Disclosure of Electioneering Communications
San Diego Municipal Code § 27.2980
in effect§27.2980 Disclosure of Electioneering Communications
(a) Every electioneering communication in printed form shall include the words “paid for by” immediately followed by the name, street address, and city of the person who paid for the communication in a bold, sans serif typeface that is easily legible, contrasts with the background, and is no less than 14 points in size.
(b) Every electioneering communication in spoken form shall include the words “paid for by” immediately followed by the name of the person who paid for the communication in a manner that is clearly audible and at the same general volume and speed as the rest of the communication.
(c) Any person who makes a payment or an enforceable promise to make a payment totaling $1,000 or more for an electioneering communication shall file with the City Clerk an “Electioneering Communication Disclosure Report” disclosing the person’s name, address, occupation, and employer, and the amount of the payment. The report shall be filed within 24 hours of making the payment or the promise to make the payment, and shall be accompanied by a legible copy of the electioneering communication if in printed form or a transcript of the electioneering communication if in spoken form.
(d) Except as provided in subsection (e), if any person has received a payment or an enforceable promise to make a payment from another person totaling $100 or more for the purpose of making an electioneering communication, the person receiving the payments shall disclose on the report the other person’s name, address, occupation, and employer; the amount received; and the date of the payment.
(e) A person who receives or is promised a payment that is otherwise reportable under subsection (d) is not required to report the payment if the person provides goods or services in the normal course of business and receives or is promised the payment in exchange for providing goods or services.
(f) The communications subject to this section do not include:
(1) news stories and editorials by broadcast outlets or regularly published newspapers, periodicals, or magazines of general circulation;
(2) member communications, except those made by a political party;
(3) communications made in the form of a slate mailer;
(4) communications paid for by a governmental entity;
(5) communications that occur during a candidate debate or forum;
(6) communications made solely to promote a candidate debate or forum made by or on behalf of the person sponsoring the debate or forum, provided that such communications do not otherwise discuss the positions or experience of a candidate;
(7) communications in which a candidate’s name is required by law to appear and the candidate is not singled out in the manner of display;
(8) printed materials in quantities of 200 or less distributed within a single calendar month;
(9) live telephone calls made to less than 500 individuals or households per day; or,
(10) pre-recorded telephone calls made to less than 500 individuals or households per election.
(g) Any communication, other than a member communication, made at the behest of a candidate is a contribution to that candidate and is subject to the limits and prohibitions specified in sections 27.2935 and 27.2950.
(h) The obligation to file an “Electioneering Communication Disclosure Report” under subsection (c) shall not apply to any entity that is a committee.
(Added 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 11-25-2014 by O-20439 N.S.; effective 1-1-2015.)
(Amended 2-9-2016 by O-20595 N.S.; effective 3-10-2016.) (Amended 6-14-2018 by O-20941 N.S.; effective 7-14-2018.)
(Amended 12-10-2018 by O-21026 N.S.; effective 1-9-2019.)
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=43Fetched: 10/28/2026