Mayoral candidate Mark Farrell was hit with a $108,000 fine for spending money from a Prop D fundraising committee he started on his mayoral campaign.
On Thursday, San Francisco’s Department of Elections released another round of ballot results confirming what we already suspected: mayoral candidate Mark Farrell’s dismal fourth-place finish and the likely failure of Proposition D, which sought cap the number of city oversight commissions at 65 and increase the mayor’s authority.
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Farrell’s political demise seemed inevitable after the Chronicle reported one day before the election that Farrell had received a huge $108,000 ethics fine for spending money from a Prop D fundraising committee he started on his mayoral campaign.
But the potential of Prop D’s loss delivered a surprising 1-2 punch — especially, no doubt, to the billionaires who poured unprecedented amounts of money into both campaigns.
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Prop D had the backing of local venture capitalist Michael Moritz, Republican billionaire William Obendorf, and real estate magnate Thomas Coates. Obendorf and Coates also donated hundreds of thousands to support Farrell. All told the Prop D campaign received more than $9 million in donations, making it the most expensive measure on the ballot. Farrell’s campaign........