Chuck DeVore: Over $120 Million Spent on California Initiatives

BigGovernment.com ^ | 10/30/2010 | Chuck DeVore

[GVnana]

California’s progressive-era experiment in direct democracy was supposed to elevate the voters above the special interests, allowing voters make law themselves through the statewide initiative process. That this process is now virtually owned by the special interests is yet another example of the immutable Law of Unintended Consequences in government.

A brief perusal of the California Secretary of State’s initiative campaign finance disclosure website shows that some $120 million dollars has been raised by 53 groups supporting or opposing California’s nine November ballot initiatives. By comparison, California’s two major candidates for governor have raised or given to their campaigns $176 million to date, exclusive of independent expenditures and political party spending on both sides.

[GVnana]

Spending breakdown at link.

From the article:

This oversight is especially egregious when it comes to Prop. 22, a densely written amendment to the California constitution (already the third-largest in the world) that consumes eight pages of fine print to accomplish its purpose: constitutionally lock in redevelopment agency protections to protect them from pressure to reform.

California’s redevelopment agencies are supposed to target so-called “blight.” What they often do instead is use eminent domain to take property from one set of owners and give it to another so as to increase the tax base for a city.

Redevelopment abuse is rampant. It has also resulted in some $100 billion of bonds being issued in California without a vote of the people consuming 12 percent of property tax revenue that’s being diverted from local schools to pay the principal and interest on the development debt.

[MaggieCarta]

Thanks, GVnana! I really liked DeVore. What a sharp contrast he would have presented to Boxer.

Sigh.

[FTJM]

DeVore! It’s too bad FioRINO got all that misguided support.