Mark Farrell's Formula
Grow the System. Exploit the System.
Violate Campaign Laws
The Largest Ethics Fine in SF History.
Then Ethics Commissioner Peter Keane:
Mark Farrell 'Intentionally,' 'Deliberately,' and 'Fraudulently' helped coordinate with his expenditure committee.
— SFGate
Hide Major Debt
"Mark Farrell owes $675,000 to a prominent San Francisco family, a debt he failed to disclose as legally required, the Chronicle has learned.
The loan, which the family extended to Farrell to help him purchase its home for nearly $5 million in 2020, will come due in the middle of his tenure if he wins the upcoming election."
— SF Chronicle
Pay-to-Play Schemes
Mark unethically used behest payments, the favorite tool of Mohammed Nuru, who is now serving a seven-year federal sentence for fraud.
“Farrell solicited donations to his favorite nonprofit from companies that were attempting at around the same time to influence him to act in their favor.”
Mark Farrell Directed Almost $1 Million to Disgraced Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru's Slush Fund.
Corrupt Felon and Close Farrell Associate Mohammed Nuru
A report by the city’s Ethics Commission in 2020 found that Farrell acted as an intermediary for $882,500 in “behested payments,” which are donations from private entities that Farrell passed along to the Parks Alliance, a nonprofit that disgraced former Public Works director Mohammed Nuru used as a slush fund in the City Hall corruption scandal.
— SF Chronicle
As Interim Mayor, Farrell Appointed his Big Donors to Coveted Commissions.
Build a Corrupt System
The Bureaucracy Mark Farrell Built
Mark Farrell neglected to audit nonprofit and city contracts.
— SF City Clerk, Meeting Minutes, SF Board of Supervisors
Mark Farrell voted with Mayor London Breed 95% of the time.
— Budget and Finance Committee, SF Board of Supervisors
Mark Farrell authorized a commission almost every year as supervisor.
— Clerk Records, SF Board of Supervisors
Abuse Personal Slush Fund
The Standard’s investigation “found that he used leftover money from a 2016 Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC) to wine and dine unnamed constituents and more than three dozen meetings for meals.”
After being appointed mayor, “Farrell continued to tap into the campaign account while also using it to accept thousands of dollars.”
Peter Gallotta, a member of the DCCC since 2017, said that Farrell’s spending appears to be a “clear abuse” of his officeholder account.
“They’re not personalized ATM accounts for people,” Gallotta said. “I think it’s shameful to raise money and then use that money for wining and dining. It erodes public trust.”
Conduct Private Business in City Hall
Mark Farrell Admitted to Conducting Private Business in City Hall
In a 2021 discussion, Mark Farrell said conversations inside City Hall were used to further his investments.
“Literally met them inside of City Hall in San Francisco, translated to discussions outside with our venture fund.”
Mark Farrell
“We believe Mark’s role as Mayor of San Francisco (as short as his term will be) will inure to the long-term benefit of Thayer Ventures.”
Farrell’s business partners [SF Chronicle]
Circumvent Campaign Finance Limitations
Mark Farrell’s Campaign Committee and His Ballot Measure Committee Are Pooling Funds
This practice circumvents the $500 cap on individual contributions to a candidate's campaigns while allowing unlimited donations to PACs.
“For all his talk of law and order, Farrell and his campaign are quite comfortable with aggressively pushing legal limits of their own.”
— SF Chronicle
"Three former San Francisco mayors — along with other former local elected officials — issued a remarkable rebuke of mayoral candidate Mark Farrell, accusing him of breaking the law in how he is managing his campaign finances and calling for an investigation."
— SF Chronicle