Ed Lee's Mustache: How Much Did It Cost?

What could Rose Pak possibly do with 20,000 mustaches?

​Perhaps one of the most memorable moments of the Run, Ed, Run campaign was back in June when Chinatown power broker Rose Pak ran out and purchased 20,000 stick-on mustaches, which look the one Ed Lee wears, to pass out at the Giants game where the mayor was expected to throw the first pitch.

But her plan to play politics proved to be a complete waste of money after Lee decided to use his game time as a moment to honor two firefighters who had just died in a house fire. A very pouty Pak told reporters at the time, "Now, I'm stuck with 20,000 mustaches, and I want to stick them on his ass."

So what did she do with all of those mustaches?

Hell if we know. Pak never called us back, and campaign records show no trace of the mass of faux hair. We called Enrique Pearce, the consultant behind the Run, Ed, Run campaign, who told us that Progress for All never purchased any stupid 'staches -- so they aren't his problem.

Initially, John St. Croix, director of the Ethics Commission, told us he didn't remember any mustaches being purchased for campaign purposes, nor did he see them reported in campaign finance records that were filed on June 30. But after a little more research, he called us back to say that Pak indeed bought them. However, she wasn't obligated to report them since she didn't end up distributing them at the game, he said.

"They were never actually used, so they aren't a contribution," St. Croix told us. "So if those mustaches are in a box in her closet, then there's no issue -- it's not a violation."

Aaron Peskin is offended by fake mustaches

​Tell that to the nine other candidates, some of whom have requested a formal investigation into the Run, Ed, Run campaign. Aaron Peskin, chair of the local Democratic Party, himself has been closely tracking the oddities in the campaign. Last week, he wrote to the Ethics Commission, pointing out what other mayoral candidates have been lamenting: This campaign is bogus and illegal.

So Peskin (who, by the way, has a real mustache) gave his take on the 20,000 staches, telling us this only bolsters his argument that the entire Run, Ed, Run campaign is more than likely a felony crime.

"They weren't reported anywhere," Peskin says. "Show me the mustache cash."

Follow us on Twitter at @SFWeekly and @TheSnitchSF