Posted on 09/06/2006 3:30:30 PM PDT by calcowgirl
State Sen. Debra Bowen, a candidate for secretary of state, is pushing efforts to reduce the advantage enjoyed by well-heeled special interests in qualifying ballot initiatives.
Bowen, a Marina del Rey Democrat who is running against Republican incumbent Bruce McPherson, outlined her concerns Wednesday in a breakfast meeting with The Bee's Capitol Bureau.
California's current process is a far cry from Hiram Johnson's vision when he created the initiative as a check on the power of railroads to control the Legislature, Bowen said.
"Certainly, he did not have in mind that anybody who had a million dollars could qualify just about anything they wanted," Bowen said.
"It's that migration of big money into the initiative process that has me most concerned."
Bowen crafted legislation this year, awaiting action by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, that would require recall and referendum petitons to state whether their circulators are paid.
"I think people will have a different reaction to whether they want to sign something if they know that the person who's carrying it is doing so because they're being paid, as opposed to they're there because they truly believe in whatever," Bowen said.
Bowen's bill, Senate Bill 1598, also would require that initiative, recall and referendum petitions disclose the names of their five largest contributors.
The termed-out senator also supported legislation by Assemblyman Mark Leno, Assembly Bill 2946, that would prohibit circulators of initiative, referendum or recall petitions from having their pay based on the number of signatures collected.
AB 2946 also sits on Schwarzenegger's desk, awaiting approval or veto.
(Excerpt) Read more at dwb.sacbee.com ...
(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo! )
Love the chair! Bowen is my representative. I've written her often, but it does no good. She does reply but she usually only reinforces my suspicion that no one in Sacramento is listening.
On these bills though, I agree with her. The initiative process is out of control. Instead of being a tool to hold Government accountable, it is now being used by a few opportunists to enrich themselves through deceptive legislation. The Kleiner Perkins Gang is the most obvious culprit.
(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo! )
Other than Prop 13 and the Recall, what has the initiative process done to defeat liberals?
From my perspective, I see John Doerr, Sinod Khosla, Reed Hastings, and the rest of the Gang pushing initiative after initiative that only enables the liberals and the elitists. They have given us unaffordable Stem Cell Research, reduced the voting requirement to pass education bonds, required smaller school class size, promoted more and more borrowing, etc. They failed in thier support of Reiner's Preschool for All iniative, thankfully. Doerr has been a long time supporter of the cap-and-trade program included in the Global Warming legislation. This election, they are bringing us the Oil Tax and the Parcel tax. Nothing that I see in the article that they can't continue their scheme, only that they have to make certain disclosures. I like that!
(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo! )
What if 2000 people each chip in $500 a piece? Which 5 would you list as the top 5 contributors?
I am not opposed to full disclosure, but I don't trust this. Just like the direct election of Senators was touted as giving Democracy to the people, in fact it took power away from the people and gave it to the political parties.
I think this could be used badly. I.e. if the Teachers Union is a top contributor, they will say "don't you want to listen to the teachers? They know best". But if a private citizen is a top contributor, they will say "he is an evil profiteer! This initiative beneifts him and his cronies".
I say leave it alone. People are smart enough to see through most of the fluff on the initiatives as is. The people very often vote correctly (imo) when it comes to initiatives. They are not fooled by actors dressed in cop uniforms or posing as teachers n front of a chalkboard on a sound-stage.
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