CA Legislature Passes Bill Giving... Option to Create Systems for Citizen Funded Elections

[Glia]

If you want to see more candidates like Michael the Bootmaker Guy and fewer candidates like Noreen the Arrogant Perennial Professional Politico Carpetbagger, having this bill get through the CA state legislature is good news indeed.

However, the party is not quite over: Governor Brown needs to sign it before it can become law and go in to effect. He does have the option to veto it. He needs to hear from you to "feel the bern" and sign it. Here's the press release from the California Clean Money Campaign on SB 1107:

SB 1107 on way to Governor Brown after passing with bipartisan support
California Clean Money Campaign, September 1st, 2016
SACRAMENTO -- Last night, the California legislature passed SB 1107, a bill to amend California's antiquated ban on public financing of campaigns and to allow local governments and the state to address special interests in politics by passing their own systems for citizen funding of election campaigns to magnify the voices of small donors and everyday voters.

SB 1107 was authored by Senator Ben Allen and coauthored by Senator Loni Hancock and Assemblymembers David Chiu and Lorena Gonzalez. Sponsored by the California Clean Money Campaign and California Common Cause, SB 1107 will allow public financing of campaigns in California elections if they're paid for by dedicated campaign finance trust funds and "available to all qualified, voluntarily participating candidates for the same office without regard to incumbency or political party preference".

"The overwhelming and bipartisan vote for SB 1107 shows the progress that can be made when elected officials listen to their constituents who are crying out for reform of our broken campaign finance system,"said Trent Lange, President of the California Clean Money Campaign. "Local governments and the state need the ability to explore citizen funded elections systems sensitive to their needs that give regular voters a stronger voice against Big Money special interests".

On Aug 31st, SB 1107 passed the Senate 27-12, with every Democrat except Senator Ben Hueso (D-Chula Vista) voting "Yes". Republican Senators Canella (R-Ceres) and Bob Huff (R-Brea) also joined Democrats in voting "Yes". On Aug 30th, SB 1107 had passed the Assembly 55-22, with every Democrat voting "Yes" joined by Republican Assemblymembers Catharine Baker (R-San Ramon), Ling Ling Chang (R-Brea), and David Hadley (R-Torrance) who all stood up for the voices of regular voters against special interests.

More than 42,000 Californians signed petitions urging the legislature and Governor Brown to pass SB 1107, and thousands more called their legislators. A coalition of 21 national organizations weighed in for the bill, and contributed an additional 50,000 petition signers from across the country urging California to lead. Besides SB 1107 sponsors California Clean Money Campaign and California Common Cause, organizations that actively worked to pass SB 1107 included: ACLU of California, California Church Impact, California Labor Federation, California League of Conservation Voters, California School Employees Association, CALPIRG, Courage Campaign, Daily Kos, Democracy for America, Friends of the Earth, GMO Free USA, League of Women Voters of California, Money Out Voters In, People Demanding Action, People For the American Way, Sierra Club California, Voices for Progress, and Wolf PAC.

SB 1107 was also endorsed by 99Rise, You Sow, Asian Americans Advancing Justice - California, California Forward, Corporate Accountability International, Environmental Action, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, Lutheran Office of Public Policy - California, Maplight, MAYDAY.US, National Council of Jewish Women - California, PICO California, Represent.Us, RootsAction.org, Rootstrikers, Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, UFCW Western States Council, and Watchdog.net.

"This is a long overdue reform that will enable local governments to enact public financing systems for campaigns if they want to," said Senator Ben Allen, author of SB 1107. "People across the political spectrum are fed up with the campaign funding arms race that candidates must engage in when running for office. With the enactment of this measure, we will create a path to a sensible alternative".

[Moon]

if you want to see more candidates like michael the bootmaker guy and fewer candidates like noreen the arrogant perennial professional politico carpetbagger [and shirlee, corporate real estate's…uh…woman] having this bill get through the ca state legislature is good news indeed.

(wolf pac. what a great name!)

ab 700 is now headed to governor brown's desk for his signature.

yay!

[Hotspring 44]

The text of the bill seems to be other than public funding of local or state elections campaigns per se.
It seems to me that it is more focused on a 1974 political corruption law than whatever so-called 'public funding' of elections (I did not see any crossed-out text as is usually the case when bills are amended).

Anyway, I do admit the legalese is confusing to layperson-non-lawyer people like me (may as well be Greek or Martian)...

...Could someone please explain how the bill would actually accomplish what is claimed?

CA Legislature Passes Bill Giving... Option to Create Systems for Citizen Funded Elect

[Glia]

An excellent question! The bill and its ramifications are not exactly intuitively obvious. I forwarded your post to the Calif Clean Money Campaign, and here is the response they provided (in under 2 hours, BTW):

The bill text specifically amends the Fair Political Practices Act of 1974 to include public funding as an option. We need Governor Brown to approve this bill so that the 28 year old ban on public financing can be lifted. The bill does NOT institute public financing. It just allows all cities, counties or municipalities that want to use citizen funded public financing to set up a means to do so. Currently, only charter cities are allowed public financing. Here is the link to the text, you can read it for yourself . . . it specifically talks about allowing citizen funded financing of elections. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/f...01520160SB1107

Additional information: https://www.commoncause.org/states/c...g-the-ban.html

Writing SB 1107 such that it only removes the ban rather than implementing some type of system or creating a trust fund for providing "clean money" campaign financing probably had a lot to do with it getting through the legislature... just my personal conjecture there.

After the Gov signs the bill , the next step is to implement a public campaign finance system for city, regional boards, and county-level elections.

At the top of my list is getting the Sonoma County Water Agency its own board of directors -- elected with clean money. That would make YUGE change for the better. Of course a very close second (again, IMO) is creating a public option for the county Board of Supervisors campaigns.

If you are interested enough in this rather wonky subject to be reading this sentence, please consider donating to the CCMC and/or getting on their mailing list. "Clean money" is a positive game-changer that we need in a big way.

- Kirsten

The text of the bill seems to be other than public funding of local or state elections campaigns per se.
It seems to me that it is more focused on a 1974 political corruption law than whatever so-called 'public funding' of elections (I did not see any crossed-out text as is usually the case when bills are amended).

Anyway, I do admit the legalese is confusing to layperson-non-lawyer people like me (may as well be Greek or Martian)...

...Could someone please explain how the bill would actually accomplish what is claimed?

[Hotspring 44]

Thanks for the link.
Now I understand it far more.

In my search off the bill, what I did find is a very technical legalese text that seemed to explain every detail of whatever it was, Ad nauseam.

An excellent question! The bill and its ramifications are not exactly intuitively obvious. I forwarded your post to the Calif Clean Money Campaign, and here is the response they provided (in under 2 hours, BTW):

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/f...01520160SB1107

Additional information: https://www.commoncause.org/states/c...g-the-ban.html

[Moon]

You can make your wish for Brown's signature on the bill known here: www.facebook.com/jerrybrown.

An excellent question! The bill and its ramifications are not exactly intuitively obvious. I forwarded your post to the Calif Clean Money Campaign, and here is the response they provided (in under 2 hours, BTW):

The bill text specifically amends the Fair Political Practices Act of 1974 to include public funding as an option. We need Governor Brown to approve this bill so that the 28 year old ban on public financing can be lifted. The bill does NOT institute public financing. It just allows all cities, counties or municipalities that want to use citizen funded public financing to set up a means to do so. Currently, only charter cities are allowed public financing. Here is the link to the text, you can read it for yourself . . . it specifically talks about allowing citizen funded financing of elections. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/f...01520160SB1107

Additional information: https://www.commoncause.org/states/c...g-the-ban.html

....