Change campaigns
Re: William Hicks' Jan. 6 letter, "Business as usual":
Hicks is right about the loopholes that continue the business-as-usual shenanigans of campaign financing. However, I believe he is missing the elephant in the room regarding trying to limit donations to campaigns and trying to track their origins.
Throwing out everyone in office does not solve the problem. It only allows a different group to get involved with big donations, and, thus big favors. We need to change how we finance campaigns so politicians stay focused on the job we sent them to accomplish. Politicians need to get out of the fundraising game and get back to solving California's problems.
We need to change the way election campaigns are financed in California so politicians can work for all the voters, not just the special interests. The California Fair Elections Act is a pilot project to make voluntary public financing available to Secretary of State candidates in 2014 and 2018.
It will impose strict reporting requirements, ban participating candidates from raising money from lobbyists, and ensure that only candidates who show broad support and agree to strict spending limits would receive funding. For more information, check it out at http://www.YesFairElections.org.
The California Fair Elections Act will be on the June ballot. I say it's time to change our campaign financing and I support the California Fair Elections Act.
- Sandy Emberland,
Thousand Oaks
See the article on Ventura County Star website
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