The Facts

The $500 campaign contribution limit was set in 1973, and the Ethics Commission is trying to raise it. However, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman is not sure it has the votes.

The Ethics Commission proposal would raise candidate contribution limits from $500 to $1,000, index them to inflation, simplify spending limits, and increase the public-financing match from $6 to $8 per qualified dollar without raising each candidate’s maximum subsidy.

The Context

Before the Ethics Commission approved it 5-0 in September 2025, GrowSF explained the imbalance: candidate committees face frozen caps while Super PACs and other independent committees can accept unlimited donations.

San Francisco first set the limit at $500 in 1973. It reached $1,000 in 1983, but pushed back down to $500 in 1986 via Prop F. Keeping pace with inflation would put the limit around $3,500 today.

The GrowSF Take

Low donation limits do not remove big money from politics. They push it into Super PACs that candidates cannot control.

We support raising the limit to $3,500. Let candidates raise money transparently, communicate directly with voters, and take responsibility for their own campaigns. That would reduce the relative power of outside spending and bring a half-century-old limit in line with today’s costs.

The astute reader may ask: "But isn't GrowSF a Super Pac?" Indeed, but that doesn't mean we don't support reforms that reduce the influence of outside money! We want good civic outcomes, not good-for-our-bottom-line outcomes.