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Clean Money and Voter Registration Bills Signed!
by Rob Arnow, Voter Owned Elections 02 Oct '08

02 Oct '08

Fighters for an accountable democracy, I’ve got some great news to share. Because of the tremendous push by each and every one of you who made a phone call or sent an email, along with the tremendous efforts of the California Clean Money Campaign and Common Cause, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two important reform bills! The first bill, authored by Assemblymember Loni Hancock, will place a pilot program of full public financing for Secretary of State elections onto the 2010 primary ballot. It will allow candidates for Secretary of State to run for office without having to raise big money from special interests. We’ll have a big effort on our hands to educate voters about the program over the next 18 months, but for now it is time to celebrate. The second bill, authored by Senator Ron Calderon, will allow citizens to register on-line as voters. Since implementing a similar law, Arizona has seen a dramatic increase in the number of people registering to vote, as well as significant cost savings. Allowing people to register online provides a simple, convenient and secure registration process which in 2007, over 70% of people registering to vote used. On-line registration will take some time to get up and running, but it will make a dramatic difference in expanding our democracy. In order to keep up the Clean Elections momentum going strong, the California Clean Money Campaign is trying to raise $100,000 by Oct. 31, and so far, they're a third of the way there. Please help them out if you can by visiting this page: https://caclean.org/content/support/donate.php?ref=ne:200810-signing& Sincerely, Rob Arnow San Franciscans for Voter Owned Elections www.voterownedelections.org 415-552-2229

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California Clean Money bill needs support ASAP!
by Rob Arnow, Voter Owned Elections 26 Sep '08

26 Sep '08

*Clean Money advocates ~ * * Our friends at the California Clean Money Campaign have successfully pushed the first Clean Money bill ever through the State Assembly and State Senate! * AB 583 would set up a pilot project for the office of Secretary of State to show that Clean Money full public financing of campaigns will work as well in California as it has in other states. It will now be paid for by voluntary contributions on state tax returns and by increasing the registration fees on lobbyists, lobbying firms, and lobbyist employers to what they are in other states. Lobbyists, who currently pay some of the lowest registration fees in the country, are trying to kill it. Don't let them! *URGE THE GOVERNOR TO SIGN THE CALIFORNIA FAIR ELECTIONS ACT!* *Please send a free fax to the Governor urging him to sign AB 583 to stop the money from coming in! <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001klkD9r7YGDFwHCmQV0_wFqr_rfeT0OqTdWgHtM1hyWf94nA3…>* ** Once you've done that, if you have time, make a call to the Governor as well. The Governor's office is getting deluged with phone calls from people like you urging him sign AB 583 - *so many that the Governor's office made AB 583 one of only five out of 875 bills to have its own automated response option!* That's a huge sign of how much supporter there is for Clean Money and Fair Elections. *IF YOU HAVEN'T CALLED YET OR GOTTEN THROUGH, PLEASE CALL 916-445-2841 NOW!* You'll get an automated system when you call so won't need to even talk to anybody. Do the following: > Press 1 for English > Press 2 to "Voice your opinion on legislation" > Press 5 "about AB 583, regarding the Political Reform Act" > Press 1 "to register your support" *The line may be busy at first because so many people are calling. Keep trying until you get through - you should after a few tries.*

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Does your candidate for SF Supervisor support Clean Elections?
by Rob Arnow, Voter Owned Elections 22 Sep '08

