Independent groups pour big bucks into SF mayor's race
Heather Knight,John Coté, Chronicle Staff Writers
San Francisco Chronicle October 27, 2011 04:00 AM
Copyright San Francisco Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
They're behind that creative new viral video in which Giants pitcher Brian Wilson and musician will.i.am manage to make San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, a longtime bureaucrat with glasses and a mustache, appear cutting-edge.
They're also behind alleged voter fraud in which workers supporting Lee staffed a makeshift voting area in Chinatown and appeared to use a stencil to allow vote-by-mail voters to choose only the interim mayor. The district attorney is investigating the matter.
Both were the products of independent expenditure committees, which have drawn increased attention this week in the San Francisco's mayor's race for their ability to both help and hurt candidates.
Today, the committees must reveal their updated campaign finance reports, which will give city voters a clearer picture of who's behind these sometimes shadowy efforts.
Campaign finance regulations around the country have placed caps on what individuals can give directly to candidates; in San Francisco, that limit is $500.
That has resulted, critics say, in independent expenditure committees filling the void. Supporters or opponents can spend unlimited amounts on these side ventures as long as they don't collaborate with the candidates' campaign. Candidates then reap the benefits while being able to distance themselves from any improper activity.
"All the negativity, all the hit pieces, all the stuff that comes out of these committees - whether it's a wink and a nod or totally uncoordinated, who knows?" said Corey Cook, a political science professor at the University of San Francisco. "It distorts our politics and undermines the purpose of campaign finance regulations."
However, the Supreme Court said last year that corporations and unions can spend unlimited amounts on efforts like these because of their First Amendment rights.
In the Nov. 8 mayor's race, independent expenditure committees have been created to support or oppose at least four candidates. One, supporting state Sen. Leland Yee, has sent out numerous anti-Lee mailers. One says Lee represents the "Same old bulls-" and shows a picture of a bull answering the call of nature.
Lee spokesman Tony Winnicker accused the Sacramento committee of being "deceptive, dishonest and illegal" by naming itself City Residents Supporting Leland Yee and then changing the name to City Residents Opposing Ed Lee.
But Lee appears to be the big winner when it comes to independent expenditures - and might receive more monetary help through them than through his own campaign. For example, Silicon Valley investor Ron Conway could only give Lee's campaign $500 directly, but he has given $151,000 to San Franciscans for Jobs and Good Government, which was set up to get Lee elected and created the video called "Fear the Mustache."
SF Neighbor Alliance, on the other hand, has not been as forthcoming with the source of its money. It has reported no donations so far, though it has reported spending $135,295 to support Lee's campaign.
Most of that went to writing, publishing and distributing 50,000 copies of a biography of Lee - complete with family photos, though the campaign swears it was not involved.
They're also behind alleged voter fraud in which workers supporting Lee staffed a makeshift voting area in Chinatown and appeared to use a stencil to allow vote-by-mail voters to choose only the interim mayor. The district attorney is investigating the matter.
Both were the products of independent expenditure committees, which have drawn increased attention this week in the San Francisco's mayor's race for their ability to both help and hurt candidates.
Today, the committees must reveal their updated campaign finance reports, which will give city voters a clearer picture of who's behind these sometimes shadowy efforts.
Campaign finance regulations around the country have placed caps on what individuals can give directly to candidates; in San Francisco, that limit is $500.
That has resulted, critics say, in independent expenditure committees filling the void. Supporters or opponents can spend unlimited amounts on these side ventures as long as they don't collaborate with the candidates' campaign. Candidates then reap the benefits while being able to distance themselves from any improper activity.
"All the negativity, all the hit pieces, all the stuff that comes out of these committees - whether it's a wink and a nod or totally uncoordinated, who knows?" said Corey Cook, a political science professor at the University of San Francisco. "It distorts our politics and undermines the purpose of campaign finance regulations."
Going negative
Independent expenditure committees often go more negative than candidates themselves. They were behind the infamous Willie Horton ad that helped sink Michael Dukakis' presidential ambitions in 1988 and the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" campaign that damaged John Kerry's White House bid in 2004.However, the Supreme Court said last year that corporations and unions can spend unlimited amounts on efforts like these because of their First Amendment rights.
In the Nov. 8 mayor's race, independent expenditure committees have been created to support or oppose at least four candidates. One, supporting state Sen. Leland Yee, has sent out numerous anti-Lee mailers. One says Lee represents the "Same old bulls-" and shows a picture of a bull answering the call of nature.
Lee spokesman Tony Winnicker accused the Sacramento committee of being "deceptive, dishonest and illegal" by naming itself City Residents Supporting Leland Yee and then changing the name to City Residents Opposing Ed Lee.
But Lee appears to be the big winner when it comes to independent expenditures - and might receive more monetary help through them than through his own campaign. For example, Silicon Valley investor Ron Conway could only give Lee's campaign $500 directly, but he has given $151,000 to San Franciscans for Jobs and Good Government, which was set up to get Lee elected and created the video called "Fear the Mustache."
Tech backers
Its most recent campaign finance filings show the committee has raised a total of $365,500 from other tech leaders, including Marissa Mayer, Google's vice president, and Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com. Lee has been very friendly to tech companies, including pushing for the payroll tax break that kept Twitter in the city.SF Neighbor Alliance, on the other hand, has not been as forthcoming with the source of its money. It has reported no donations so far, though it has reported spending $135,295 to support Lee's campaign.
Most of that went to writing, publishing and distributing 50,000 copies of a biography of Lee - complete with family photos, though the campaign swears it was not involved.
