SEC. 3.520. REQUIRED DISCLOSURE.
§ 3.520
Developers of major projects must disclose to the Ethics Commission detailed information about themselves, their project, and any nonprofit organizations they donated $5,000 or more to in the year prior to the project application, if those nonprofits had contact with city officials or provided public comment. After the initial report filed within 30 days of environmental certification, developers must file four additional quarterly reports following a set schedule, and pay a $500 fee with the initial report.
When a big development project gets environmental approval from the city, the developer has to tell the Ethics Commission who they are, what their project is, and which nonprofits they've donated money to (if the donations add up to $5,000 or more in the previous year). But they only have to report nonprofits that either talked to a city official about the project or spoke at a public hearing about it. The developer also has to file four more detailed reports every three months over the following year, listing the same nonprofit information and donation details. The developer pays $500 when they file the first report.
- Complex:The section contains multiple nested subsections with different timing, definition cross-references, and overlapping requirements that create room for interpretation—particularly around what constitutes a 'contact' and which nonprofits must be reported.
- Controversial:This disclosure requirement targets developer donations to advocacy organizations that engage in city policy discussions, raising questions about transparency, political speech, and whether such rules chill legitimate nonprofit engagement.
AI-generated · claude-haiku-4-5 · informational only, not legal advice.
Official text
(a) Any developer of a major project shall, within 30 days of the date the Planning Commission (or any other local lead agency) certifies the EIR for that project or, for a major project relying on a program EIR, within 30 days of the date that the Planning Department, Planning Commission, or any other local lead agency adopts a final environmental determination under CEQA, report the following information to the Ethics Commission:
(1) The name, business address, business e-mail address and business telephone number of the developer, as well as those of any affiliates that made donations subject to this Chapter.
(2) The EIR case number and a description of the major project.
(3) The date the Planning Commission (or other local lead agency) certified the EIR or adopted the final environmental determination.
(4) The name, business address, business e-mail address, business telephone number and website of any nonprofit organization: (A) to whom the developer or any affiliate of the developer has made cumulative donations of $5,000 or more since the date one year before the Environmental Evaluation Application for the major project was filed: and (B) that with regard to the developer’s major project, has had one or more contacts with an officer of the City and County or has provided public comment at any hearing before any board or commission of the City and County. For the purpose of this Subsection 3.520(a)(4), the term “contact” shall have the same meaning as in Section 2.106 of this Code, except that a “contact” shall also include a person providing oral or written testimony that becomes part of the record of a public hearing; and the term “officer of the City and County of San Francisco” shall have the same meaning as in Section 2.105 of this Code.
(5) For each nonprofit organization reported under Subsection (a)(4), the date and amount of each donation the developer or affiliate made to the nonprofit during the reporting period.
(6) Any other information required by the Ethics Commission consistent with the purposes and provisions of this Chapter.
(b) After a developer files a report required by Subsection (a), the developer shall file a total of four additional quarterly reports, according to the following schedule: The developer shall file a report on April 15 for the period starting January 1 and ending March 31; on July 15 for the period starting April 1 and ending June 30; on October 15 for the period starting July 1 and ending September 30; and on January 15 for the period starting October 1 and ending December 31. Each quarterly report shall include:
(1) The name, business address, business e-mail address, and business telephone number of the developer and any affiliates that made donations subject to this Chapter.
(2) The EIR case number and a description of the major project.
(3) The date the Planning Commission (or other local lead agency) certified the EIR or adopted the final environmental determination.
(4) The name, business address, business e-mail address, business telephone number and website of any nonprofit organization to which the developer has made cumulative donations of $5,000 or more since the date one year before the Environmental Evaluation Application was filed.
(5) For each nonprofit organization reported under Subsection (b)(4), the date and amount of each donation the developer made to the nonprofit during the reporting period.
(6) Any other information required by the Ethics Commission consistent with the purposes and provisions of this Chapter.
(e)1 At the time of filing the initial report required by subsection (a), the developer shall pay a fee of $500.
(Added by Ord. 98-14 , File No. 130374, App. 6/26/2014, Eff. 7/26/2014; re-enacted by Proposition D, 3/5/2024, Eff. 4/12/2024, Oper. 10/12/2024)
(Former Sec. 3.520 added by Ord. 71-00, File No. 000358, App. 4/28/2000; repealed by Proposition E, 11/4/2003)
CODIFICATION NOTE
1. So in Ord. 98-14 and Proposition D, 3/5/2024.