22 Sep '08

*Clean Elections Supporters ~** The overwhelming majority of frontrunners in the SF Supervisorial races have signed on to the San Francisco Clean Government Pledge*, which commits them to supporting and expanding the public campaign financing program!* * Out of a field of 42 candidates seeking election to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors, *20 candidates have signed our pledge*,* *stating that if elected, they will: * Expand the public campaign financing program to cover ALL city offices including School Board, City College Board, and the 6 citywide elected positions. * Expand from a partial to a full public financing model. * Fund the program at the levels stated in the Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance, and will not the raid the fund to use for other purposes. * Support a Charter Amendment to protect the funds from political tampering in the future. We are proud that candidates from all sides of San Francisco's political spectrum have indicated that while they may disagree on policy, they can agree that elections should be decided on the merits and ideas of the candidates, rather than their fundraising abilities. You should be proud that all the work we have done has created a growing consensus around this issue in San Francisco. * Candidates who have signed the San Francisco Clean Government Pledge *(all candidates were contacted)*:* District 1: Jason Jungreis, Sue Lee, Eric Mar, Alicia Wang District 2: David Chiu, Anthony Gantner, Lynn Jefferson, Denise McCarthy, Wilma Pang District 4 Ron Dudum*, David Ferguson District 5: Ross Mirkarimi District 7: Julian Lagos District 9: David Campos, Eric Quezada, Mark Sanchez District 11: John Avalos, Randall Knox, Julio Ramos, Ahsha Safai *Only signed first part of pledge: agreed to guarantee funding, but not expansion to full public financing for all offices. We believe that public financing of campaigns is the reform that makes all other reforms possible. It's the BEST way to reduce the influence of private special interest money on public policy and bring about responsive, accountable government. With our federal government poised to give a trillion bailout to Wall Street, with no strings attached, the need for this type of reform has never been more clear. The San Francisco Clean Government Pledge program is co-sponsored by California Church IMPACT, California Clean Money Campaign, Change Congress, Common Cause, Democracy for America, Greenlining Institute, Healthcare for All, New America Foundation and San Franciscans for Voter Owned Elections. All sponsoring groups will be sending the results of the pledge to their lists. For more information visit: http://voterownedelections.org/pledge2008.html

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Which candidates for Supervisor support Clean Elections??
by Rob Arnow, Voter Owned Elections 04 Sep '08

04 Sep '08

Supporters of Clean Elections ~ *Yesterday was the kick-off of an amazing pledge, called the San Francisco Clean Government Pledge, which we're circulating to candidates for SF Supervisor! Read below to find out how you can help!* The pledge commits candidates to fully funding the current public financing program, to supporting a Charter Amendment to protect the funds, AND to expansion to a full public financing, or "Clean Elections" system that covers ALL city offices. We've teamed up with 8 other organizations, and are collaborating closely with the California Clean Money Campaign, on the pledge. All the sponsoring groups have agreed to send the results of the pledge to their lists in San Francisco, some of which are downright massive! * The sponsoring groups are:* . California Church IMPACT . California Clean Money Campaign . Change Congress . Common Cause . Democracy for America . Greenlining Institute . Healthcare for All . New America Foundation . San Franciscans for Voter Owned Elections *Check out a recent article in the SF Chronicle that talks about the program and mentions the pledge, along with several good quotes from us <http://www.voterownedelections.org/Races%20test%20public%20financing%20SF%2…>. * *What can you do?* The Pledge deadline is September 17 at 5pm. We have already emailed all the candidates a copy of the pledge, but your voice will be helpful to ensuring they sign. . Ask candidates if they support the San Francisco Clean Government Pledge, either in person or at candidate forums. . Print out the attached Pledge and ask candidates to sign it in person. . Once we release the results, it will expand the power and influence of the pledge if you distribute it to your own lists. Although we're not publicly releasing the names of signers until after the deadline, if you're interested in approaching a particular candidate, let me know, and I can let you know if they've already signed the pledge. So far, 9 candidates have signed on. Let me know if you have any questions, or would like to be involved! Thanks, Rob Arnow San Franciscans for Voter Owned Elections www.voterownedelections.org 415-552-2229

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Clean Elections update!
by Rob Arnow, Voter Owned Elections 13 Aug '08

13 Aug '08

Democracy afficionados ~ I'm writing you about a couple important things: one statewide, and one related to our local situation. *California Clean Money pilot bill passes State Senate Appropriations committee! We need your help as it goes to the full State Senate.** * Our friends over at the California Clean Money campaign have successfully pushed a bill through the Senate Appropriations committee that would create a Clean Money pilot program for California Secretary of State races. Congratulations to them for bringing our legislators on board with this! They're asking for help as the bill comes to the full Senate, so click here to use their easy online tool for contacting your reps: http://www.caclean.org/letters/?name=ab583-08-senate-a *Our San Francisco pledge for Supervisorial candidates is getting off the ground!!* On the local front, we have teamed up with California Clean Money Campaign and Change Congress to develop a pledge, called the "San Francisco Clean Government Pledge" which we will be distributing to candidates for Supervisor this year. The pledge asks candidates to pledge to support full funding for the current system, a Charter Amendment to protect the funds from political tampering, and support for expansion to a full Clean Money system covering all city offices. We are hopeful that this will ensure a pro-public financing majority on the Board of Supervisors after this year's elections. We have received the sponsorship so far of 6 organizations including those mentioned above, as well as Common Cause, California Church IMPACT, and Health Care for All. All organizations will be sending the results of the pledge to their lists in San Francisco, which so far add up to at least 10,000 addresses. If you know of any organizations that you think might be interested in co-sponsoring, let me know. We have decided to only accept co-sponsorships from organizations that are not endorsing candidates for Supervisor, and we are trying to shoot for groups that have large emails lists, so as to reach the widest possible audience. Rob Arnow San Franciscans for Voter Owned Elections www.voterownedelections.org 415-552-2229

