Residents will be able to browse on the Internet to see who’s
donating money and supplies to local campaigns because the Board of
Supervisors on Tuesday approved the posting of donor lists on the
San Benito County Web site.
Residents will be able to browse on the Internet to see who’s donating money and supplies to local campaigns because the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the posting of donor lists on the San Benito County Web site.
And the board also will consider invoking spending limits on campaigns for county offices – to take effect after the November election – despite resistance from people who either hold office or are running for seats. Supervisors voted 3-2 for the county counsel to return with a draft ordinance – meaning there likely is enough board support to adopt such a law.
The changes, for one, would bring San Benito in line with many other counties already placing Form 460s on the Internet – allowing convenient public oversight of the elections process. Plus, consideration of a campaign finance law comes as some supervisors question whether local candidates have historically abused a system with no local limitations.
“We’re getting into an age where we’re growing and things are getting out of hand,” said Supervisor Bob Cruz, whose supporters have questioned campaign tactics of his opponent in the March election, Supervisor-elect Jaime De La Cruz.
While several candidates and elected officials oppose the campaign finance restrictions, there was no opposition to placing Form 460s on the Internet.
Those documents – required for all candidates and officeholders – include names of donors contributing more than $99 and any other campaign expenditures. The state, among other requirements, does not require candidates to list names if donations are $99 or less.
The county will remove some information restricted by law on the Internet posting, such as addresses and bank account numbers, officials said.
Head elections official John Hodges told the board Tuesday his office would scan versions of the documents and have them online well before the Nov. 2 election. There’s no specific deadline, and Supervisor Pat Loe in her motion for approval only asked that it be performed “as soon as possible.”
Hodges supports the change.
“I think you’ll see better reports come out on the 460s,” he said.
But he cautioned that managing the new program would create more work for an already swamped department, especially with federal orders to translate all elections materials into Spanish by November.
“It’s going to naturally create labor,” Hodges said. “And we’re really tight, especially before an election.”
Other surrounding counties’ elections offices also post campaign finance forms on the Internet. Monterey and Santa Clara both post the forms on their respective Web pages.
Although Supervisor Pat Loe proposed both the Internet postings and donor limits, Cruz and Supervisor Ruth Kesler were most vocal about the two campaign issues.
Cruz told the audience, “Be honest from day one.” And Kesler followed up by saying there’s always a way to cheat under the current system.
“And if you ask me on the side, I’ll tell you how to do it,” Kesler said, inciting laughter throughout the chambers.
Three weeks ago County Counsel Karen Forcum presented an example used by the city of Santa Clara, which includes a $500 limit for individual donors and an overall cap of $25,000.
Most candidates and officeholders in the audience, many who spoke out against campaign finance reform at the prior meeting, didn’t speak Tuesday. Though Superintendent of County Schools Tim Foley briefly took the podium and encouraged the board to form a committee to oversee the potential regulations.
Some opponents of the reform said they expect the board to approve the ordinance when it comes back later this month.
Two of them are Anthony Botelho and Anthony Freitas, who are facing off in the November election for the District 2 board seat.
Freitas said he’d rather see the board implement a term limit ordinance, restricting supervisors to serving a maximum of two terms.
“None of us are doing anything illegal,” he said.
Botelho hopes such limits don’t discourage potential candidates from running.
“It seems they’re intent on having something in place, without question,” he said.
San Benito County’s Web site is: www.san-benito.ca.us
