Ventura County Residents Say Yes to Proposition 15, the California Fair Elections Act
Assemblymember Julia Brownley, Ventura County Supervisors Steve Bennett, Kathy Long, Linda Parks, & John Zaragoza, and California Nurses Association co-pesident Geri Jenkins, RN join state and local leaders to support Proposition 15
Camarillo - On the heels of the recent U.S. Supreme Court
ruling on corporate money's role in elections,
Assemblymember Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica), Ventura
County Supervisors Steve Bennett, Kathy Long, Linda Parks,
and John Zaragoza, and California Nurses Association
co-president Geri Jenkins, RN came together with community
leaders today to educate the Ventura County community about
Proposition 15, the California Fair Elections Act, a ballot
proposition which would get elected officials out of the
fundraising game and focused on solving California's
problems.
For example, fair elections can help solve California's
health care problems. "The California Fair Elections Act
will help our state implement real reform of the health
care system," said Geri Jenkins, co-President of the
California Nurses Association. "Nurses know that
eliminating the campaign contributions from the deep-pocket
special interests - the HMO's, drug companies and the
insurance industry - that overwhelm our elections will free
our elected representatives to work for the best interest
of Californians and guarantee health care to all
Californians."
Since 2000, over $1 billion has been raised by California
politicians, buying special interests unprecedented access
but shutting out the rest of us. That's why polls show
nearly three out of four voters want to change the way
elections in California are financed.
Authored by Senator Loni Hancock (D-Oakland) and signed by
Governor Schwarzenegger, the California Fair Elections Act
would establish a voluntary pilot project for California's
Secretary of State races in 2014 and 2018. Candidates would
qualify for public financing if they agree to strict
spending prohibitions and raise a large number of $5
contributions from Californians. The pilot program would be
funded primarily by fees on lobbyists, lobbying firms, and
lobbyist employers, with no taxpayer dollars going to
candidates.
A version of the California Fair Elections Act is already
in place in seven states and two cities. Nearly 400
candidates were elected using only fair elections funding
in their 2008 campaigns, and the programs enjoy popular
support across party lines. National surveys show that two
out of three voters support public financing.
"Proposition 15 is a critical first step toward putting
public policy back into the middle of California's
democracy rather than special interests", said
Assemblymember Julia Brownley. The states that have already
instituted clean money campaigns have consistently
demonstrated that the system encourages more competition
and greater voter participation. Taking money out of
politics is not a liberal or a conservative issue, it is an
issue of civil justice."
When these financial barriers are eliminated, as they have
been in Arizona and Maine, more women and people of color
are allowed to run for office. In Arizona, Former Governor
Janet Napolitano was elected under the fair elections
system and the number of Latino and Native American
candidates running for office nearly tripled in the first
year that the system went fully into effect, from 13 in
2000 to 37 in 2002.
Voters are ready for elections that money can't buy. In an
October 2009 survey, likely June 2010 voters supported the
California Fair Elections Act by a nearly 3-1 margin.
Support held strong across all political parties and
geographic regions of California with support of 65% among
Latinos, 65% among Democrats, 65% among independents, and
59% among Republicans.
"Under a fair elections system, elected officials truly
represent voters, not campaign donors," said Trent Lange,
chairman of the California Fair Elections Campaign. "Public
financing has freed elected officials across the country to
pass bi-partisan, groundbreaking legislation that is only
possible when our leaders do not fear retribution from
powerful special interests."
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