(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF ELECTION CAMPAIGN FUND. There is hereby established a special fund of the City and County of San Francisco called the Election Campaign Fund. All money deposited in the Fund is hereby appropriated for use as specified in this Chapter and the implementing regulations.
(b) APPROPRIATION TO ELECTION CAMPAIGN FUND. Except as provided in Subsections (b)(3) and (b)(4), each fiscal year the City and County of San Francisco shall appropriate $2.75 per resident of the City and County of San Francisco to the Election Campaign Fund to provide funding for election campaigns as authorized by this Chapter for all candidates for Mayor or the Board of Supervisors who may be eligible to receive such funds. At the request of the Ethics Commission, the Controller shall estimate the number of residents of the City and County of San Francisco for purposes of this subsection.
(1) Any funds in the Election Campaign Fund not used in one election shall be carried over for use in the following election, provided that at no time shall the total amount in the Election Campaign Fund exceed $7 million. Any funds in the Election Campaign Fund in excess of $7 million shall be returned to the General Fund.
(2) Funds necessary for the Ethics Commission to administer the public financing program for candidates for Mayor or the Board of Supervisors authorized under Section 1.136 of this Chapter shall be taken from the Election Campaign Fund. The Commission's administrative expenses for such public financing program for any election shall not exceed 15% of the total amount of funds in the Election Campaign Fund for that election.
(3) If the Office of Mayor becomes vacant and an election is held to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term, the City and County of San Francisco shall appropriate additional funds to the Election Campaign Fund in an amount that ensures that at least $8.00 per resident is available in the Election Campaign Fund for that election and the next regularly scheduled Mayoral election.
(4) If an office of a member of the Board of Supervisors becomes vacant and an election is held to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term, the City and County of San Francisco shall appropriate an additional $0.25 per resident to the Election Campaign Fund for that election. These additional funds shall not be subject to the limit in Subsection (b)(1) of this Section. Any funds appropriated pursuant to this subsection that are not used for the election to fill the vacancy shall be returned to the General Fund.
(Added by Proposition O, 11/7/2000; amended by Ord. 31-06, File No. 051773, App. 2/23/2006; Ord. 268-07, File No. 071003, App. 11/26/2007; Ord. 64-12, File No. 111082, App. 4/20/2012, Eff. 5/20/2012)