Mark Farrell Agrees to $108,000 Ethics Fine

San Francisco mayoral candidate Mark Farrell has agreed to a $108,000 fine after the Ethics Commission found violations of campaign finance laws, marking one of the largest penalties in the city's history. The commission discovered that Farrell's mayoral campaign received nearly $94,000 from a political action committee he created for Proposition D, allowing for unlimited contributions, unlike mayoral campaigns capped at $500 per donor. This commingling of funds was deemed to provide Farrell an unfair advantage in the mayoral race. The Ethics Commission highlighted the serious violation of transparency and campaign finance rules, emphasizing the public's right to know how campaigns are funded. Farrell, who described the issue as an 'accounting error,' had previously settled a similar case in 2016. The settlement, announced just before an upcoming election, underscores ongoing ethical concerns in his campaign.