SEC. 3.230. PROHIBITION ON POLITICAL ACTIVITY.
§ 3.230
City officers and employees are prohibited from soliciting political contributions from each other or those on city employment lists, engaging in political activities while in uniform, and conducting political activities during work hours or on city property (with an exception for city property open to the public for such purposes).
People who work for the City cannot ask other city workers or job applicants to give money to political causes. City employees cannot do political work while wearing a city uniform. They also cannot do political work during their work shift or on city property, except that city-owned property that is open to everyone for political activities is allowed.
- Controversial:Restrictions on public employees' political activities and speech are subjects of ongoing debate regarding First Amendment protections and the proper scope of government employee conduct rules.
- Could be simpler:The carve-out in subsection (c) regarding public property could be stated more clearly—it is somewhat unclear whether this exception applies broadly or only in narrow circumstances.
AI-generated · claude-haiku-4-5 · informational only, not legal advice.
Official text
(a) Solicitation of Contributions. No City officer or employee shall knowingly, directly or indirectly, solicit political contributions from other City officers or employees or from persons on employment lists of the City. Nothing in this Section shall prohibit a City officer or employee from communicating through the mail or by other means requests for political contributions to a significant segment of the public which may include City officers or employees.
(b) Political Activities in Uniform. No City officer or employee shall participate in political activities of any kind while in uniform.
(c) Political Activities on City Time or Premises. No City officer or employee may engage in political activity during working hours or on City premises. For the purposes of this Subsection, the term "City premises" shall not include City owned property that is made available to the public and can be used for political purposes.
(Added by Proposition E, 11/4/2003)