SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A proposed ballot measure to enact local campaign finance reform advanced the San Diego Rules Committee on Wednesday.

Introduced by San Diego Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, the measure proposes guardrails limiting the potential influence of lobbying and Political Action Committee (PAC) money in local government.

“Money in politics is not an abstract concern,” Elo-Rivera shared in a statement. “In San Diego, it has a concrete shape: outside groups spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on mailers, text campaigns, and social media targeting live City Council votes – with no requirement to disclose that spending until after the vote is over.”

Currently, the City Municipal Code requires lobbying firms and organization lobbyists to file disclosure reports every calendar quarter. Candidates and campaigns are also mandated to file disclosure reports.

Elo-Rivera’s initiative would require real-time disclosure of lobbying on city policy, ban city lobbyist campaign contributions to officials they lobby and disclose “shadow campaign” disclosure requirements.

Additionally, the measure may require self-funded candidates running for office to disclose the extent of their spending and independent expenditure advertisements to list their top five funders on their ad.

Rosa Olascoaga Vidal, deputy chief of strategic initiatives for Elo-Rivera, presented the measure to the committee.

“Voters are making decisions at the ballot box and through their elected officials without knowing who is spending money to influence them,” Olascoaga Vidal shared.

She shared that the city does not have a way of tracking this spending in real time.

The measure is modeled after similar laws that have been upheld in higher courts, according to Elo-Rivera. He specifically mentioned Rhode Island’s political donor disclosure law, which was upheld by a Federal Appeals Court.

After receiving support from the Rules Committee, Elo-Rivera submitted the proposal to the City Attorney’s Office for review before drafting the official measure. After returning to the Rules Committee, the proposal will need to be sent to City Council before landing on the November ballot.

“The rules we have now were written for a different era,” Elo-Rivera said. “They are being exploited by people who know exactly what they were doing. San Diegans deserve better — and we want to give them the chance to demand it.”

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