Bowen bill would reveal who's bankrolling initiatives. Ahhnold vetos it.

[nicknameless]

From Bowen's office:

GOVERNOR VETOES BOWEN INITIATIVE REFORM MEASURE, SAYS LETTING
VOTERS KNOW WHO IS BANKROLLING MEASURES IS “EXPENSIVE AND ONEROUS”

SACRAMENTO – “He isn’t worried about grassroots organizations being able to qualify initiatives things for the ballot, he’s concerned the monied special interests who have taken over the process will have a tougher time getting signatures if voters know who is actually bankrolling their initiative.”


That’s how Senator Debra Bowen (D-Redondo Beach), the chairwoman of the Senate Elections, Reapportionment & Constitutional Amendments Committee, reacted to Governor Schwarzenegger’s decision to veto her SB 1598 today.


“This was a way of letting people know who they’re dealing with when they’re asked to sign an initiative petition, whether it’s a real, classic, grassroots initiative effort or someone fronting for a special interest who has a financial stake in whether the measure qualifies for the ballot and passes,” continued Bowen. “It’s really pretty simple. People deserve to know where the money’s coming from and who stands to benefit from an initiative before they sign on the bottom line.”


SB 1598 would have required petition signature gatherers to disclose the measure’s five largest contributors right on the petition and to update that list within 14 days of a change in the top five contributor list. Furthermore, it would have required an initiative petition to state whether it was being circulated by a paid signature gatherer or a volunteer.


“To argue that voters shouldn’t be told who is financing a multi-million dollar signature gathering effort because it might be ‘too expensive’ for the proponents to list the top five contributors on a piece of paper doesn’t pass the laugh test,” continued Bowen. “There’s plenty of information on who is financing an initiative once it qualifies for the ballot, but there’s virtually nothing available to help people decide whether they want to support putting a measure on the ballot in the first place.”


In vetoing the bill, the Governor wrote:

“Unfortunately, under this bill, petitions circulated by paid circulators would have to be continually updated and reprinted to reflect any changes in the top five donors backing the measure. As a result, it would be more expensive and onerous to qualify initiatives for the ballot and the ability for the smaller, grassroots-oriented organizations to participate in the process would be limited.


“As with similar measures I have vetoed in the past, this bill attacks the initiative process and makes it more difficult for the people of California to gather signatures and qualify measures for the ballot. While making the process more cumbersome and costly may be for those hostile to the initiative process, it is not for reform-minded Californians.”


“The Governor has it backwards,” concluded Bowen. “Reform-minded Californians don’t want to be kept in the dark when it comes to money and politics. They want their government to be more transparent and they want more information, not less, about where the money comes from to put initiatives on the ballot.”


SB 1598 was similar to SB 469 (Bowen) of 2005, which was also vetoed by the Governor.

*Chi-ching* One more favor for big-money $pecial interest$ by Herr Gropenfuhrer.

:grr:

[rumpel]

1. because he will lose

when people see who his backers are -

[nicknameless]

2. What an unfortunate slip-up for Ahhnold.

It's an election year for him, and he had been doing such a good job of impersonating a human being.

Oops!

[diva77]

3. www.arnoldwatch.org

interesting site

[nicknameless]

4. Here's another

http://www.arnoldexposed.com