Hi. I notice my long-time (pre-politics) friend Debra Bowen is co-
author of this bill and chairs the State Senate committee which now
considers it. She's also 'the' expert on voting machines and will, no
doubt, act on that as part of this strategy. We're very lucky, folks.
Ed
CLEAN MONEY BILL PASSES FULL ASSEMBLY!
On Monday, by a vote of 47-31, our Clean Money bill (AB 583) passed the full
Assembly! This is truly a monumental victory for the Clean Money movement
and a giant step that few thought possible only months ago.
Because of all of our tremendous supporters and coalition partners, we are
defying the odds and pushing California further down the path towards fair
elections and accountable government.
Thanks to all those who wrote letters, faxed, called, and packed all the
hearings. Over 1,000 of you sent letters or faxes to Speaker Fabian Nunez
and your assemblymembers using our new online letter-writing system.
Hundreds and hundreds more called, emailed, and wrote after calls to action
from us and from a growing list of coalition partners, including alerts from
California Common Cause, the California League of Women Voters, Public
Campaign, California Sierra Club, the California Nurses Assocation,
Democratic Clubs throughout the state, and new partners Working Assets,
Mainstreet Moms, and Moveon Political Action. You can see the entire
impressive list of Clean Money supporters on our website. (If your group
would like to join it, let us know!)
Your accumulated efforts and those of our partners generated an amazing
groundswell of public support that propelled our efforts to this victory.
MORE DETAILS ON THE BILL'S PASSAGE
Defying even our own expectations, all Assembly Democrats but one voted for
the bill. Assemblymember Judy Chu stated before the full Assembly that the
Clean Money bill had received the most interest of any bill this legislative
session. Speaker Fabian Nunez rose up in strong support and said "I think
the voters would be certainly a lot more supportive of this legislative body
if we made an effort, a genuine effort, to take money out of politics..."
Almost all Republicans voted no, with the exclusion of Assemblymembers Keith
Richman and Shirley Horton, who abstained. Assemblymember Richman declared
that he supported the concept of the bill and looked forward to voting in
favor of it after the Senate and a potential conference committee made a
couple of changes.
Clean Money enjoys strong bipartisan support in the states have it,
including Arizona, Maine, and Connecticut, so we are hopeful that we'll gain
it in California as well. AB 583 will require the signature of Governor
Schwarzenegger to be placed on the ballot for voter approval. For now, we
applaud the near unanimous vote of Democrats in the Assembly who have
listened to the groundswell of public support to take a bold step for this
sweeping reform.
THE PRESS RESPONDS
The press recognized the sea change that passage of AB 583 in the Assembly
meant with reports in five major papers:
Should State Pay for Election Campaigns?
San Jose Mercury News, 1/30/06
Measure Seeking Public Financing of Campaigns Passes Assembly
San Francisco Chronicle, 1/30/06
Assembly Gets Behind Push for 'Clean Money'
Oakland Tribune, 1/31/06
Campaigns Could Be Publicly Funded
Contra Costa Times, 1/31/06
Assembly Targets Campaign Financing
Sacramento Bee, 1/31/06
This tremendous press coverage followed recent editorials on AB 583 by the
Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Sacramento Bee,
along with 13 letters to the editor and op-eds by Clean Money supporters
published this month alone.
If you are moved to write letters to any of the above articles, we highly
encourage it, and let us know if yours gets published!
WHAT'S NEXT FOR AB 583
Now that AB 583 has passed out of the full Assembly, it moves on to the
State Senate where it will begin in the Senate Elections Committee, chaired
by Clean Money co-author Senator Debra Bowen. The date for this hearing has
not been sent, but could be as early as late February.
Between now and then, we must continue to build support for the bill and add
more Senate co- authors. Stay tuned for future updates and alerts on how you
can help.
Thanks again for all your tremendous support. It is making sure everybody
in Sacramento knows that Californians are demanding a change so that voters
can finally take control of politics. This historic vote in the Assembly
shows that together we can make it happen!
Sincerely,
Trent, Susan, Jo, Eric, Aaron, Moira, and the rest of the California Clean
Money Campaign team.
P.S. If you have a moment to thank Speaker Nunez and your Assemblymember
for their "Yes" vote, or tell your Assemblymember you're disappointed in
their "No" vote, then you can do so now using our letter-writing tool. It's
really fast and easy! If it passes the Senate they'll have to vote again on
the final version, so knowing you appreciate what they do will help.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
California Clean Money Campaign
Susan Lerner..... Executive Director
Eric Tang......... Communications Coordinator
Aaron Cervantes... Latino Outreach Coordinator
Moira Brennan... Development Director
Jo Seidita....... President
Trent Lange...... Vice President & Newsletter Editor
Contact us at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or at (800) 566-3780
TOOLS FOR CHANGE
Become a member.
www.CAclean.org/join
Become a member by mail or phone. Call (800) 566-3780 for questions
and options.
California Clean Money Campaign
11844 W. Pico Blvd., Suite 200
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Ask your friends to join too, because they care as much as you.
www.CAcl ean.org/tellafriend/
Learn more.
www.CAclean.org
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