Election shows need for the California DISCLOSE Act

By Steve Levin, Letter to the Editor

It took an emergency California Supreme Court ruling on Sunday to reveal that the $11 million in secret campaign money spent on Prop. 32 and against Prop. 30 from an obscure Arizona nonprofit was actually laundered from other nonprofits associated with the Koch brothers. This clearly shows two things.

These hidden donations illustrate that Prop. 32's claims to be campaign reform are false. Real campaign reform initiatives aren't pushed by shadowy organizations that hide who's funding them. And they don't unilaterally disarm one side while creating special exemptions for corporations and billionaires. That's why real reform organizations like the California Clean Money Campaign, California Common Cause and the League of Women Voters of California all oppose Prop. 32.

It also illustrates how badly we need to pass the California DISCLOSE Act next year to strengthen our disclosure laws and to make sure that political ads have to show who really pays for them.

Steve Levin
Portola Valley

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