Task Force Takes Aim at the City’s Campaign Laws

Sixteen lawyers, lobbyists and businessmen gathered in a City Hall hearing room Wednesday for a dull but significant meeting--the first session of San Diego’s Campaign Review Task Force, established three weeks ago to suggest major reforms in city campaign laws.

In many ways, it was a typical start-up session. Chairman Mark Nelson, executive director of the San Diego Taxpayers Assn., showed everyone where the coffeepot was, offered committee assignments and handed out fat black binders containing “homework”--copies of the city’s 1975 campaign reporting ordinance, the state’s 1974 Political Reform Act and a 1981 study (never approved by the council) that suggested changes in city law.

But for all the attention to procedural details, there was a hint of the sparks to come in a committee where campaign consultants sit with campaign watchdogs.

For instance, Pat Shea, a Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps attorney who does political consulting work, called the city’s current campaign law “a piece of Swiss cheese.”

He said it contains so many loopholes that “it’s going to be very difficult” for the task force to come up with short-term reforms in 60 days, as the council had asked.

But Councilman William Jones, who had created the task force, urged members to try anyway.

“I expect us to do something before the November election,” Jones said. “If there’s some loophole that should be closed without creating any large problems, let’s look for that.”

Another task force member who showed his fire was Mark Zerbe, coordinator for the San Diego chapter of Common Cause and an outspoken critic of local campaign reporting practices.

There were smiles and knowing looks as Zerbe, who initially had refused to serve on the task force with the lobbyists, asked that all task force members be required to file a statement of economic interest, disclosing any personal benefits they might reap from changes in campaign law.

When Zerbe’s motion died without a second, he wasn’t pleased.

“This is definitely going to be an uphill battle for getting real campaign reform,” he said bitterly as the first session ended.

Also not impressed with the opening meeting was Nancy MacHutchin, a political fund-raiser who works for San Diego Mayor Roger Hedgecock.

“I think it was too bureaucratic,” said MacHutchin who hopes to serve on the task force’s committee on campaign contribution limits. “If it were a little more informal, people would open up more--share the same concerns that they talk about at cocktail parties.”

Still, it marked the start of campaign law review that some task force members thought was overdue.

“The enforcement provisions of the present ordinance are wholly inadequate,” Shea said as the meeting ended. “I’m not sure we’re going to be able to come up with some stopgap enforcement provisions” in 60 days, he said, adding that what the city really needed was a full-time enforcement officer who was not accountable to the city council.

The city currently has a $250 limit on contributions by individuals, and does not allow campaign contributions by labor organizations, businesses or political action committees. Critics like Zerbe claim that law is often violated.

The task force intends to meet at City Hall at 9 a.m. on the fourth Friday of each month. Its committee on enforcement, which includes Shea, Zerbe and attorney Terry Knoepp, is to meet next on April 10.

Jones said all task force and committee meetings are open to the public.