State Races Need Clean Money

By Nancy Neff, Letter to the Editor

Californians would benefit if legislators' "status in the house" depended on their legislative ability and not on how much money they raised for the party.

An upcoming bill has the potential to change the whole lousy system. AB 583, the Clean Money and Fair Elections Act, would create a pilot program to allow public campaign financing for the secretary of state, who regulates elections and lobbyists. It would be funded by a voluntary tax-return checkoff and an increase in lobbyist registration fees.

Lobbyists are the only serious organized opposition to this bill, and it's no wonder. If California eventually gets full public financing of election campaigns, lawmakers will be focused on the needs of the people and not worried about what the lobbyists and their employers think.

Nancy Neff
Palo Alto

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