UPDATED: Kevin Jeffries Calls For Limits On Election Mailers

UPDATED at 3:23 p.m.: The Board of Supervisors today approved Riverside County Supervisor Kevin Jeffries' proposal to restrict mass mailings by supervisors ahead of an election and to limit when and how much they can spend from their discretionary accounts.

Jeffries, a former state lawmaker who is in his first term representing the county's First District that includes Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Lakeland Village, and others, received unanimous board support for Policy A-70, with conditions.

In documents he submitted to the board, the supervisor described the policy as promoting "greater transparency and a higher standard for members of the Board of Supervisors seeking re-election or election to another office."

The new policy will make it illegal for a supervisor to engage in mass mailings within 60 days of a primary, special or general election in which the supervisor is a candidate.

Mass mailings are defined by the Fair Political Practices Commission as 200 or more "substantially similar" pieces of mail bearing the name, office and picture of a political official.

State law provides for some exceptions. But Jeffries' policy closes "loopholes" by prohibiting even county departments from sending out a large number of announcements that include an incumbent supervisor's picture or name within 60 days of an election. Jeffries sought and got a provision that expressly prohibits the expenditure of any funds for that purpose during an election cycle.

Under A-70, a supervisor will also be blocked, within 60 days of an election, from awarding funds from his community improvement budget, which is discretionary money that can be distributed to nonprofits, county agencies, community groups and other organizations for a variety of purposes.

Each board member receives around $500,000 in community improvement funds to spend each fiscal year.

"The awarding of these funds immediately before an election can create the appearance of an unfair advantage for a member of the Board of Supervisors seeking re-election," Jeffries said.

According to the policy, a supervisor whose name is on a ballot shall not even agendize a request to proceed with a community improvement expenditure 60 days from an election. However, after a brief discussion, the supervisors agreed to a few exceptions -- the main one being that the 60-day rule will be waived in the event of a countywide emergency or major disaster.

The policy lastly mandates that supervisors vying for re-election or election to another office be restricted to using one-half of their community improvement budget during the first half of the fiscal year -- the July- December period -- and the second half in the last half of the year, January- June.

Jeffries did not cite any examples in bringing his proposal forward. However, around the time he took office in January, he announced that his predecessor -- the man he beat in the November election, five-term incumbent Bob Buster -- had spent all of the 2012-13 community improvement funds available to the First District, leaving the newcomer with no discretionary reserve.--City News Service