Independent expenditure use skyrockets to skirt donation limits

AP via SFGate ^ | 2/14/8 | STEVE LAWRENCE, Associated Press Writer

[SmithL]

SACRAMENTO, (AP) -- Developers, labor unions, corporations, Indian tribes and other interest groups are using "an orgy of independent expenditures" to skirt the campaign contribution limits voters adopted more than seven years ago, the state's chief elections watchdog said Thursday.

"The people of California have repeatedly voted to limit direct contributions to candidates for state office — most recently (through) Proposition 34 in November of 2000," said Ross Johnson, the chairman of the state Fair Political Practices Commission.

"It was their desire and expectation that fewer special interest dollars find their way into campaigns. But thanks to an orgy of independent expenditures, just the opposite has occurred."

It defies logic to suggest that big independent expenditures can't have an undue influence on candidates and officeholders, Johnson added.

The FPPC said that use of independent expenditures — campaign spending that supposedly isn't coordinated with a candidate — has jumped more than 6,000 percent in legislative races and more than 5,000 percent in campaigns for governor and other statewide offices since Proposition 34's limits on donations to candidates kicked in.

That's resulted in more than $88 million in television and radio ads, brochures and other campaign spending paid for directly by a variety of interest groups.

Unfortunately, Johnson said, there's not much that the FPPC can do about it, although the commission plans to explore the possibility of adopting regulations that would give voters a better idea of who's making independent expenditures.

"We are not the Legislature or the Supreme Court," Johnson said. "The law is what the law is. The statutes we are charged with enforcing are what they are."

There are no limits on independent expenditures and courts have almost consistently ruled against them so far.

[live+let_live]

Rivers and Money. Their flow can be diverted but never stopped.

[Mark was here]

Skyrockets in flight.

[NormsRevenge]

sinking the ship is the most effective way to get rid of all the rats.. ;-)