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A disappointing outcome... and next steps
by Rob Arnow, Voter Owned Elections 23 Jul '08

23 Jul '08

Weary lovers of democracy ~ The Board of Supervisors today voted today to remove $5 million from the public campaign financing fund. After all the work we put in to try to stop this ill-advised plan, it was disappointing, though I was still impressed and inspired by how many people took the time to help try to sway the Supervisors on this matter. The Supervisors themselves commented that they had received lots of contacts from constituents on the matter. Moving forward, we are planning to place a Charter Amendment on the ballot to protect the funds in the long term. In the near future, we are going to be seeking signed pledges from candidates for Supervisor in regards to this legislation and support for public campaign financing in general, should they be elected. We will be teaming up with other election reform organizations to distribute the results of the pledge to San Francisco voters. If anyone would like to assist with contacting candidates in regards to these pledges, please let me know. We want to do all we can to ensure a pro-public campaign financing majority on the Board of Supervisors into the future. This will be the first stage in a campaign to protect these funds -- and ultimately to expand the program to full public campaign financing for all City offices. Ultimately, Tom Ammiano, Chris Daly, Ross Mirkarimi, and Aaron Peskin supported us -- while the other 7 Supervisors -- Jake McGoldrick Gerardo Sandoval, Bevan Dufty, Sophie Maxwell, Sean Elsbernd, Carmen Chu, and Michaela Alioto-Pier voted against us. They even voted against a compromise proposal that would have only removed $3 million, instead of $5 million from the fund. While some of those who voted against us do not support public campaign financing at all, several others had cut deals to fund projects in their districts, which they were threatened with losing if they voted for this. The Mayor and Jake McGoldrick were ultimately the most responsible -- having been the ones to threaten the others with financial, political payback. And all those who voted in favor, were at best guilty of short term thinking -- not being able to see that this manuever was penny-wise and pound-foolish -- opening the door to a very dangerous precedent, and diminishing substantially the amount of money available for the next mayor's race, for a small amount of one-time funds. Thank you all again for the all the hard work on this issue. Its a disappointing setback, but will not disuade us in the long-term. Again, if you're interested in helping out with candidate pledges, please let me know. Rob Arnow San Franciscans for Voter Owned Elections www.voterownedelections.org 415-552-2229

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Do you know Maxwell, Dufty or Sandoval?
by Rob Arnow, Voter Owned Elections 17 Jul '08

17 Jul '08

Proud citizens of our democracy ~ Do you know (or do you know someone who knows) Supervisors Maxwell, Dufty or Sandoval? There will an amendment to the budget introduced next Tuesday at the full Board of Supervisors. If this amendment fails, $5 million will be removed from the public campaign financing fund. Can you let us know if you have a connection to these Supervisors that you, or we, could follow up on? Please contact us ASAP if you do. Thanks, Rob Arnow San Franciscans for Voter Owned Elections www.voterownedelections.org 415-596-5808

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Time to Pour on the Pressure!
by Rob Arnow, Voter Owned Elections 10 Jul '08

