The Public Disclosure Commission is soliciting comment on proposed rules that would update F-1 filing requirements and clarify the process for reporting modification requests.

The rules will be the subject of a public hearing at 9:45 a.m. Jan. 28, 2021. Written comments should be submitted to pdc@pdc.wa.gov, attention Sean Flynn, by Jan. 8, 2021.

Curious about who’s funding recall efforts involving local elected officials?  

Here’s how to find that information on the PDC website.  

Recalls are ballot propositions, and groups that raise or spend money to support or fight a ballot proposition are political committees, or PACs.  

To find the PACs involved in a local recall election, start here. 

The page defaults to the current year. Type the official’s last name (and/or first name) or the committee name in the filter box under the Committee heading. A search may also reveal if there is a committee raising money to defend that official.  

The Public Disclosure Commission Thursday voted unanimously to fine former Bothell Mayor Joshua Freed $50,000 – with half the penalty suspended – for campaign violations related to personal loans to his unsuccessful 2020 campaign for governor. 

Freed acknowledged in a stipulation negotiated with PDC staff that he exceeded the $6,000 limit on repayment of a personal loan to his campaign. The campaign repaid him at least $450,000 of a $500,000 loan  –  later characterized as a contribution – he made at the start of his campaign. He also acknowledged that the campaign filed incorrect reports concerning the contribution and/or loan. 

The stipulation cited aggravating factors in the case, noting that the loans and/or contributions made up the majority of Freed’s campaign funds and that the public was deprived of significant information for a good portion of the 2020 primary election cycle. 

Emerging issues around digital political ads 

Commissioners heard an update about the work Vice Chair Fred Jarrett and Commissioner Russ Lehman are leading to research problems and potential solutions for the complex issues created by the rise of digital political advertising.

PDC staff members are consulting with researchers, political consultants, media, the digital ad industry and regulatory officials in other states to explore potential improvements to disclosure requirements around digital ads.

The first step is to discern what information is important to the public to learn from digital political ads, and who should provide that information.

A potential solution is a public digital political ad archive. But Jarrett noted that the PDC must “make sure we understand the problem we are trying to solve” before arriving at a solution.

Commission fines former Olympia city manager 

In a 4-1 vote, the Commission levied a $10,000 fine – with half suspended – against former Olympia City Manager Steve Hall. The fine was the result of a 2019 mailer the city created and sent urging voters to reject Initiative 976, following a City Council vote opposing it.  State law prohibits the use of public resources to support or oppose a ballot measure. 

Hall accepted responsibility for the mailer as the ultimate decision-maker, and entered into a stipulated agreement with the PDC over the fine. Commission members debated whether responsibility for the campaign finance violation was more widespread. 

Financial affairs statements back online

After a temporary pause, the Commission voted to restore online access to Personal Financial Affairs (F-1) reports filed by elected and appointed officials. The reports went back online June 26.

Online access to F-1 reports was initially suspended May 24, following concerns expressed by state officials from Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech) and members of the Legislature. They had questioned whether F-1 records could be a contributing factor in future fraudulent unemployment insurance claims. Commission Chair David Ammons authorized the temporary suspension after hearing those concerns.

A majority of Commission members had voted May 28 to lift it, following a consultation with technology experts at their June 25 meeting.

The Public Disclosure Commission has temporarily suspended online access to Financial Affairs Disclosure (F-1) reports until June 26.

After officials from Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech) and members of the Legislature raised concerns about whether the records could be a source of information for fraudulent unemployment claims, Chair David Ammons authorized PDC staff to remove the reports from the PDC website on May 24. Two days later, WaTech requested the PDC maintain the suspension until more was known. 

PDC staff did an initial analysis of traffic to the data to see if it could identify suspicious activity and did not find anything extraordinary.