SEC. 1.503. AMENDMENT OR REPEAL OF THIS CHAPTER.
§ 1.503
Voters may amend or repeal this ethics chapter at any time. The Board of Supervisors may only amend it if the amendment furthers the chapter's purposes, the Ethics Commission approves by a four-fifths vote, the public has at least 30 days to review it, and the Board approves by a two-thirds vote.
San Francisco voters can change or get rid of this ethics chapter whenever they want. If the Board of Supervisors wants to make changes instead, they have to jump through several hoops: the change must help achieve the ethics chapter's goals, the Ethics Commission must sign off with a strong four-fifths vote, the public must get at least 30 days to look at the proposal, and the Board itself must approve it with a two-thirds vote.
- Controversial:The amendment process involves conflicting decision-making authority between voters and the Board, and creates substantial procedural barriers that could be debated regarding whether they're appropriate safeguards or obstacles to responsive governance.
AI-generated · claude-haiku-4-5 · informational only, not legal advice.
Official text
The voters may amend or repeal this Chapter 5. The Board of Supervisors may amend this Chapter 5 if all of the following conditions are met:
(a) The amendment furthers the purposes of this Chapter;
(b) The Ethics Commission approves the proposed amendment in advance by at least a four-fifths vote of all its members;
(c) The proposed amendment is available for public review at least 30 days before the amendment is considered by the Board of Supervisors or any committee of the Board of Supervisors; and
(d) The Board of Supervisors approves the proposed amendment by at least a two-thirds vote of all its members.
(Added by Proposition D, 3/5/2024, Eff. 4/12/2024, Oper. 10/12/2024)