The High Cost of Special Interest-Owned Vs. Voter-Owned Elections

By Michael McCue

Community-based public servants would actually have a shot at winning a race instead of surrendering to the richest politician with the biggest war chest IF a system of election reform exists. This would help equalize the funding for the community-supported candidates and allow all candidates to spend more time talking to voters about their concerns rather than to special interest contributors (many of whom live outside the areas the candidates seek to represent anyway).

(NOTE: What used to be known as "Clean Money" Election Reform is now being referred to as "Fair Elections Reform" so please understand that these terms are interchangeable in the following piece. I use the term "Clean Money" in order to be historically accurate for the term used at the time the motion was originally introduced back in 2005.)

Allow me, please, to reveal the story of how hopes for true Election Reform in Los Angeles were dashed by a hypocritical masquerade of "keen interest" in the subject, followed by the official "dropping of the ball" and lack of follow-through that typifies so many in a long line of the mayor's and city council's leadership failures.

Basically, Clean Money Elections Reform, also known as Fair Elections Reform, creates a system of public funding so that grassroots candidates (that are qualified) are given matching funds to put them on an equal footing financially with the private, special interest-money candidates in our city elections.

A reform that could have a great impact in the special election for CD-2, that is, if Fair Elections reforms were already in place (sorry, grassroots candidates!)

"Clean Money" or "Fair" Elections have been successfully adopted by the states of Arizona and Maine and in both of those states, this reform has revitalized their state politics, creating opportunities for service that never existed before across all party lines.

Thanks to Clean Money, elected representatives have been freed from the burden of time-consuming and constant fundraising, so that elected reps can concentrate on their constituents' needs, instead of dialing-for-dollars all day long, or maybe only 89% of the time, like our Mayor.

For states like Arizona and Maine and cities like Portland, and certain races in North Carolina, this Fair Election reform became a method for improving their representation immensely and also created a working model for other cities and states to emulate.

Hearing the call for reform (which used to be a tad louder than it is today), in July of 2005, Council Members Eric Garcetti, Bill Rosendahl and Wendy Greuel, introduced the "Full Public Financing" motion--a Clean Money/Fair Elections reform, which would reward candidates for having the best vision for their city+instead of the best fundraising abilities. Implementation of Clean Money/Fair Elections would "improve the public's perceptions about the city and the actual operations of the city," they said.

Honest, community-based public servants would actually have a shot at winning a race instead of surrendering to the richest politician with the biggest war chest.

Think of it!

A system of election reform that would finally help equalize the funding for the community-supported candidates and would allow all candidates to spend more time talking to voters about their concerns+rather than to special interest contributors (many of whom live outside the areas the candidates seek to represent anyway).

Wouldn't that be great?

A system that provides adequate funding to qualified, grassroots candidates for mounting citywide campaigns which will produce competitive elections--elections that will provide citizens in Los Angeles with real choices about the leadership and direction of the city.

Wouldn't that be great?

Community leaders+who otherwise wouldn't think of running for City office because of the exorbitant amounts of money involved+could actually make a solid go of it.

But will it work in L.A.?

In 2006, with the help of the League of Women Voters and the California Clean Money Campaign (now known as the Fair Elections Campaign), D.O.N.E. (now known as EmpowerLA!) sponsored an educational program to be put together to introduce Clean Money/Fair Elections reforms to the City of Los Angeles.

In 2007, D.O.N.E. sent a letter out to all of our NC's, asking them to participate in this Education & Feedback Project regarding election reform.

This is the only instance I know of where the City Council actually sent a letter asking our NC's for their opinion on any city-wide issue.

Back then, as a Clean Money supporter and workshop assistant, I immediately organized a presentation for our SCNC's Government Affairs Committee and worked intensely with them to answer many questions including;

Should L.A. have Clean Money elections?

How should candidates qualify for matching funds?

What should a candidate's seed money levels be to qualify?

Should only contributions from inside or outside the district be allowed?

What should the caps on spending be? etc.

An in-depth response was required and many of our NC's undertook this task with due diligence and hammered out their recommendations for Election Reform, hopeful that this first ever, city-wide referendum of the NC's would bear fruit.

CD-2 Neighborhood Councils that participated included Studio City, Van Nuys and Greater Valley Glen, who all voted to support these important election reforms.

Well, it's now 2009. Three years have gone by with no further action from City Council, so I hope none of you were holding your breath!

Just think how enormously meaningful reform would be if it were in place right now for our candidates in the special election for CD-2!

What would happen if a level-playing field existed between the three big-money candidates in the CD-2 race and their seven community leader counterparts?

That is, if all of them had the same amount of money available for their campaigns--do you think the campaign for CD-2 would be different today?

We'll never know....but it's not too late to ask every CD-2 candidate exactly where they stand on Clean Money/Fair Elections Reform for the City of Los Angeles.

Who knows?

Maybe this will be the last Council race where special interest, big-money candidates automatically trump the little guy. Maybe not.

Only the participation of the voters will decide what the end will be of the tale of Council File #05-1536.

(Michael McCue is a Board Member of the Studio City Neighborhood Council, serving on their government Affairs Committee and chairing their Environmental Affairs Committee. He is also the Green Party endorsed candidate in the current race for Council District #2)