Note: The following FAQs were prepared by Petaluma Tomorrow for use by volunteer petition circulators in April 2004.
Petaluma Campaign Finance Reform Initiative 2004 Sponsored by Petaluma Tomorrow
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What will this petition do? If signed by 10% of Petaluma voters, it will put a campaign finance reform initiative on the November 2004 ballot in Petaluma.
What will this initiative do if passed by the voters in November? It will reduce the amount of money an individual or organization can contribute to a candidate from $500 to $200 per election cycle. It will also require all significant contributions (above $25) to be publicly disclosed.
Doesn’t Petaluma already have a campaign finance reform ordinance? Petaluma has had CFR since 2001. Last summer, a majority of the current city council gutted the ordinance by raising the contribution limit and disclosure threshold, so as to make the ordinance essentially meaningless. We have taken the overall language of the current ordinance, which is pretty good, and plugged good, low numbers back into it.
Why is this change needed? Special interest money has increasingly been pouring into recent Petaluma elections. In some cases, over $50,000 has been spent to run for these unpaid positions. A great deal of this money is coming from businesses, including out-of-town developers, that stand to benefit directly from council decisions. At the very least, this leads to an appearance that our city government is being run to benefit private special interests, rather than the broad public interest. The lowered contribution limits we propose will make it more difficult for private special interests to unduly influence our city government in this way. Should they still attempt to do so, the tightened disclosure requirements will make those attempts more obvious to the public.
Does this initiative include public financing of campaigns? No. We think public financing of election campaigns is a good idea in principle, but we believe Petaluma voters are not yet ready to support it. That will have to wait for some future initiative, perhaps when the city’s budget situation is healthier.
Does this initiative affect national/state/county races? No, only candidates for Petaluma City Council and Mayor are covered by this city ordinance.
Can this ordinance be amended or repealed by a future city council? Normally, a citizen’s initiative can only be changed by another initiative. We added language to allow a unanimous vote of the city council to make changes, such as those that might be required to stay current with state law, as well.
Who supports this initiative? Who is against it? We have not yet sought formal endorsements, but we expect good government groups such as League of Women Voters and Common Cause will endorse this effort. We don’t know whether there will be organized opposition.
Beyond signing the petition, how can I help? Volunteer to gather signatures, as we are doing now [see www.petaluma-tomorrow.org/cfr for instructions]. Join Petaluma Tomorrow as a member, and/or make a donation to our fall campaign to pass this initiative – see our website, www.petalumatomorrow.org