SF Rules Committee Meeting on AI, Campaign Finance, and Housing Reports - May 13, 2024
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San Francisco Rules Committee Regular Meeting - May 13, 2024
The San Francisco Rules Committee convened on May 13, 2024, at 6:00 PM (UTC) to address a range of policy items including language access, housing needs reports, surveillance technology, artificial intelligence in elections, and campaign finance regulations. The committee, chaired by Supervisor Hillary Ronin, with members Supervisor Dean Preston and Supervisor Ash Safai, took actions on several ordinances and heard a presentation on AI's impact on local elections. The meeting concluded with a motion to veto two campaign finance regulations and a unanimous vote to file the AI hearing.
Consent Calendar
- Excusal of Supervisor Shamann Walton: Motion passed unanimously to excuse Supervisor Walton from the meeting.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were made on any agenda items during the meeting.
Discussion Items
Item 1: Language Access Ordinance (File 230868)
- Proposal: The ordinance amends the Administrative Code to clarify departments' responsibilities to provide language access services and the role of the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs.
- Amendments: On behalf of Supervisor Walton, Chair Ronin introduced two amendments:
- Adding language ensuring that Limited English Proficient (LEP) persons may request written materials in languages not among the required languages, and that the Public Utilities Commission and Tax Collector must provide resources for understanding property tax and utility bills.
- Revising the 'know your rights' brochure translation requirement to cover the top 20 most spoken languages with the highest language access needs.
- Vote: The amendments passed unanimously. Due to fiscal implications, the item was referred to the Budget and Appropriations Committee.
Item 2: Housing Needs Report Frequency (File 240281)
- Proposal: The ordinance changes the frequency of the housing needs overview and assessment reports for seniors and people with disabilities, from every 3 years to every 8 years for the needs assessment, and from yearly to every other year for the production pipeline report. It also updates references to the Department of Disability and Aging Services.
- Presenter: Susie Smith from HSA presented the rationale, including alignment with the housing element cycle, minor year-to-year changes, and the resource intensity of the reports (approximately one full-time staff member and a $170,000 consultant budget).
- Vote: The committee voted unanimously to send the item to the full board with a positive recommendation.
Item 3: Surveillance Technology Policy - HSA Call Recording (File 240048)
- Proposal: The ordinance approves HSA's use of call recording technology at its telephonic service centers to record and store audio calls, aiming to improve service delivery and enable telephonic signatures.
- Presenter: Susie Smith from HSA detailed the technology's benefitstons, noting that COIT and its privacy board held public hearings in 2023 and recommended approval.
- Vote: The committee voted unanimously to send the item to the full board with a positive recommendation.
Item 4: Hearing on Artificial Intelligence in Local Elections (File 240029)
- Purpose: This hearing, called by Supervisor Preston, examined the city's preparedness for AI-related threats to elections, including disinformation and campaign manipulation.
- Presenters:
- Professor David Harris (UC Berkeley, advisor to CITED) highlighted the growing risks of AI-generated disinformation, citing examples like fake images, robocalls, and the spread of misinformation. He discussed four state bills (AB 3211, AB 2655, AB 2900, and SB 1228) aimed at watermarking, deep fake labeling, and voter verification, and recommended waiting until August/September to see their outcomes before local action.
- Director John Arntz (Department of Elections) detailed the department's role: it does not regulate campaign speech but maintains election integrity through secure voting systems (no internet connectivity, software reinstalled before each election, and manual audits). He described protocols for responding to misinformation and disinformation.
- Patrick Ford (Executive Director, Ethics Commission) and Michael Canning (Policy Director) discussed the city's disclaimer requirements for political adsches and noted that the commission does not enforce false content laws, but is updating compliance materials. They acknowledged that enforcement of AI-generated content is currently limited.
- Discussion: Supervisor Preston expressed alarm at the jurisdictional gaps, noting that no city agency currently enforces AB 730 (the state law addressing deepfakes). The committee discussed potential actions, including waiting for state legislation, exploring local enforcement, and engaging with the Brennan Center's recommendations.
- Vote: The hearing was filed unanimously.
