WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED BY BILLIONAIRES AND CORPORATIONS!
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Proposition 32, a measure appearing on the November statewide ballot, is not what it seems. While it claims to be about “stopping special interests” the measure actually gives special exemptions to corporate special interests and Super PACs. It would do nothing to fix what’s broken in Sacramento. Instead, Prop 32 would give even more power to the wealthy and well-connected to influence elections, control government and weaken our state’s middle class.
The millionaire backers misleadingly call it “The Stop Special Interest Money Now Act,” claiming it would rein in campaign contributions by both unions and corporations. In fact, the deceptive wording of the initiative specifically limits the voice of union members like our local teachers and nurses and the firefighters and police that keep us safe.
This one-sided measure would make our system even more imbalanced and it does nothing to stop the flow of money from the wealthy in politics.
Here’s what leading newspapers say about the deceptive measure:
“…a fraud to end all frauds” – LA Times
“…dripping with cynicism” – Sacramento Bee
“…a sham… wouldn’t even begin to do what its backers promise” – Ventura County Star
“…would magnify the influence of wealthy interests while shutting out many middle-class voters” – San Jose Mercury News
“…a phony veneer of fairness…one-sided and biased” – Long Beach Press Telegram
“…would harm their union opponents more than it would harm business interests” – OC Register
“…would just expand unaccountable independent expenditure committees, the super-PACs” – LA Times
The Facts
- Prop 32 was written to limit the voice of union workers and create special exemptions for corporate interests, giving the wealthy and well-connected even more political power to write their own set of rules.
- Prop 32 exempts secretive Super PACs and corporate front groups, which can raise unlimited amounts of money from corporate special interests and billionaire businessmen to support their candidates or defeat their enemies. The measure does nothing to prevent anonymous donors from spending unlimited amounts to influence elections.
- Prop 32 is NOT campaign finance reform, as its backers claim. The wealthy supporters of this initiative created exemptions for Wall St. hedge funds, real estate investors, insurance companies and other well-heeled special interests allowing them to continue contributing directly to the coffers of political candidates.
- Prop 32 would severely restrict union members in both the public and private sector from having a voice in our political process. As a result, teachers, nurses, firefighters, police and other everyday heroes would be unable to speak out on issues that matter to us all—like cuts to our schools and colleges, police and fire response times, patient safety and workplace protections.
- This measure would give corporate CEOs and their lobbyists even greater influence over our political system. Corporations already outspend unions 15-1 in politics. This measure would effectively clear the playing field of any opposition to big corporations’ agenda, which includes outsourcing jobs, gutting homeowner protections, slashing wages and health benefits and attacking retirement security.
- Non-partisan groups like the California League of Women Voters, California Common Cause, Public Citizen and Public Campaign, who advocate for policies that curb special interest influence, are urging voters to REJECT Prop 32. Public Citizen calls it “an attack on labor masquerading as campaign finance reform”. California Common Cause says it “will do more harm to California’s democracy than good.”
- The primary financial backers are retired CEOs and millionaires associated with the extreme right-wing Lincoln Club of Orange County. All of the primary funders of the measure would benefit personally from the exemptions created for certain companies and organizations.
Despite the proponents’ claims that this initiative is geared toward “getting special interest money out of politics,” the truth is Prop 32 is a deceitful measure designed to silence working people while giving big CEOs and the very wealthy free rein to exert limitless influence on our political system.
Prop 32 is misleading, deceptive and full of consequences that hurt all of us. It does absolutely nothing to limit special interest influence on politics while severely curtailing working people’s ability to stand up to powerful corporate interests. The result would be a devastating tilt in power to big banks, corporate CEOs and billionaires that would further undermine California’s middle class.
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Resources
Newspaper editorials in opposition to Prop 32:
- LA Times: “No on Proposition 32: It purports to take aim at special interests in politics but in reality targets unions”
- Sacramento Bee editorial: “Prop 32 power play deserves a ‘no’ vote”
- Contra Costa Times/Oakland Tribune (Bay Area News Group) editorial: “Proposition 32 is deceptive and should be rejected”
- San Franclsco Chronicle editorial: “Prop. 32 an unbalanced ‘reform’ plan”
- Ventura County Star editorial: “Prop. 32 a sham, deserves to lose in Nov. 6 election”
- San Jose Mercury News editorial: “Deceptive Prop. 32 would worsen campaign finance mess”
- Chico News & Review editorial: “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing”
- Woodland Daily Democrat editorial: “Prop. 32 would worsen state’s financing mess”
- Santa Cruz Sentinel: “Prop. 32: Unfair, and flawed Measure would ban using payroll deductions for political purposes”
News articles & op-eds on Prop 32:
- LA Times: “Proposition 32- A Fraud to end all frauds”
- San Francisco Chronicle: “Prop 32- Bad for California and Democracy”
- East Bay Express: “If You Liked Citizens United, You’ll Love Prop 32″
- Salinas Californian: “Prop 32: Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing”
- San Mateo Daily Journal: “Keep the Voice of Labor Alive”
- San Leandro Patch: “Prop 32: Deceptive and Dangerous”
- UK Guardian: “California’s Prop 32 on political funding is a bill of rights for billionaires”
- San Francisco Chronicle: “Prop 32 could hit unions more than businesses”
- The Hill: “California’s Prop. 32 would be Citizens United on steroids”
- Sacramento Bee: “‘Reform’ initiative wears a soiled white hat”
- Ventura County Star: “Reform SuperPACs- by empowering them?”
- LA Times: “Good-government groups call Proposition 32 deceptive”
- San Jose Mercury News: “Special interest ballot measure is really just anti-union”
- California Watch: “GOP backers of Citizens United now seek ban on special-interest money”
- North County Times: “‘Paycheck protection’ push returns”
Letters-to-the-Editor on Prop 32:
- Eureka Times-Standard: “Vote No on Prop 32″
- Marysville Appeal-Democrat: “Prop 32 Not a Good Measure”
Labor’s Edge blog articles on Prop 32:
- “Behind the Prop 32 Curtain”
- “Proposition 32: Corporate Billionaires’ Quest to Force Workers to Shut Up”
- “Like the TEA Party? You’ll love the Special Exemptions Act!“
- Stop the Special Exemptions Act — It’s Not What it Seems”
- “A Crystal Ball to the Post-Special Exemptions Act Future in California”
- “National Federation of Independent Businesses: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing on Prop 32″
- “A Better San Diego Coalition Hosts Community Forum to Stop Prop 32″
- “Proposition 32: Anti-Teamster & Anti-American”
- “Why I’m Speaking Out Against Prop 32″
For more information, visit www.StopSpecialExemptions.org.
