Exclusive | Fraudulent signature gathering for California ballot initiative caught on video in San Francisco

A video appeared to show a group in San Francisco illegally offering strangers $5 in exchange for their signatures on a state ballot initiative — even giving one participant a name and address to use on the form.

The video, captured by X user JJ Smith, shows a crowd of people near downtown San Francisco standing in line to add their names to the paperwork.

When the person filming asks why they are there, a man responds: “It’s for signing a petition. You get five bucks to sign a petition.”

Later, a woman at a table where the paperwork is being handed out can be heard instructing someone to sign the name Carol Sanderson of Avila Beach.

A petition circulated by Building a Better California — a billionaire-backed ballot initiative that aims to prohibit taxes on personal wealth — is visible in the video.

“To be clear, we absolutely do not tolerate this or any type of fraudulent activity in the signature-gathering process,” said Abby Lunardini, a spokesperson for Building a Better California, backed by Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

“The campaigns have demanded that the signature-gathering agency identify the circulator and reject any petitions that are received from that circulator.”

The Post is told that the fraudulent signature gatherers were paying for ink for other petitions as well.

“They are also alerting the appropriate authorities,” Lunardini added, referring to those campaigns.

The ballot measure in question, the Retirement and Personal Savings Protection Act, needs about 874,000 valid signatures to qualify for a November vote. It would ban taxes like the controversial billionaire tax that has some ultra-wealthy residents packing their bags for cheaper states.

“As soon as we became aware of the activities in question, we demanded that our signature-gathering firm identify the petition circulator, reject any and all petitions submitted by this circulator,” added Nathan Click, a spokerperson for the Retirement and Personal Savings Protection Act.

“We are requiring the signature-gathering firm to ensure that all protocols are strictly enforced.” 

The California Secretary of State is responsible for validating signatures for voter initiatives.

A Secretary of State spokesperson told The Post that it is illegal to offer cash for signatures and to knowingly file petitions that include forged signatures.

“In California, the initiative process is an important part of our democracy and those who abuse our system will be held to accountable,” a spokesperson said.

“We are currently reviewing this matter and appreciate the report.  If anyone has further information about this incident, please send us information,” they added, pointing to a voter complaint website.

“Signature gathering has been off the rails for years,” Paul Mitchell, a Sacramento political consultant, wrote on X.

He speculated that “a street-level contractor is defrauding the contractor one level above them who is paying for the signatures.”

“It is fraudulent but a business fraud. No ballot measure committee wants this behavior, and no county will validate these signatures,” he explauned.

“But this is an instance where a street level contractor is defrauding the contractor one level above them who is paying for the signatures. None of these will qualify, but the woman at the table may get paid and have bailed before anyone finds out.”

Building a Better California has raised some $45 million from a coalition of wealthy Californians, including Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who gave $20 million to the effort.

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Stripe founder Patrick Collison, Ripple chairman Chris Larsen and venture capitalist Michael Moritz gave $2 million each, another other donations.

The group has authored four measures for the November ballot that it says will address affordability, housing and good government issues. They include an affordable housing bond, a plan to close loopholes in schools funding, require regular audits of state spending and the ban on wealth taxes.

The billionaire-funded group is also supporting two other measures to streamline housing construction and cut red tape in permitting for infrastructure projects. Those are sponsored by the Nor Cal Carpenters Union and the California Chamber of Commerce, respectively.

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