(a) The people of the City and County of San Francisco declare that public office is a public trust and all officers and employees of the City and County shall exercise their public duties in a manner consistent with this trust. To assure that the governmental processes of the City and County promote fairness and equity for all residents and to maintain public trust in governmental institutions, the people of the City and County declare that they have a compelling interest in creating laws regulating conflicts of interest and outside activities of City officers and employees.
(b) The proper operation of the government of the City and County of San Francisco requires that public officers and employees be independent, impartial, and responsible to the people and that public office and employment not be used for personal gain. The public interest, therefore, requires that officers and employees of the City and County be prohibited from making, participating in making or otherwise seeking to influence governmental decisions in which they have a financial interest or accepting gifts and other things of value from regulated sources.
(c) In order to maintain the public's confidence in the integrity of governmental decisions related to the appointment and discipline of public officers and employees, public officers and employees must not give or receive anything of value in consideration of their appointment or accept anything of value from their subordinates, and must not participate in decisions related to their own character or conduct or that of their family members.
(d) City and County contracts should be, and should appear to be, awarded on a fair and impartial basis. The practice of members of Boards and Commissions of the City and County contracting with the City and County creates the potential for, and the appearance of, favoritism or preferential treatment by the City and County. Prohibiting members of Boards and Commissions of the City and County from contracting with the City and County will eliminate both actual and perceived favoritism or preferential treatment without creating unnecessary barriers to public service.
(e) Government decisions of officers and employees of the City and County should be, and should appear to be, made on a fair and impartial basis. The practice of former officers and employees communicating with their former colleagues on behalf of private interests and the practice of current officers of the City and County communicating with other officers and employees on behalf of any other person for compensation creates the potential for, and the appearance of, undue influence, favoritism or preferential treatment. Prohibiting former officers and employees from communicating orally, in writing, or in any other manner with their former colleagues for specified periods of time and prohibiting current officers from communicating orally, in writing, or in any other manner with other officers and employees of the City and County on behalf of any other person for compensation will eliminate both actual and perceived undue influence, favoritism or preferential treatment without creating unnecessary barriers to public service.
(Added by Proposition E, 11/4/2003) (Former Section 3.200 added by Ord. 71-00, File No. 000358, App. 4/28/2000; repealed by Proposition E, 11/4/2003. Derivation: Former Administrative Code Section 16.980; added by Ord. 374-96, App. 9/30/96)