Voting in Chinatown
More controversially, the same group was behind the staffing of the makeshift voting area in Chinatown that drew the attention of the district attorney. It is run by consultant Enrique Pearce, the same consultant behind the successful "Run, Ed, Run" campaign to persuade Lee to seek a four-year term after vowing not to.
"Run, Ed, Run" was masterminded by Chinatown power broker Rose Pak, a close friend of Lee's, and former Mayor Willie Brown, who is now a columnist for The Chronicle. It was funded by several of their allies, who received millions in city contracts dating back to 1997, the year after Brown took office.
Some of those same people are funding a separate independent expenditure committee that had a Brown-hosted fundraiser and paid $18,000 for SF Neighbor Alliance staff salaries and $13,000 to Pearce's firm, records show. It's unclear why that money wasn't just donated to SF Neighbor Alliance rather than the ironically named Committee for Effective City Management.
Lee has called the behavior of SF Neighbor Alliance "moronic" and has said it should "cease and desist" any questionable voting activities.
John St. Croix, director of the San Francisco Ethics Commission, said Lee could tell supporters not to give money to a particular committee.
"I don't think him telling supporters that he'd rather they didn't support that kind of activity is coordination with that group," he said.
Past campaigns have found a way to quash unwanted "help" from an independent group. Jim Ross ran the mayoral campaign for Gavin Newsom in 2003 and had Newsom several times publicly tell his supporters not to give to independent expenditure committees.
"Enrique Pearce doesn't exist without people who are willing to give him money," Ross said. "You can communicate to people who are your supporters through e-mail, through letters, through phone calls and say, 'Don't give money to independent expenditures.' That will slow it down or stop it."
What is perhaps most puzzling about the behavior of SF Neighbor Alliance is that Lee was widely presumed to be able to win the race hands-down before it got involved.
"I still think Ed Lee's going to win," Ross said. "But if they keep up like they are now, they're going to make it a race."
Source: San Francisco Ethics Commission, Chronicle research
"Run, Ed, Run" was masterminded by Chinatown power broker Rose Pak, a close friend of Lee's, and former Mayor Willie Brown, who is now a columnist for The Chronicle. It was funded by several of their allies, who received millions in city contracts dating back to 1997, the year after Brown took office.
Paying the staff
Some of those same people are funding a separate independent expenditure committee that had a Brown-hosted fundraiser and paid $18,000 for SF Neighbor Alliance staff salaries and $13,000 to Pearce's firm, records show. It's unclear why that money wasn't just donated to SF Neighbor Alliance rather than the ironically named Committee for Effective City Management.
Lee has called the behavior of SF Neighbor Alliance "moronic" and has said it should "cease and desist" any questionable voting activities.
John St. Croix, director of the San Francisco Ethics Commission, said Lee could tell supporters not to give money to a particular committee.
"I don't think him telling supporters that he'd rather they didn't support that kind of activity is coordination with that group," he said.
Past campaigns have found a way to quash unwanted "help" from an independent group. Jim Ross ran the mayoral campaign for Gavin Newsom in 2003 and had Newsom several times publicly tell his supporters not to give to independent expenditure committees.
Controlling the image
Newsom's campaign didn't want the support because it was largely coming from groups promoting him as a downtown business candidate when the campaign was trying to paint him as more liberal."Enrique Pearce doesn't exist without people who are willing to give him money," Ross said. "You can communicate to people who are your supporters through e-mail, through letters, through phone calls and say, 'Don't give money to independent expenditures.' That will slow it down or stop it."
What is perhaps most puzzling about the behavior of SF Neighbor Alliance is that Lee was widely presumed to be able to win the race hands-down before it got involved.
"I still think Ed Lee's going to win," Ross said. "But if they keep up like they are now, they're going to make it a race."
Independent expenditure campaigns
While many political action committees set up by unions, industries and other interest groups regularly spend money to back or oppose candidates in different elections, a number of independent expenditure committees have been set up specifically for the San Francisco mayor's race.| Committee | Who's behind it | How much it has spent | Claim to fame | Supporting or opposing |
City Residents Opposing Ed Lee (City Residents Supporting Leland Yee) | American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, California Nurses Association | $359,000 | Bare-knuckle ads, complete with asterisk-laden expletives | Opposing Ed Lee, supporting Leland Yee |
| SF Neighbor Alliance | Many of the folks behind "Run, Ed, Run," campaign, including consultant Enrique Pearce, who is tied to former Mayor Willie Brown and Chinatown power broker Rose Pak | $136,000 | District attorney is investigating claims of voter fraud; published Ed Lee biography | Supporting Ed Lee |
| Committee for Effective City Management | Appears to be many of the same folks behind SF Neighbor Alliance; linked to Enrique Pearce and Willie Brown | $85,000 | Willie Brown and Supervisor Jane Kim fundraiser in Millbrae; paying bills for SF Neighbor Alliance | Supporting Ed Lee |
| San Franciscans for Jobs and Good Government | Silicon Valley investor Ron Conway, Google VP Marissa Mayer, Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff | $202,000 | Star-studded video remix of MC Hammer's "2 Legit 2 Quit" | Supporting Ed Lee |
| San Franciscans for New Priorities | Loretta Lynch, a former president of the state Public Utilities Commission, Hanson Bridgett law firm | Unknown | Not much yet | Supporting Dennis Herrera |
Educating Voters for Jobs | Larry Mazzola Sr., labor leader and president of the Airport Commission | $18,500 | Mailer opposing Supervisor John Avalos' local hire ordinance | Opposing John Avalos and Jeff Adachi |
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