Disclosures on Campaign Advertisements
San Diego Municipal Code § 27.2970
in effect§27.2970 Disclosures on Campaign Advertisements
(a) Subject to the additional requirements and exceptions expressly noted in section 27.2970, and limited to advertisements concerning City candidates and City measures, the campaign advertising disclosure rules included in the Political Reform Act of 1974, as amended, including but not limited to California Government Code sections 84305 through 84511, and the regulations of the California Fair Political Practices Commission, as amended, including but not limited to Regulations 18440 through 18450.11, are adopted by reference and incorporated into the San Diego Municipal Election Campaign Control Ordinance as if fully set forth herein.
(b) When a candidate or candidate-controlled committee established for elective City office is not required to make a “paid for by” advertising disclosure under state law, the candidate or committee shall make such a disclosure as if the advertisement is an independent expenditure.
(c) When a candidate or committee uses volunteers to make telephone communications, such volunteers shall disclose the name of the candidate or committee during the communication in the same manner required of paid callers under state law, except that this disclosure may follow the words “on behalf of” instead of “paid for by.”
(d) For purposes of identifying a committee’s “top contributors,” as defined in California Government Code section 84501, a committee’s “cumulative contributions” means the cumulative amount of contributions received by the committee since the filing of its original Statement of Organization and ending seven calendar days before the committee submits the advertising order.
(e) Every primarily formed recipient committee that has received contributions cumulatively totaling $10,000 or more from any single contributor since the filing of its original Statement of Organization shall include the text “Funding details at www.sandiego.gov/donors” on or during its campaign advertisements in the following manner:
(1) The disclosure statement shall be made on campaign literature, visual electronic media communications, and newspaper and periodical advertisements immediately below and in the same font size and format as the “paid for by” disclosure. For advertisements disseminated over the Internet, the web address portion of the disclosure statement shall be a hyperlink whenever practicable.
(2) The disclosure statement shall be made during telephone communications and audio-only electronic media communications immediately following the “paid for by” or “on behalf of” disclosure in the same pitch and tone as the rest of the advertisement.
(3) A committee has not violated subsection (e) by failing to include the disclosure statement on a campaign advertisement if the advertising order was placed less than seven calendar days after first receiving contributions cumulatively totaling $10,000 or more from any single contributor.
(f) Nothing in this section establishes a Municipal Code requirement:
(1) that any candidate or committee include advertising disclosures on email communications; text messages; social media posts; or websites under the control of the candidate or committee; or
(2) that any candidate or candidate-controlled committee established for elective City office make an advertising disclosure on telephone communications or items sent through the U.S. mail unless already required to do so under state law; or
(3) that any committee make an advertising disclosure on a member communication unless already required to do so under state law; or
(4) that any candidate or committee comply with California Government Code section 84506.5; or
(5) that any general purpose recipient committee disclose its “top contributors” on campaign advertisements; or
(6) that is applicable to any slate mailer organization.
(g) Nothing in this section relieves any candidate or committee from its obligation to comply with the advertising disclosure requirements included in state law.
(Amended 9-12-2000 by O-18846 N.S.)
(Repealed and added 9-7-2004 by O-19317 N.S.; effective 1-5-2005.)
(Amended 12-5-2005 by O-19448 N.S; effective 1-11-2006.)
(Amended 11-27-2012 by O-20227 N.S.; effective 1-1-2013.)
(Amended 2-9-2016 by O-20595 N.S.; effective 3-10-2016.)
(Amended 11-1-2016 by O-20731 N.S.; effective 1-1-2017.)
(Retitled from “Mass Campaign Literature” to “Disclosures on Campaign Advertisements” and amended 6-14-2018 by O-20941 N.S.; effective 7-14-2018.)
Source: City of San Diego Office of the City Clerk, San Diego Municipal Code and City Charter (docs.sandiego.gov PDFs)URL: https://docs.sandiego.gov/municode/MuniCodeChapter02/Ch02Art07Division29.pdf#page=40Fetched: 10/28/2026