§ 30.01.010. Findings, purpose and authority.

(a)

Findings. The board makes the following findings in support of requiring that political committee and candidates that meet certain financial thresholds file their campaign statements electronically:

(1)

Public access to campaign disclosure information is a vital and integral component of a fully informed electorate. Transparency in campaign financing is critical in order to maintain public trust and support of the political process.

(2)

An electronic filing system reduces paper waste and time spent processing and storing paper filings, so that efforts can be focused on helping filers comply with filing requirements.

(3)

An electronic filing system shall operate securely and effectively, utilizing multiple safeguards to protect the integrity and security of the data.

(4)

An electronic filing system streamlines the filing process for filers, by storing information previously entered, calculating numbers, and helping catch errors before filings are submitted.

(5)

An electronic filing system makes the filing process more efficient for county staff by automatically redacting address information for donors and uploading the filings to the internet for virtually real time access to the public.

(6)

Once the statements are placed online, they are easily accessible for public viewing and allow the public to search reports by field, including, but not limited to, elections, candidate, date, contributor, and expenditure.

(b)

Purpose. State law requires any elected officer, candidate, committee, or other person supporting or opposing ballot measures and certain other types of committees to file campaign finance statements with the Registrar of Voters detailing sources of contributions and purposes of expenditures. The intent of these laws is to assist voters in making informed electoral decisions and to assist in ensuring compliance with campaign contribution laws.

(c)

Authority. This ordinance is adopted pursuant to Government Code Section 84615, which authorizes local jurisdictions to require the filing of campaign statements and reports solely in an electronic form, with specified exemptions.

(Ord. No. 3261, 6-3-14)