San Luis Obispo County Municipal Code Ch. 30.01 Filing of Campaign Statements and Reports

(a) Findings. The board makes the following findings in support of requiring that political committee and candidates that meet certain financial thresholds file their campaign statements electronically:

(1) Public access to campaign disclosure information is a vital and integral component of a fully informed electorate. Transparency in campaign financing is critical in order to maintain public trust and support of the political process.

(2) An electronic filing system reduces paper waste and time spent processing and storing paper filings, so that efforts can be focused on helping filers comply with filing requirements.

(3) An electronic filing system shall operate securely and effectively, utilizing multiple safeguards to protect the integrity and security of the data.

(4) An electronic filing system streamlines the filing process for filers, by storing information previously entered, calculating numbers, and helping catch errors before filings are submitted.

(5) An electronic filing system makes the filing process more efficient for county staff by automatically redacting address information for donors and uploading the filings to the internet for virtually real time access to the public.

(6) Once the statements are placed online, they are easily accessible for public viewing and allow the public to search reports by field, including, but not limited to, elections, candidate, date, contributor, and expenditure.

(b) Purpose. State law requires any elected officer, candidate, committee, or other person supporting or opposing ballot measures and certain other types of committees to file campaign finance statements with the Registrar of Voters detailing sources of contributions and purposes of expenditures. The intent of these laws is to assist voters in making informed electoral decisions and to assist in ensuring compliance with campaign contribution laws.

(c) Authority. This ordinance is adopted pursuant to Government Code Section 84615, which authorizes local jurisdictions to require the filing of campaign statements and reports solely in an electronic form, with specified exemptions.

(Ord. No. 3261, 6-3-14)

(a) Whenever any candidate or committee is required to file campaign disclosure statements by the California Political Reform Act with the Registrar of Voters, they shall be filed electronically. Such statements shall include but not be limited to the following: pre-election campaign statements, an amended campaign statement, a supplemental pre-election campaign statement, a report disclosing a contribution received by or made to a candidate, local ballot measure, or an independent expenditure made for or against a candidate or local ballot measure as defined by Government Code Section 84615, and any further amendments to it, during an election cycle. The candidate or committee shall file the statement using the electronic filing system available on the registrar of voters website. The street or address or building number of the persons, entity representatives, or any contributor, or any bank account number, shall not be displayed online.

(b) Elected officials who do not maintain a committee have the option of filing their semi-annual campaign statement electronically.

(c) Statements or reports that are filed electronically with the registrar of voters pursuant to this section need not also be filed in a paper format.

(d) The electronic reports shall be made available on the Internet.

(Ord. No. 3261, 6-3-14; Ord. No. 3320, § 1, 4-19-16)

(a) In any instance in which the original statement, report, or other document is required to be filed with the secretary of state and a copy of that statement, report, or other document is required to be filed with the local government agency, the filer is exempt from filing the statement electronically as provided by Government Code section 84615. However, the filer has the option of filing an electronic copy with the registrar of voters.

(b) This requirement does not apply to any candidate who receives contributions or makes expenditures in a calendar year totaling less than the amount defined by Government Code Section 84615, and any further amendments to it.

(c) Elected officers whose salaries exceed the amount defined by Government Code 84200, and any further amendments to it, who do not have a controlled committee shall be allowed to file in a paper format.

(d) Any elected officer, candidate, committee, or other person supporting or opposing ballot measures and certain other types of committees to file campaign finance statements with the registrar of voters, who are unable to file electronically, shall provide a written explanation for not filing electronically and file their campaign finance statement in a paper format.

(Ord. No. 3261, 6-3-14; Ord. No. 3320, § 2, 4-19-16)

If any section, subsection, clause, phrase or portion of this ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by the decision of a court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity or constitutionality of the remaining portions of this ordinance. The board of supervisors hereby declares that it would have passed this ordinance and each section, subsection, clause, phrase or portion thereof irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases or portions be declared invalid or unconstitutional.

(Ord. No. 3261, 6-3-14)

This ordinance shall become effective thirty days after its adoption.

(Ord. No. 3261, 6-3-14)