CNA Proposes Initiative To Limit Political Campaign Donations
The California Nurses Association on Monday announced a proposal for a ballot initiative that would impose strict limits on political campaign spending, including a ban on corporate donations to candidates and ballot measures, the Los Angeles Times reports. About 600,000 signatures would be required to qualify the measure for the November ballot.
The proposal would create a system of public financing for political-office candidates. Those who rejected the public financing could accept contributions of up to $500 for legislative races and $1,000 for statewide offices. The proposal also would limit union donations to candidates, but would not place limits on spending for initiative campaigns. Candidates would be able to spend an unlimited amount of their own money on their campaigns.
CNA proposed paying for the system by increasing the state's bank and corporate tax rate or adding a new tax on oil pumped from California wells (Morain, Los Angeles Times, 1/24).
Donna Gerber of CNA confirmed that the union on Monday filed papers with the attorney general's office to begin collecting signatures to qualify the measure.
The proposal is similar to a bill (AB 583), by Assembly member Loni Hancock (D-El Cerrito), that is scheduled for a vote in the Assembly as early as Thursday (San Jose Mercury News, 1/24).