Leno, Breed qualify for matching funds

San Francisco mayoral candidates Mark Leno and London Breed each added $100,000 to their respective campaign coffers after becoming the first candidates to qualify for the city’s public financing program.

The Ethics Commission announced Tuesday that Breed and Leno were the first candidates in the mayor’s race to qualify for public money, but their rivals, Jane Kim and Angela Alioto, aren’t far behind. Kim and Alioto also have applied for the public financing program and both are expected to hear back from the commission in a matter of weeks on whether they had qualified.

Non-incumbent mayoral candidates can receive matching funds of up to $975,000 in public financing from the city, money that’s meant to help offset the costs of campaigning. By accepting the money, the candidates must also agree to a $1,475,000 campaign expenditure cap.

To qualify for the public financing program, candidates have to first show that they’ve raised $50,000 in campaign contributions from at least 500 city residents in amounts of between $10 and $100. Once they cross that threshold, which gets them the initial $100,000, candidates can continue to apply for additional matching grants from the city.

The city’s public financing program was created in 2000 and extended to mayoral candidates in 2006.