California's Leading Reform Organizations to Chair California Fair Elections Campaign
SACRAMENTO, CA - The California Fair Elections campaign
today announced that the League of Women Voters of
California, the California Clean Money Action Fund,
California Common Cause, and the California Nurses
Association will co-chair the campaign to pass the
California Fair Elections Act on the June 8, 2010 ballot.
Authored by Loni Hancock and signed by Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger, the ballot measure would establish a
voluntary pilot public financing program for the 2014 and
2018 Secretary of State races.
"We are thrilled to have the League of Women Voters,
the California Clean Money Action Fund, California Common
Cause and the California Nurses Association leading our
campaign to pass the California Fair Elections Act which
will enable our elected officials to stay focused on their
priorities, rather than spending all their time
fundraising," said Trent Lange, chairman of
Californians for Fair Elections. "With more than three
in four California voters saying they want to change the
way elections are financed, it is clear that the California
Fair Elections Campaign begins 2010 in a strong
position."
"Nurses increasingly feel we cannot take care of our
patients the way they deserve without curbing the influence
of big money donors," said Zenei Cortez, RN,
Co-President of the California Nurses Association.
"Real health care reform will only be achieved when
elected officials are representing voters, not industry
lobbyists. That's why we support the California Fair
Elections Act."
If passed, the California Fair Elections Act would impose
strict reporting requirements and prohibitions on campaign
spending for participating candidates. Participating
candidates would be banned from raising or spending money
beyond the limited public financing. Violators would face
fines, possible jail time, and prohibitions from running
for office in the future.
"We've known for a while that voters are mad as hell about big money in political campaigns," said Derek Cressman, spokesman for Common Cause. "Now Californians can do something about it by creating a system to allow candidates to run for office without begging for huge contributions, while having strict enforcement of campaign spending limits."
"From schools, to job growth, to health care, California has many serious problems to fix," said Janis R. Hirohama, President of the League of Women Voters of California. "We strongly support the California Fair Elections Act to get politicians out of the fundraising game so that they will focus on our state's priorities."
For more information please visit http://www.yesfairelections.org/.
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