Contact Your Assemblymember to let them know you support clean elections
by Brian Leubitz
Disclosure can’t cure all that ails our political system. The problems run way deeper than that. But, given the tools we have available under the system the Supreme Court has given us, it is the best we can do for now. SB 52, the California DISCLOSE Act, would make voters aware who is really paying for those ads they are seeing. Specifically, the measure would do the following:
Requires the three largest funders of political ads to be clearly identified for five seconds at the beginning of the ads, so voters know who is actually paying for them.
Applies to all television ads, radio ads, print ads, mass mailers, online ads, billboards, and websites for or against state and local ballot measures, to third party ads for and against state and local candidates, and to issue advocacy advertisements. It applies whether ads are paid for by corporations, unions, or millionaires.
Tells voters where to find the details – Requires ads to list a website that prominently lists the ten largest funders and a link to all funders of $10,000 or more (for state races).
Proposed Follow-the-Money Disclosure will require organizations that spend or transfer politically-available funds to report the actual original corporate, union, or individual contributors – not misleading committee and non-profit names.
Now, with some labor organizations pulling their support, the future of the bill is in question. Today might be a good day to let your Assemblymember know how you feel about disclosure.
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3 thoughts on “California Disclose Act, SB 52, Faces Important Assembly Vote Tomorrow”
I’m president of one of the largest Democratic Clubs in Santa Clara County, and an elected delegate to the County Democratic Central Committee, and an activist for the last decade, and all I have to say is that it will be unqualified outrage if every last Assembly Democrat doesn’t vote yes on SB 52. And don’t think for a second that we won’t notice if someone tries to “abstain” or conveniently be absent.
Support for this kind of legislation is in the Party platform for cryin’ out loud. In addition to over 350 organizations and leaders and over 70,000 California petition signers for the California DISCLOSE Act, we’ve even got Congressmembers and our own Democratic Party Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi weighing in in favor of it, something federal officials rarely do.
This kind basic transparency should be a no-brainer. It’s the absolute rock-bottom minimum that we have a right to expect from any elected official who has the temerity to call themselves a Democrat.
So Democratic Party leaders please take note: If we Democratic activists who have busted our hump for both Democrats AND this issue for the last 4 years can’t even count on every single Assembly Democrat to step up and do the right thing on a core Democratic issue like the DISCLOSE Act, how can we be expected to step up and fight for Democrats this November?
I’m president of one of the largest Democratic Clubs in Santa Clara County, and an elected delegate to the County Democratic Central Committee, and an activist for the last decade, and all I have to say is that it will be unqualified outrage if every last Assembly Democrat doesn’t vote yes on SB 52. And don’t think for a second that we won’t notice if someone tries to “abstain” or conveniently be absent.
Support for this kind of legislation is in the Party platform for cryin’ out loud. In addition to over 350 organizations and leaders and over 70,000 California petition signers for the California DISCLOSE Act, we’ve even got Congressmembers and our own Democratic Party Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi weighing in in favor of it, something federal officials rarely do.
This kind basic transparency should be a no-brainer. It’s the absolute rock-bottom minimum that we have a right to expect from any elected official who has the temerity to call themselves a Democrat.
So Democratic Party leaders please take note: If we Democratic activists who have busted our hump for both Democrats AND this issue for the last 4 years can’t even count on every single Assembly Democrat to step up and do the right thing on a core Democratic issue like the DISCLOSE Act, how can we be expected to step up and fight for Democrats this November?