10 Jul '08

Diligent Defenders of Democracy ~ *Its time to pour on the pressure.* We need tons of email to the swing Supervisors immediately, letting them know that we don't want to see the public campaign financing fund raided. As expected, we found out yesterday that this will indeed pass out of Budget Committee to the full Board of Supervisors, so we'll need to win the fight there. Over a dozen of us spoke eloquently at the Budget hearing, and then visited Supervisors offices en masse. It made a strong impression, but we need much more. This will go to the full Board on July 22, just over a week from now. Right now, it seems we have 4 votes, and we'll need to get to 6. /Media on this issue:/ Our op-ed in the Guardian <http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=6651&catid=4&volume_id=317&issue_id=…> BeyondChron article <http://beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=5851#more> Examiner Article <http://www.examiner.com/a-1480874%7EUse_of_public_finance_dollars_raises_co…> *Contact the swing Supervisors! (and BCC me or let me know you've called) * Let them know that they should oppose the proposal to raid the public campaign financing fund (see more detailed talking points below) Gerardo Sandoval 554-6975 gerardo.sandoval(a)sfgov.org Bevan Dufty bevan.dufty(a)sfgov.org 554-6968 Sophie Maxwell sophie.maxwell(a)sfgov.org 554-7670 ------------------------------------ *Would result in severe underfunding for future races* According to Ethics Commission spending projections, were this proposal to pass and the funds not be returned at a later date, the 2011 mayoral race would be $1.5 million - $4.3 million short of the $6 million minimum needed for a mayoral race, assuming the program receives full funding in upcoming years and that there are no additional raids on the fund. *Don't sweep this under the rug* In order to make up the shortfall would require a $3.3 - $6 million appropriation to the program in 2010. With no prospects of an improving budget situation, this is unlikely to occur, and if does, will be an even greater strain on the budget. This proposal doesn't create new money, it simply moves it around in a way that will create further problems in the future. * * * Sets a dangerous precedent * The logic of taking money out of the fund based on a budget shortfall will leave the program bankrupt. With budget shortfalls likely to continue into the near future, even if no more money is removed, it's unlikely that the program would receive full appropriations, plus the necessary supplementals. It's also poor public policy to have sitting politicians setting the specific level of funding for public campaign funding programs on an annual basis, since in general, publicly funded elections threaten incumbents by enabling less well-financed competitors to compete on a level playing field. Opening the door to this now will likely lead to renewed proposals to raid the fund on an annual basis. *No guarantee of return of the funds* Nothing short of a Charter Amendment approved by voters can legally guarantee the return of the funds, since the Charter grants budget authority to the Mayor and Board of Supervisors. An amendment to the Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance has no legally binding mechanisms as it relates to budgetary matters. *Much larger cut than other programs *The $5 million cut is equivalent to 2.5 years of funding for this program, or a 250% cut. In fact, the $1.8M appropriated this year is already about 10% short of what the formula suggested in the Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance recommends. *Public campaign financing saves money in the long run *By reducing the pay-to-play dynamic, where politicians feel incentives to give costly legislative favors to campaign contributors, public campaign financing saves far more than it costs in the long run. Our organization found $70 million in media-documented giveaways to campaign contributors in the space of just a few years, before the public funding program went into effect. Check out our examples: http://voterownedelections.org/save_money.html ------------------ Robert Arnow San Franciscans for Voter Owned Elections www.voterownedelections.org 415-552-2229

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Turnout NEEDED: Wed. 1PM, and need emails to other Supes!
by Rob Arnow, Voter Owned Elections 08 Jul '08

08 Jul '08

Valiant and tireless defenders of democracy ~ If the proposal to raid the public campaign financing fund passes the Budget Committee this Wednesday, it will go to the full Board of Supervisors next Tuesday. At this point, it's looking like it will probably pass Budget, but our turnout is still very important, as the other Supervisors watch the hearings on city hall TV and will very much notice if we have a bunch of people there. We are now in a time crunch and need to act on both fronts simultaneously -- meaning, we also need to immediately start contacting the swing Supervisors to ensure that even if this passes budget, that it does not pass the full Board. Please RSVP for Wednesday, and BCC me on any emails to the Supes. *1. Budget Committee Hearing This Wednesday (July 9), 1pm *(make a public comment, and leave early if you need to) City Hall, Board of Supervisors Chambers * 2. Email and call the following Supervisors* Let them know that they should oppose the proposal to raid the public campaign financing fund (see more detailed talking points below) Bevan Dufty bevan.dufty(a)sfgov.org 554-6968 Sophie Maxwell sophie.maxwell(a)sfgov.org 554-7670 Gerardo Sandoval 554-6975 gerardo.sandoval(a)sfgov.org *Would result in severe underfunding for future races* According to Ethics Commission spending projections, were this proposal to pass and the funds not be returned at a later date, the 2011 mayoral race would be $1.5 million - $4.3 million short of the $6 million minimum needed for a mayoral race, assuming the program receives full funding in upcoming years and that there are no additional raids on the fund. In order to make up the shortfall would require a $3.3 - $6 million appropriation to the program in fiscal year 2010-2011. With no prospects of an improving budget situation, this is unlikely to occur. *What will happen next year?* The logic of taking money out of the fund based on a budget shortfall will leave the program bankrupt. With budget shortfalls likely to continue into the near future, even if no more money is removed, it's unlikely that the program would receive full appropriations, plus the necessary supplementals. * * * Sets a dangerous precedent * It's poor public policy to have sitting politicians setting the specific level of funding for public campaign funding programs on an annual basis, since in general, publicly funded elections threaten incumbents by enabling less well-financed competitors to compete on a level playing field. Opening the door to this now will likely lead to renewed proposals to raid the fund on an annual basis. *No guarantee of return of the funds* Nothing short of a Charter Amendment approved by voters can legally guarantee the return of the funds, since the Charter grants budget authority to the Mayor and Board of Supervisors. An amendment to the Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance has no legally binding mechanisms as it relates to budgetary matters. *This proposal has not come with any specific timelines or amounts * While there has been talk of ensuring "adequate" funding for the program in the future, there have been no specific details given of what adequate means, and when that would be determined. *Much larger cut than other programs *The $5 million cut is equivalent to 2.5 years of funding for this program, or a 250% cut. In fact, the $1.8M appropriated this year is already about 10% short of what the formula suggested in the Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance recommends. *Public campaign financing saves money in the long run *By reducing the pay-to-play dynamic, where politicians feel incentives to give costly legislative favors to campaign contributors, public campaign financing saves far more than it costs in the long run. Our organization found $70 million in media-documented giveaways to campaign contributors in the space of just a few years, before the public funding program went into effect. Check out our examples: http://voterownedelections.org/save_money.html ------------------ Robert Arnow San Franciscans for Voter Owned Elections www.voterownedelections.org 415-552-2229

