Clean Money Initiative Would Limit Campaign Contributions
Editorial
SACRAMENTO -- This fall, Californians will
vote on the merits of public financing for elections.
Supporters call it the "Clean Money Initiative" because,
they said, it will reduce the influence of lobbyists at the
state capitol. "I think the average voter and the average
person thinks that all of politics is corrupted by money,"
said Barbara O'Connor, director of the Institute for the
Study of Politics and Media. The California Nurses
Association sponsored the Clean Money Initiative, now known
as Prop 89. It would ban contributions from lobbyists and
place firm limits on campaign money from corporations,
unions and average citizens to no more than $500 to
legislative candidates and a maximum of $1,000 for
statewide offices, including governor and attorney general.
The funding for the Clean Money Initiative came not from
the general public but through an increase in corporate
taxes, and taxes will most certainly be a big campaign
issue this fall, NBC 11 reported. "This initiative
increases taxes, which is something that the governor has
said he opposes and will continue to oppose," said Julie
Soderlund, press secretary of Arnold Schwarzenegger's
campaign. The Schwarzenegger campaign said similar measures
have been struck down in other states and that California
law would likely be tied up in court for years. "I'm very
concerned about the amount of big money. I mean, this
governor has raised money from every big corporation in
America for his re-election campaign against me. I want to
see a fairer playing field -- more volunteers, more donors.
I'm going to take a look at the initiative," said
Democratic candidate Phil Angelides. O'Connor said the
concept of cleaning up elections will resonate with the
public. "I think they'll do almost anything to cut the
amount of money that's being spent and the ads that they're
having to watch financed by that money. They really hate
it. And it truly erodes the public trust in government,"
O'Connor said. Public financing systems are already in
place in Arizona, Maine and Connecticut, but the U.S.
Supreme Court ruled last month that campaign limits in
Vermont violated the First Amendment's guarantee of free
speech.
See the article on NBC11.com website