Gonzales Proposes Public Funding for Some Campaigns
San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales proposed full public funding today for future mayoral and city council campaigns.
``Today, I'm making a bold proposal for campaign finance reform,'' Gonzales said, speaking to reporters in the City Hall Rotunda. ``The time is right for campaign finance reform that assures that voters are in the driver's seat.''
Gonzales said publicly financed campaigns would cost city taxpayers only about a penny a day or less than $4 a year each. It would let candidates focus more on voter concerns than fundraising, and free elected officials from the perception that campaign contributors influence their decisions, he said.
``Asking for political contributions takes an enormous amount of time,'' Gonzales said. ``More and more voters are expressing concern about the way campaigns are run. There remains a strong perception that contributions influence how a politician votes. We need to eliminate this perception. San Jose voters themselves should own their elections.''
Gonzales, who is in the last year of his second and final four-year term as mayor, would not be affected by his proposal. It also would not affect this year's mayoral and council races.
Gonzales asked that the City Council direct the San Jose Elections Commission to study a ``voter-owned campaign ordinance'' that could be in effect by the June 2008 primary elections. He asked that the commission provide the council specific recommendations by August.
Gonzales was joined in his announcement by Councilwoman Nancy Pyle as well as backers of a bill that would provide public financing for legislative races.
Councilman Dave Cortese, a candidate for mayor and frequent critic of Gonzales, praised the mayor today for urging public campaign financing.
``The mayor introducing this is good leadership on his part,'' Cortese said. ``I have no problem with that. It's well worth studying.''
City Hall has been rocked by a series of scandals and controversies during Gonzales' tenure, and leading candidates in this year's mayoral race have made ethical and transparent government a key campaign theme.
The council approved new disclosure rules for lobbyists after former Councilman Terry Gregory pleaded guilty to failing to report gifts from developers and resigned last year. In December, the council censured Gonzales over what a civil grand jury called a ``back-room deal'' promising the city would cover higher labor costs for a trash hauler that also had contributed to his campaign.
Gonzales said today's announcement wasn't inspired by criticism of the trash-hauling contract specifically, but rather the fact that news reports consistently report campaign contributions in stories about controversial city decisions, suggesting the money influenced the decision.
``The opportunity in the future not to have that kind of statement is important,'' Gonzales said.
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