S.F. ethics complaint targets Govern for California, group that bundles political donations

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A complaint filed with the San Francisco Ethics Commission accuses Govern for California, a nonprofit that has historically financed state races, of exceeding campaign contribution limits in the San Francisco general election.   

Govern for California has employed eight different chapters of its organization to contribute $500 each to six different supervisor candidates and District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, as first reported by Mission Local on August 6. 

Each candidate has received a total of at least $4,000 from Govern for California, through different committees representing different branches of the organization. Many of them are outside San Francisco, such as the Palo Alto and Santa Cruz chapters. 

In San Francisco, $500 is the maximum amount an individual can contribute to a candidate campaign.

Govern for California is a registered 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, and was founded in 2012 to “counter special-interest influence and to support like-minded organizations.” It is currently being investigated by the California Fair Political Practices Commission following a CalMatters investigation into the organization’s employment of local chapters as “force multipliers” to influence politics. 

Mission Local previously spoke to several subject-matter experts who said that the payments are likely not illegal, but violate the spirit of campaign-finance laws. 

According to the complaint filed Sept. 8, the payments made via separate committees come from the same legal entity. 

“The $4,000 contributed to each of the above-named candidate committee all came from the same corporate which was then funneled through GFC Courage Committees, which are not separate legal entities,” reads the complaint. 

“I think it’s plain as day that it’s an attempt to evade the $500 contribution limit,” said Paul Melbostad, an attorney who previously served on the Ethics Commission, and who filed the complaint. 

Govern for California did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Most of the contributions were made around the same time in late April and early May. “That didn’t just happen by happenstance,” said Melbostad.  

The candidates who received them are Marjan Philhour in District 1, Danny Sauter in District 3, Bilal Mahmood in District 5, Matt Boschetto in District 7, Trevor Chandler in District 9, Michael Lai in District 11, and District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. 

Govern for California also contributed $27,500 to the TogetherSF ballot measure on commission reform, Proposition D, and $500 to Mark Farrell’s mayoral campaign.

In San Francisco, there are restrictions around how corporations, both for profit and nonprofit, can give money to election candidate campaigns. Generally, they cannot — unless they establish a separate committee, which is referred to as a “separate segregated fund.” 

Corporations that give through those funds, like individuals, are subject to the $500 contribution limit. 

Update: The amount of Govern for California’s contribution to Proposition D was updated to reflect a new filing published by the Ethics Commission on Tuesday.

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