In line with long-standing efforts to update campaign finance rules, the San Mateo City Council voted 4-1 on Monday, Nov 6, to adopt voluntary expenditure limits and remove candidate statement fees, with Mayor Amourence Lee admonishing the measures as toothless reform.

The move was an extension of ongoing discussions and priority-setting by the City Council on how to lower barriers to entry and widen the pool of candidates running for local office. But Lee was quick to voice her disapproval, stating the expenditure limit proposed by staff is already at the higher end of typical campaign costs, which ranged from $17,000 to $57,000 for successful city candidates during the 2022 election, according to a staff report.