by Josh Koehn : sfstandard – excerpt
Two nonprofits working to keep JFK Drive and the Great Highway car-free appeared to skirt IRS and election rules this summer when they solicited tax-deductible donations to fund a campaign fight that has consumed City Hall for more than a year.
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and Walk San Francisco, which receive city funding and advocate for safer streets for cyclists and pedestrians, respectively, sent emails in July encouraging their members to make tax-free donations for the election battle on whether cars should return to the coveted roadways.
While 501c3 nonprofits can advocate on political issues and ballot measures, the money used to fund these campaigns has to be properly reported, and this money cannot be used for tax write-offs.
The proponents of Proposition I, which seeks to return vehicle access to the Great Highway in the Sunset and JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park, claimed in complaints filed with the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) and the San Francisco Ethics Commission that the nonprofits violated these laws. Both the Bicycle Coalition and Walk SF support Prop. J, which would codify an ordinance passed by the Board of Supervisors to keep the roadways car-free, a move that occurred early in the pandemic…(more)
I appears that other campaign rules are being broken if the scene is in a city hall meeting. I thought people are not allowed to bring campaign signs into the meetings. Did that rule change? May we all show up with signs now?