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WE NEED EMAILS ASAP! McGoldrick planning to support fund raid!
by Rob Arnow, Voter Owned Elections 29 Jun '08

29 Jun '08

Deeply passionate defenders of democratic institutions ~ *The bad news is that Supervisor Jake McGoldrick is actively planning to support the proposal to raid the public campaign financing fund.* If he does not change his position we will lose the vote at budget committee later this week and that will likely lead to a loss at the full Board as well, probably the following Tuesday./ (The good news is that Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi will now definitely vote against the fund raid -- though he has not yet spoken out strongly against it -- if you want to encourage him to do so, it might help sway Jake.)/ McGoldrick has said directly that he is resistant to changing his position, and so our only hope at this point is a massive outpouring of support. *If you work at or use a program that depends on City funding, your voice will be very, very important* -- perhaps the only one he will listen to now. Please let me know if you do, and we can figure out the best way to contact him. *If you know Supervisor McGoldrick, please contact him in the most personal way you know how -- and *if you think you can help us to set up a meeting with him, please let us know, since its unclear that he has even considered our point of view seriously.* If any case, please email Supervisor McGoldrick* [ jake.mcgoldrick(a)sfgov.org ]* right away, using the following talking points: /Please BCC me, so I know how we're doing. We need lots, really. This is very serious./*/* */ . To believe the mayor's promises is unwise. The mayor has always opposed the public financing program and tried to raid the fund just nine months ago, when there was no budget deficit. If you want to find out how well the mayor follows through on his deals, ask Susan Leal and Tony Hall. . Do not join with public financing opponents in helping tilt the playing field in favor of candidates backed by big money, special-interest contributors. . Public campaign financing is one of the best ways to ensure adequate funding for education, health care, and other human needs. By ensuring candidates are accountable only the public, rather than big money interests, who demand expensive legislative favors, public campaign financing is the best thing we can do for the budget in the long run. . The incentive to deny candidates access to $5 million in campaign funds is tremendous. The Mayor, nor any other politician for that matter, is likely to hesitate to break a promise with that much at stake. . The current proposal to remove $5 million from the public campaign financing fund would result in a $1.7 million - $4.3 million shortfall in the next mayor's race. This is not a possibility, but a near certainty, according to Ethics Commission spending projections. . The Mayor has offered to ensure "adequate" funds for the future, but has offered no specifics on what he considers adequate, in writing or otherwise. Has Jake received commitments on those details? Has he asked? . The Mayor so far has offered no guarantees in writing. Furthermore, even an amendment to the Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance would not be legally binding, as budget authority is granted in the charter and would override an ordinance. The only legally binding mechanism, would be a charter amendment to ensure funding, which the Mayor's office has actively declined to support. At the very least, Jake should demand a letter supporting a charter amendment to ensure funding be set-aside according to funding levels described in the Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance.

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