County : Publicity Authorized on Solicitation Disclosures

A publicity campaign on how state and local laws affect solicitation for charity was authorized Tuesday by the county Board of Supervisors.

“State law requires that someone soliciting for a charity make certain disclosures on an information card,” Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder said. “Our 36-year-old county ordinance requires the same thing. The problem is, nobody knows these laws exist--not even the charities--and, needless to say, those laws are not enforced.”

Wieder said the supervisors’ action “will help spread the word” on what a solicitor for a charity must do when raising funds in unincorporated areas of the county.

State and local laws require charitable organizations to file information specifying the purpose of the campaign, the amount of money actually going to charity after expenses and whatever agreements have been made with fund-raisers.

Wieder and Supervisor Thomas F. Riley said in a joint letter to other board members that the publicity campaign would inform people “that our dollars are used for the services they were intended for and not for the profit of an individual or for a frivolous expense.”

The supervisors said that as much as $10,000 may be required to supplement the budget of the county’s public information office, which will alert news media on the issue, coordinate activities with the district attorney’s Consumer Protection Unit and notify solicitors who do not comply with the law.