Windsor Municipal Code Ch. 7 Campaign Disclosure Requirements

Under the authority granted to the Town Council by Government Code Section 81013, which permits the imposition of additional local requirements to the Political Reform Act of 1974, the Council finds that it is in the public's interest to amplify the campaign contribution and expenditure reporting requirements in municipal elections.

(Ord. No. 98-106 § 1 (part))

For the purpose of this chapter, all of the definitions codified in the Political Reform Act, beginning at Government Code Section 82000 shall apply, except that "municipal election" means any general election, special initiative, referendum or recall election that only affects the Town.

(Ord. No. 98-106 § 1 (part))

a. All elected officers, candidates and committees, including independent committees, shall file, as a public record with the Town Clerk, all semiannual statements, preelection statements, supplemental preelection statements, late contribution reports, independent expenditure reports and late independent expenditure reports with respect to a municipal election as required by the Political Reform Act of 1974, as amended. The statement or report may be completed on campaign statement forms that are required to be filed by State law, so long as such forms are completed in sufficient detail to comply with the requirements of this chapter.

b. All such statements or reports filed by independent committees shall, in addition to all other requirements, identify each candidate or measure for or against which each reported expenditure was made. Statements filed by independent committees shall be required to report only those expenditures in connection with communications that expressly advocate the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate or ballot measure included in the municipal election.

(Ord. No. 98-106 § 1 (part))

Each campaign statement shall show the total cumulative amount of contributions received during the period covered by the statement from persons who have given fifty ($50.00) dollars or less. The statement shall also include the total cumulative amount of contributions received during the period covered by the statement from persons who have given a total of more than fifty ($50.00) dollars. Each person who has contributed more than fifty ($50.00) dollars shall be listed by name, address, occupation, employer and amount contributed. The statement shall also include an appendix that lists the gross receipts, the date and location of every fundraising event.

(Ord. No. 98-106 § 1 (part))

Each campaign statement shall show the total amount of expenditures made during the period covered by the statement to persons who have received fifty ($50.00) dollars or less. Each person who has received a total of more than fifty ($50.00) dollars shall be listed by name and address, together with a brief description of the purpose of the expenditures. Any expenditure made on behalf of another person, whether as agent or intermediary or otherwise, shall be reported as such, including the true name of the individual on whose behalf the expenditure was made.

(Ord. No. 98-106 § 1 (part))

A candidate or committee need not file a campaign statement if neither the cumulative receipts nor the cumulative expenditures exceed two hundred fifty ($250.00) dollars.

(Ord. No. 98-106 § 1 (part))

The threshold for filing both late contribution reports and late expenditure reports shall be two hundred fifty ($250.00) dollars.

(Ord. No. 98-106 § 1 (part))

Nothing in this section shall impose on any candidate or committee participating in elections outside of the Town's jurisdiction any filing requirements that are additional to or different from those set forth in Chapter 4 of the Political Reform Act of 1974, so long as Government Code Section 81009.5(b) prohibits the imposition of such different or additional requirements on such committees.

(Ord. No. 98-106 § 1 (part))

To ensure full compliance with this chapter, each filer, upon the filing of a campaign statement or report required under this chapter, shall execute a declaration under penalty of perjury on a form provided by the Town Clerk stating that such candidate or committee did not omit any contribution, expenditure or any other item that must be included in the statement under this chapter. Such statement shall also accompany any late contribution report or late expenditure report.

(Ord. No. 98-106 § 1 (part))

If any person files a campaign statement after any deadline imposed by this chapter, he or she shall be liable to the Town Clerk in amounts as set forth by State guidelines until the statement is filed. The Town Clerk shall deposit any funds received under this section into the general fund of the City to defray the cost of municipal elections.

(Ord. No. 98-106 § 1 (part))

a. Any elected officer, candidate, committee, or other person required to file statements, reports, or other documents required by Chapter 4 of the Political Reform Act (commencing with Section 84100 of the Government Code) or the Town's Conflict of Interest Code, except an elected officer, candidate, committee or other person who receives contributions totaling less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) and who makes expenditures totaling less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) in a calendar year, shall file those statements, reports, or other documents online or electronically with the Town Clerk Administrator.

b. Any person holding a position listed in Government Code Section 82700 or designated in the Town's local Conflict of Interest Code adopted pursuant to Government Code section 87300, shall file any required Statement of Economic Interest reports (Form 700) online or electronically with the Town Clerk Administrator. If the Town Clerk Administrator's electronic system is not capable of accepting a particular type of statement, report or other document, the filer shall file that document with the Town Clerk Administrator in an alternative format.

c. In any instance in which an original statement, report or other document must be filed with the California Secretary of State and a copy of that statement, report or other document is required to be filed with the Town Clerk Administrator, the filer may, but is not required to, file the copy electronically.

d. If the Town Clerk Administrator's electronic system is not capable of accepting a particular type of statement, report or other document, the Town Clerk Administrator may allow the elected officer, candidate, committee, or other person to file that document with the Town Clerk Administrator in an alternative method, provided that it otherwise complies with all other requirements of this chapter.

e. Except as otherwise provided in, or inconsistent with, this Act or other provisions of local law, the provisions of the California Political Reform Act relating to local elections including any subsequent amendments are hereby incorporated as part of this article.

(Ord. No. 2021-355, § 2, 11-17-2021)