(With the DNC going on, much attention is being paid to national races. But some pretty amazing folks are fighting Prop 32 back here in California. – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

Emily Lo:     Share on Facebook

Hello my name is Emily, I’m a firefighter with the City of Davis Fire Department. I’ve been in the Fire Service for over twenty-two years.

You may have heard about Prop 32. It may seem balanced. It may seem fair, but it’s not. It is very deceptive and it is unbalanced. It is a way of silencing the union and workers’ voices, everyday working class voices.

My community counts on me to do my job, to keep them safe. In order for that to happen, firefighters need adequate staffing, and they need up to date equipment. And in order to advocate for those things, we need a voice in the capitol. That is what our union does for us. Our unions give us a collective voice. They voice our concerns, from a health and safety point of view, for our equipment, and for fire safety.

As much as my community counts on me to do my job, I count on my right to have a voice and to be heard in the process in Sacramento. We need to have our individual and collective voices heard. If Prop 32 passes, that will silence our voice.

To me, this is really a safety issue. If you are concerned about our firefighters being able to adequately serve our communities, please vote No on Prop 32. If you care about making sure we have the fastest possible response time to your emergency, vote No on Prop 32. If you care about safety in your community, please vote No on Prop 32.

Karl Rove

Karl Rove, a long-time George W Bush administration official, has moved into the world of “non-profit” political advocacy and SuperPACs in the last few years. In 2010, his groups, American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, spent over $70mil in outside spending across the country. He has become the SuperPAC powerhouse. Much of that money is collected through “non-profit social welfare organizations” that do not require him to disclose his donors.

And the money will not slow down this year. Already Crossroads GPS has made some major ad purchases, including one recent ad buy of over $25 million. And it isn’t just the presidential race, the group has spent millions attacking candidates in Congressional races.

And despite all the evidence about how campaign finance is moving to out of control outside organizations, Prop 32 does nothing about these groups. That is why leading campaign finance advocates like the League of Women Voters are saying that Prop 32 “promises political reform but it’s really designed by its special interest backers to help themselves and harm their opponents.”

If Proposition 32 passes, independent expenditure campaigns will grow even more powerful in California. And maybe that suits Karl Rove just fine, but that’s hardly in the best interest of everyday Californians.

Note: Brian Leubitz, the editor of this blog, works for the No on 32 campaign. Please like the campaign on facebook or follow on twitter.