voter. In counting the number of words in any argument, the names of the individuals and entities subscribed thereto or submitted as co-authors of said argument shall be included in said word count. (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97) SEC. 580. ARGUMENTS; REVIEW BY DIRECTOR OF ELECTIONS. The Director of Elections shall, upon the receipt of any argument within the time limit specified in this Article, review the same for conformity with the provisions of Sections 530(c), 530(d), and 575 of this Article. If any argument is found not to conform with the provisions of said Sections, the Director of Elections shall forthwith return said argument to the person filing the same indicating in what respect said argument does not so conform and without prejudice to the filing of a revised argument by said person within the time limit prescribed in Section 535 of this Article. In the event the Director of Elections finds that the argument does not comply with the requirements of this Article after the time limit prescribed in Section 535, the proponent of the argument may submit a revised argument within 24 hours after receiving notice of the defect by the Director of Elections. (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97) SEC. 585. PUBLICATION OF ARGUMENTS IN VOTER INFORMATION PAMPHLET; PUBLICATION OF TRUE SOURCE OF FUNDS. In the event that an argument has been prepared and submitted in compliance with this Article, the Director of Elections shall publish the argument in the voter information pamphlet. Immediately following each paid ballot argument in the voter information pamphlet, the Director of Elections shall include a statement disclosing the name of the individual or entity that is the true source of the funds used for publication of that argument. In addition, if the true source of funds is a recipient political committee pursuant to California Government Code Section 82013(a), the Director of Elections shall publish a statement disclosing the names of the three largest contributors to that committee, as provided to the Department of Elections pursuant to Section 560 of this Code. (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97)

SEC. 586. RESERVED. (Added by Ord. 231-98, App. 7/10/98; repealed by Ord. 17-02, File No. 012129, App. 2/15/2002) SEC. 590. VOTER INFORMATION PAMPHLET; PUBLIC EXAMINATION. California Elections Code Sections 9295 and 13313 require that certain materials submitted for publication in the voter information pamphlet shall be subject to a 10-day public examination period. The public examination period for each category of material is specified below. Following the close of the public examination period for each category of material, the Department of Elections may proceed with publication of that material. (a) Candidate Materials. Candidate legal names submitted under Section 210 of this Code candidate qualification statements submitted under Section 220 of this Code, ballot designations submitted under Section 225 of this Code, and translated or transliterated Chinese names submitted under Section 401 of this Code shall be available for public examination for a period often days immediately following the filing deadline for submission of those materials. (b) Ballot Measure Materials. (1) Ballot Digests. Statements prepared by the Ballot Simplification Committee pursuant to Section 610 of this Code shall be available for public examination starting no later than noon on the eighty-fourth day prior to the election. The examination period shall end at noon on the seventy-fourth day prior to the election. (2) Controller Statements. Statements prepared by the Controller pursuant to Section 520 of this Code shall be available for public examination starting no later than noon on the eighty-fourth day prior to the election. The public examination period shall end at noon on the seventy-fourth day prior to the election. (3) City Attorney Statements or Questions. Statements or questions prepared by the City Attorney pursuant to Section 510 of this Code shall be available for public examination starting no later than noon on the eighty-fourth day prior to the election. The public examination period shall end at noon on the seventy-fourth day prior to the election. (4) Proponent and Opponent Arguments. Proponent and opponent arguments submitted pursuant to Section 535(a) of this Code shall be available for public examination starting no later than noon on the eighty-first day prior to the election. The public examination period shall end at noon on the seventy-first day prior to the election. (5) Rebuttal Arguments. Rebuttal arguments submitted pursuant to Section 535(b) of this Code shall be available for public examination starting no later than noon on the seventy-seventh day prior to the election. The public examination period shall end at noon on the sixty-seventh day prior to the election. (6) Paid Arguments. Paid arguments submitted pursuant to Section 535(c) of this Code shall be available for public examination starting no later than noon on the seventy-seventh day prior to the election. The public examination period shall end at noon on the sixty- seventh day prior to the election. (c) Other Materials. For all other materials submitted for publication in the voter information pamphlet that are subject to a 10-day public examination period pursuant to California Elections Code Sections 9295 and 13313, but for which an examination period is not specified by this Section, the examination period shall commence no later than noon on the seventy-seventh day prior to the election and shall end at noon on the sixty-seventh day prior to the election. (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97; amended by Ord. 183-03, File No. 030652, App. 7/25/2003; Ord. 223-04, File No. 040980, App. 8/25/2004; Ord. 291-06, File No. 061375, App. 11/29/2006; Ord. 50-13 , File No. 120899, App. 3/28/2013, Eff. 4/27/2013; Ord. 75-14 , File No. 140226, App. 5/28/2014, Eff. 6/27/2014) SEC. 595. VOTER INFORMATION PAMPHLET TO CONTAIN INFORMATION ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSES. (a) It is the City's policy to urge and encourage all individuals who cannot speak English to take English language courses, and thereby enhance their ability to participate in and contribute to the process of deliberation vital to the democratic process. (b) The Director of Elections is directed, in those instances in which a separate ballot pamphlet or pamphlets in a foreign language are distributed, to place in such pamphlets, in the corresponding language, information as to the time, place, nature and telephone numbers of free English language classes in public and private schools and agencies in the City. (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97; amended by Ord. 183-03, File No. 030652, App. 7/25/2003) ARTICLE VI:

[RESERVED.] Editor's Note: Former Art. VI, “Ballot Simplification Committee,” comprising Secs. 600 through 602, was amended and redesignated as Administrative Code Ch. 5, Art. XXIV by Ord. 99-26, effective June 29, 2026. SEC. 600. [REDESIGNATED.] (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97; amended and redesignated as Administrative Code Sec. 5.24-1 by Ord. 99-26, File No. 260217, App. 5/29/2026, Eff. 6/29/2026) SEC. 610. [REDESIGNATED.] (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97; Ord. 291-06, File No. 061375, App. 11/29/2006; amended and redesignated as Administrative Code Sec. 5.24-2 by Ord. 99-26, File No. 260217, App. 5/29/2026, Eff. 6/29/2026) SEC. 620. [REDESIGNATED.] (Added by Ord. 429-97, App. 11/17/97; amended and redesignated as Administrative Code Sec. 5.24-3 by Ord. 99-26, File No. 260217, App. 5/29/2026, Eff. 6/29/2026)