Item 5: Ethics Commission Campaign Finance Regulations (File 240487)
- Proposal: The Ethics Commission submitted amendments to regulations, including those impacting home/office fundraisers (Regulation 1.126-9) and other campaign finance rules.
- Supervisor Concerns: Chair Ronin and Supervisor Safai expressed strong concerns that the regulations to value home/office space as an in-kind contribution would overburden grassroots campaigns, particularly affecting small donors and those in shared living situations. Supervisor Ronin also criticized the lack of increased contribution limits for over 20 years.
- Ethics Commission Position: Michael Canning clarified that the regulation is narrowly targeted to prohibit city contractors and those with pending land use matters from hosting fundraisers, closing a loophole they had identified. He argued it mirrors state lobbyist rules.
- Committee Discussion: Supervisors debated the breadth of the regulation, noting potential impacts on spouses, roommates, and business partners. They asked for clarification on whether the value of home space is considered a contribution (it is not under current state law, unless event costs exceed $500).
- Outcome: The committee voted unanimously to veto Regulation 1.126-9 and 1.127-4, sending the veto to the full board with a recommendation. Chair Ronin indicated openness to receiving revised language from the Ethics Commission that is more narrowly tailored.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1: Amended ordinance referred to Budget and Appropriations Committee (unanimous).
- Item 2: Sent to full board with positive recommendation (unanimous).
- Item 3: Sent to full board with positive recommendation (unanimous).
- Item 4: Hearing filed (unanimous).
- Item 5: Vetoed Regulations 1.126-9 and 1.127-4, with the full board to act by June 17, 2024 (unanimous). The committee expressed willingness to work with Ethics Commission on revised regulations.
Meeting Transcript
The meeting will come to order. This is the May 13th, 2024 Rules Committee meeting. I'm Supervisor Hillary Ronin, Chair of the Committee. I am joined by Committee Temporary Member Dean Preston, and we shall be joined by Supervisor Ash Safai shortly. Our clerk is Victor Young, and I would like to thank Matthew Ignao at SFGov TV for broadcasting this meeting. Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcements? Yes, public comment will be taken on each item on this agenda when your item of interest comes up and public comment is called. Please line up to speak. Alternatively, you may submit public comment in writing in either of the following ways. Email them to myself, the rules committee clerk at VICTOR dot Y O U N G at SFGov.org. If you submit public comment by email, it will be forwarded to the supervisors and included as part of the file. You may also send your written comment via U.S. mail to our office at one. Dr. Carlton B goodlet place. Room 244, San Francisco, California 94102. Please make sure to silence all cell phones and electronic devices. Documents to be included as part of the file should be submitted to the clerk. Items act upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda of May 21st, 2024, unless otherwise stated. That completes my initial announcements. Thank you. And I would like to make a motion to excuse Supervisor Shimon Walton from this meeting. Yes, on the motion to excuse uh uh Vice Chair Walton. Supervisor Preston. Aye. Preston aye. Supervisor Safai. Aye. Safaye aye. Chair Ronin. Aye. Ronan aye. The motion passes without objection. Motion passes. Thank you. Mr. Clerk, can you please call item number one? Yes, item number one. Item number one is the ordinance amending the administrative code to amend the language access ordinance to clarify department's responsibility to provide language access services to members of the public and to clarify the role of the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs. Thank you so much. And on behalf of Supervisor Walton, I would like to introduce two amendments to uh this uh ordinance. The first uh is on page 11, lines 20 through 24. Um adding the language upon request, an LEP person may request written materials that provide vital information to the public about the department's services or programs into a language not captured by the required or languages. However, the public utilities commission and the tax collector shall make resources available for LEP persons to understand their property tax and utility bills. And then additionally on page 24, lines 23 through 24, uh revising the top 20 languages to the ones with the highest access needs. Uh so the language that we'd be adding to the ordinance is the know your rights brochure shall be translated and made available in at least the top 20 most spoken languages in San Francisco that are most spoken and have the highest rate of language access needs. So if I can make a motion to amend um and I will wait to vote on that motion until we hear public comment. Yes. Oh, and uh question or comment from Supervisor Preston.
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