Yes on Proposition 15: Elections Should be Won, Not Bought
By Anjuli Kronheim, Commentary
Are you outraged by the amount of money in politics and the
recent Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court ruling allowing
corporations to spend unlimited amounts on federal
campaigns?
Since 2000, over $1 billion has been raised by California
politicians. All this fundraising buys access for the
special interests, but shuts out the rest of us.
That's why California's government is broken. We have many
serious problems to fix in California, from our schools to
our budget to our health care system. But rather than
solving California's problems, politicians are busy raising
money for their campaigns. We need to get politicians out
of the fundraising game so they will focus on our
priorities.
Proposition 15, the California Fair Elections Act, changes
the way we finance election campaigns, starting with a
voluntary pilot project to provide limited public financing
for Secretary of State candidates in 2014 and 2018. The
Secretary of State is the referee of our elections, so it's
especially important that she or he be the person with the
best ideas and experience, not the most money.
Prop 15 is tough:
• Candidates who agree to use public funds must prove
they have substantial support by gathering signatures and
$5 contributions from 7,500 registered voters.
• Participating candidates are banned from raising or
spending money beyond the limited funds.
• Spending limits and reporting requirements are
strictly enforced. Candidates can only spend on legitimate
expenses. Violators would face fines, possible jail time,
and prohibitions from running for office in the future.
Prop 15 pays for itself, primarily through registration
fees on lobbyists, lobbying firms, and lobbyist employers.
No taxpayer dollars are used for Prop 15, despite its
oppositions' misleading claims to the contrary. Currently
lobbyists only pay $12.50 per year in California, one of
the lowest rates in the country.
We know that Fair Elections work. Nearly 400 candidates
from different backgrounds have been elected with this
system in eight states and two cities- new people with new
ideas from all walks of life, not the same old career
politicians. Because they never take campaign
contributions, they speak their mind and work for the
people, not the special interests.
Fair Elections save taxpayers money. As one example,
lobbyists stopped Connecticut from expanding its bottle
recycling bill for a decade, but that changed when 81
percent of Connecticut's legislature was elected with Fair
Elections in 2008. A new recycling bill generated almost
$17 million in additional revenue annually for the state,
more than paying for the entire Fair Elections system with
that one bill.
Prop 15 is endorsed by the League of Women Voters of
California, the California Nurses Association, California
Common Cause, AARP, AFSCME, California Church Impact,
Consumer Federation of California, the California Labor
Federation, Sierra Club, and nearly 400 other leaders and
organizations. It's a once-in-a-generation opportunity to
stop Big Money's control of Sacramento by allowing
California to eventually expand public financing to all
offices -- starting with the crucial Secretary of
State.
Learn more atwww.YesOnProp15.org
LA organizer for California Common Cause
See the article on South Los Angeles Report website