Sup. Aaron Peskin today introduced what he called emergency legislation that would require donors to superPACs to disclose all of their financial interests in San Francisco.
It would force the likes of Ron Conway, Reed Hoffman, and other big tech donors to file the same forms that the supervisors and commissioners do, revealing all of their investments in any business that is located in or does business in San Francisco. The requirement would apply to any interests owned by the immediate family of donors.
That might discourage some of the more secretive tech folks from pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into independent-expenditure committees, which are the source of the worst corruption and corporate control of politics in the city.
The bill would give the public a chance to see what special interests are really behind campaign spending.
It would also add a very significant element: A requirement that all video ads – like the one that allies of London Breed launched, anonymously attacking Mark Leno – disclose at the beginning, and in text all through the ad, who the three biggest donors were.
That won’t stop the flow of sleazy money – but it will let people who watch the ads know who is funding them.
This will go to the Ethics Commission, which can address it Friday/16. Peskin will also try to amend it into the existing Ethics legislation that comes before the Budget and Finance Thursday/15.
The phrasing, who previously been accused of being “pay for play” in a criminal trial, is what’s known as a smear, and it is not honest. The accusations were excerpts from an FBI investigation, released to the public by Shrimp Boy’s lawyers.
If you read the actual document, though, you come across accusations but no substantiation. You also come across some would-be influencers who she would not take a meeting with, complaining about that fact and calling her slurs.
Take a look at the astroturf Twitter feed for the supposed “pro-women” superPAC attack ad London Breed’s supporters came out with…
https://twitter.com/itsourtimesf/status/963557640889511937
You’ll find that the key people who retweeted it originally and tried to make it viral are actually AirBnB SF and Yimby supporters.
BTW, Breed is holding yet another fundraiser with Wade Randlett.
You’d better have at least $500 to spend if you’d like to go, though…
https://londonformayor.nationbuilder.com/030818_reception
Ms. Breed is a potentially corrupt politician, who has taken money for her campaigns from billionaires, pretty much from day one, and who previously been accused of being “pay for play” in a criminal trial. She claimed on an interview on KQED FM last week that she wasn’t close to Ron Conway, but the fact is, she’s held multiple fundraisers where he was invited, and Conway claimed in 2015 that they’ve known each other for about five years… basically ever since she was elected.
She’s also prone towards lavish spending, paying for a lavish $10,000 inauguration party with a big fundraiser featuring billionaires like Ron Conway and Wade Randlett.
https://archives.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/london-breed-holding-fundraiser-to-pay-off-inauguration-party/Content?oid=2320200
Wade Randlett, btw, is a Silicon Valley CEO who founded TechNet, a PAC which lobbies both parties in Washington. He’s been pretty straightforward about wanting to move Democrats to the right, and in pushing pro-corporate policies.
“Politics is just common sense and human nature. You help people and they help you.”
https://books.google.com/books?id=p6vBCQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Wade+Randlett+How+to+Hack+a+Party+Line:+The+Democrats+and+Silicon+Valley&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj0mejUjKnZAhUByGMKHZKhCH8Q6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&q=Wade%20Randlett%20How%20to%20Hack%20a%20Party%20Line%3A%20The%20Democrats%20and%20Silicon%20Valley&f=false
Ms. Breed is also prone to angry outbursts, it seems… she sent a nastygram to 48 Hills before, in fact.
Peskin is doing the public’s business by insisting on this. But yes, it’s overdue.
20 years ago Con Wrongway, Wall Street speculators and global developers weren’t dumping money into our local supervisor races. They are now because land and real estate values here are among the highest in the world.
20 years as arguably the second most powerful politician in SF, and NOW this is a problem he needs to deal with? Peskin must fear Ms Breed.