California Republican Party faces fiscal, organizing questions. Banks on Special Exemptions.

by Brian Leubitz

The California Republican Party is in something of a desperate situation. They hold no statewide offices, and then they had a story in the New York Times titled “Republican Party in California Is Caught in Cycle of Decline.”

That’s never a good thing, especially when it is combined with a follow-up from the San Francisco Chronicle with some worrying financial numbers. Without getting deeply into the nitty, gritty, it is pretty bad. They are expected to reveal a deficit of nearly half a million dollars, and are considering closing their Sacramento office.

All of this is to say that the state party won’t be much help to candidates and campaigns come November. This is not to say those campaigns won’t get help, but the party structure is showing heavy strain. So, Republicans are now looking elsewhere for support and a brighter future.  In fact, they’re looking to one specific spot on the ballot for their long-term future: Prop 32. (Note: I work for the No on 32 campaign)

California Republican Party Chair Tom Del Beccarro, who was elected partially on a platform of getting the CRP’s fiscal house in order stated this explicitly:

“This November, Prop 32 could well pass, bring {sic} reforms to our system, including barring direct contributions from corporations and unions and paycheck protection. When that passes, California will have a more level playing field, Republicans will have a new day and be rather competitive statewide.” (Newsmax)

Shorter Tom: by cutting labor off through the so-called “political reform” measure, Republicans are the big winners.

And why is that? Well, it could be that Prop 32 isn’t what it seems at all. As Common Cause, the League of Women Voters and other good government groups said this week this is not real political reform at all. It leaves loopholes that Big Business can use to get their money into the system, but severely hobbles the voices of working Californians.

Perhaps that is why Prop 32 is so popular on the Republican side of the ledger, and why the Yes on 32 campaign is so close to the Republican party. In fact, Charles Munger, Jr., Chair of the Santa Clara County Republican Party, and one of the top funders of the Yes on 32 campaign (over $235K!) is now stepping in for what was once the purview of the state party:

The result, Stutzman and other Republicans say, is that other organizations and individuals are filling the void – with robust national and county-based operations like those in Tulare, San Luis Obispo and Santa Clara County, where millionaire GOP activist Charles Munger is heading up fundraising, phone banking and voter contacts usually managed by the party.

Whatever the motives of the Prop 32 proponents really were, the end result is a biased and dangerous measure for everyday Californians. And if the Republican Party recognizes that Prop 32 is their best shot of pushing their agenda forward, what kind of balanced reform could it possibly be?

P.s. Feel free to sign up for the No on 32 email list, or find the campaign on twitter or facebook.