Lobbyists

On January 1, 2008, the City's new Lobbying Ordinance went into effect. Some of the most substantial changes to the ordinance involve replacing the old $2,730 registration threshold for contract lobbyists with a $1 threshold; implementing a new "10 lobbying contacts within 60 days" threshold for in-house lobbyists (referred to as "organization lobbyists" in the new ordinance); regulating a new type of lobbyist - "expenditure lobbyists" - which are individuals and entities that engage in indirect lobbying through such means as public outreach and advertising; and requiring that annual and quarterly disclosure forms be filed by lobbying entities rather than by each individual lobbyist.

The Ethics Commission has created a variety of Fact Sheets to help individuals and entities understand their responsibilities under the new Lobbying Ordinance. For these and other educational materials please refer to the list of documents posted below.

Relevant Documents

• San Diego Municipal Lobbying Ordinance (PDF: 77K)
• Lobbying Disclosure Forms
• 2008 Lobbying Fees (PDF: 7K)
• Lobbying Ordinance Fact Sheets
• Lobbying Ordinance "Frequently Asked Questions"
• Lobbyist Training PowerPoint (PDF: 519K)
• List of Registered Lobbying Firms and Organization Lobbyists

Lists of 'City Officials'

• City Officials: Elected Officials and Unclassified Employees (rev. Oct. 15, 2008) (PDF: 68K)
• City Officials: Members of Boards, Commissions, and Committees (rev. March 11, 2008) (PDF: 14K)
• City Officials: Officers of City Agencies (rev. Feb. 26, 2008) (PDF: 25K)

2008 Review of City's Lobbying Laws

• Threshold for Fundraising Activities After January 1, 2009 Increased to $2,000 (PDF: 102K)
• Proposed Amendments to Lobbying Ordinance (Oct. 9, 2008) (PDF: 73K)
• Executive Director Memo to City Council - Proposed Amendments (Oct. 9, 2008) (PDF: 43K)
• Proposed Amendments to Lobbying Ordinance (Sept. 26, 2008) (PDF: 75K)
• Executive Director Memo to the Rules Committee - Post-Enactment Issues (Sept. 18, 2008) (PDF: 38K)
• Proposed Amendments to Lobbying Ordinance (Sept. 5, 2008) (PDF: 74K)
• Staff Memo to Ethics Commission - Post-Enactment Issues (July 31, 2008) (PDF: 58K)
• Executive Director Memo to Ethics Commission (May 8, 2008) (PDF: 23K)
• Proposed Amendments to Lobbying Ordinance - Fundraising Activities (May 2, 2008) (PDF: 21K)

2005-2007 Review of City's Lobbying Laws

• Commission Chair and Executive Director Memo to City Council (May 11, 2007) (PDF: 90K)
• Commission Chair and Executive Director Memo to City Council and City Attorney (April 16, 2007) (PDF: 32K)
• Executive Director Memo to Rules Committee (Feb. 21, 2007) (PDF: 117K) - Note: Attachments to memo are available at the City Clerk's Office.
• Comparison of Lobbying Laws in Other Jurisdictions (Feb. 15, 2007) (PDF: 249K)