[GPSCC-chat] CA DISCLOSE Act Needs Your Help--Now!

Sat Jan 21 16:43:56 PST 2012

   You're right, Spencer, we can expect a well-financed and desperately dishonest 
campaign against the CA DISCLOSE Act if it goes to the public in 2014.  

   CA Clean Money conceived the California DISCLOSE Act after a dirty trick mounted
by the opposition to our previous effort, Prop. 15*, which would have provided for
public finance of the Sec'y of State race in California.   Anonymous entities. probably
funded by the lobbyists' lobby,  sent out millions of postcards to voters that gave
the impression of coming from the Democratic Party, and asked voters to vote for 
Sen. Boxer and Rep. Pelosi--and also to vote against Prop. 15.  The Democratic Party 
did not oppose Prop. 15.  

   A showdown in 2014 with these scumbags may take enormous efforts.  Which is all
the more reason we need to marshall our efforts in the next ten days to do everything
we can to get AB1148 passed on 1/31 by a 2/3 majority--so we can spend 2014 on 
Green 2014.

Brian

*   Prop. 15 in 2010 would have provided for Public Finance of the Sec'y of State race 
in California.  Arizona and Maine already have public finance laws, and it works very 
well.  Under Prop. 15 the registration fees on lobbyists would have been raised from 
$10 a year to a couple hundred dollars, and that would have generated $4 million 
every election cycle to fund the Sec'y of State election.  

   A candidate who proved his or her viability by raising a certain amount of $5 
donations (something like $50,000 or $75,000) would qualify for $1 million in 
funds for the campaign.  Imagine if the Greens had $1,000,000 to run a professional
campaign for this office--with paid staffers, real offices, quality printing, billboards.

   Moneyed interests are scared to death of public finance.

Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:03:06 -0800
From: spencer.graves at prodsyse.com
To: snug.bug at hotmail.com
CC: sosfbay-discuss at cagreens.org
Subject: Re: [GPSCC-chat] CA DISCLOSE Act Needs Your Help--Now!

    Hello, All:  

    On 1/21/2012 3:38 PM, Brian Good wrote:

           Having passed the two committees in the state legislature,
        the CA DISCLOSE 

        Act* comes up for a vote on the assembly floor 1/31.  That is
        just ten days away.

          A 2/3 vote in favor will allow the bill to pass into law this
        year.  If we only get 

        50%, the best we get is a ballot initiative in 2014.  Since 80%
        of voters support 

        the concept, it will surely pass then, but I'd rather get this
        done now and save 

        2014 for "Green 2014".

          I'm less convinced with Brian that it would pass as a ballot
    initiative, because we can count on substantial opposition from the
    media as well as people with money, because anything that reduces
    the effectiveness of advertising is a direct threat to their
    profitability.  Consequently, I would expect that people with money
    would likely run focus groups to figure out how to convince the
    public that it's a bad idea, then spend lavishly on ads to drive
    home their argument.  That's how health care reform was defeated in
    both the Clinton and Obama administrations.  (Oh, yes:  The Obama
    administration actually passed a health care bill, but the bill that
    was passed was mostly a giveaway to the insurance companies and
    so-called ethical health care industry.)  

          Spencer

           We need people to make phone calls to hot prospects--they've
        already signed 

        the petition--and ask them to contact their on-the-fence state
        legislators and ask 

        for a yes vote on AB 1148.*

           Because our window of opportunity is very small--6:30 p.m. to
        8:00 p.m--we

        need many, many callers to help.  If you're shy on the phone,
        that's all the more 

        reason to do this.  You work from a script, you're calling
        friendly people, and 

        practice makes perfect.  It's a great confidence-builder. 
        (Also, if you work the 

        1:00 pm to 3:00 pm shift, you'll mostly be leaving voicemails.)

          This bill is the first brick in the wall to get Big Money out
        of the democratic

        processes.  Please help us get it done now. 

          You can start by signing the petition in support of the bill
        at caclean.org

        (right column, second item).   Then tell me you want to do the
        phone-bank

        training, and I'll sign you up.

        Brian 

        * The CA DISCLOSE Act, AB 1148, will require that those who fund
        political

        ads identify themselves.  No more hiding behind names like
        "Committee for

        More Jobs".  They'll have to say, "This ad funded by EXXON, 
        Halliburton,

        and General Atomics".  Recent experience shows that when the
        voters know

        that ballot initiatives are sponsored by interests such as
        "Texas Oil", PG&E,

        and Mercury Insurance, they know to vote them down.

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    -- 
Spencer Graves, PE, PhD
President and Chief Technology Officer
Structure Inspection and Monitoring, Inc.
751 Emerson Ct.
San José, CA 95126
ph:  408-655-4567
web:  www.structuremonitoring.com

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