The commission shall have responsibility for the impartial and effective administration and implementation of the provisions of the Charter, statutes and ordinances concerning campaign financing, lobbying, conflicts of interest and governmental ethics.
The City Ethics Commission shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
(a) to receive documents required to be filed pursuant to, and to otherwise administer, the provisions of Section 470 and to conduct audits as otherwise set forth in that Section;
(b) to receive documents required to be filed pursuant to, and to otherwise administer, the provisions of the City’s municipal lobbying ordinance;
(c) to act as the filing officer and to otherwise receive documents in any instance where the City Clerk would otherwise be authorized to do so pursuant to Chapters 4 and 7 of the California Political Reform Act of 1974 (Government Code Section 81000, et seq.), as amended;
(d) to audit disclosure statements and other relevant documents and investigate alleged violations of state law, the Charter and City ordinances relating to limitations on campaign contributions and expenditures, lobbying, governmental ethics and conflicts of interest and to report the findings to the City Attorney and other appropriate enforcement authorities. Audits shall be conducted of every candidate receiving public matching funds and may be conducted of other candidates and committees involved in City elections;
(e) to provide assistance to agencies and public officials in administering the provisions of the Charter and other laws relating to campaign finance, conflicts of interest and governmental ethics;
(f) to make recommendations to the Mayor and the Council concerning campaign finance reform, lobbying, governmental ethics and conflicts of interest and to report to the Council every three years concerning the effectiveness of these laws;
(g) to maintain a whistle-blower hot line;
(h) to annually adjust the limitation and disclosure thresholds required by City law to reflect any increases or decreases in the Consumer Price Index. Adjustments shall be rounded off to the nearest hundred dollars for the limitations on contributions and the nearest thousand dollars for the limitations on expenditures and the matching funds provisions of relevant ordinances;
(i) to assist departments in developing their conflict of interest codes as required by state law;
(j) to advocate understanding of the Charter, City ordinances and the roles of elected and other public officials, City institutions and the City electoral process;
(k) to have full charge and control of its office, to be responsible for its proper administration, to submit annually a proposed budget and to expend the funds of the office, all as otherwise prescribed by law; and
(l) to receive grants, gifts and appropriations, subject to the approval of the Council.