SEC. 3.231. PROHIBITIONS ON POLITICAL ACTIVITY FOR CITY ELECTIVE OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
§ 3.231
City elected officials and board/commission members are prohibited from soliciting volunteer work from subordinate employees for political campaigns. Additionally, board and commission members cannot fundraise for their appointing authority, candidates for that authority's office, or the authority's controlled committees.
People who hold elected office or serve on city boards and commissions have limits on their political activity. They cannot ask people who work under them to volunteer for campaigns without pay. Also, board and commission members cannot raise money for the person or office that appointed them, or for candidates running for that position, or for committees controlled by that person.
- Controversial:Rules restricting political activity by public officials and boards members are subject to legitimate debate about the balance between preventing conflicts of interest and protecting free speech and political participation rights.
- Could be simpler:The definition of 'member of a board or commission' in subsection (b) explicitly excludes Board of Supervisors members, which could be stated more clearly upfront rather than as a carve-out.
AI-generated · claude-haiku-4-5 · informational only, not legal advice.
Official text
(a) Solicitation of Campaign Volunteers. No City elective officer or member of a board or commission shall solicit uncompensated volunteer services from any subordinate employee for a campaign for or against any ballot measure or candidate.
(b) Fundraising for Appointing Authorities. No member of a board or commission may engage in fundraising on behalf of (1) the officer’s appointing authority, if the appointing authority is a City elective officer; (2) any candidate for the office held by the officer’s appointing authority; or (3) any committee controlled by the officer’s appointing authority. For the purposes of this subsection, “member of a board or commission” shall not include a member of the Board of Supervisors.
(Added by Ord. 129-18, File No. 180280, App. 5/30/2018, Eff. 6/30/2018, Oper. 6/30/2018)