Subject: OPPOSE AB 1430

August 16, 2007

The Honorable Abel Maldonado
15th District, State Senate
State Capitol Building, Room 4081
Sacramento, CA 95814

SUBJECT:           

Dear Senator Maldonado:

The League of Women Voters of the Monterey Peninsula urges you to oppose AB 1430 which would prohibit local jurisdictions from regulating the source and amount of money that political parties can use to campaign for candidates.  It would prevent doing any of the following unless a state statute or regulation explicitly makes these restrictions applicable to member communications:

• restricting the sources of payments for member communications
• limiting payments to a political party committee for member communications
• limiting the scope of payments related to the making of member communications (such as costs for formulating, designing, producing, and distributing communications; surveys; list acquisitions; and consulting fees).

The League believes that the methods of financing political campaigns should ensure the public’s right to know, combat corruption and undue influence, enable candidates to compete more equitably for public office and allow maximum citizen participation in the political process.

AB 1430 would make it essentially impossible for a local jurisdiction to regulate campaign communications from organizations, including political parties, to their members. This bill would prohibit a local government from limiting such payments or placing restrictions on their source, and would leave the door open for even broader prohibitions.

We believe that this bill is an inappropriate restriction on the ability of local governments to regulate their own elections. Contributions to parties for spending on candidates to elective state office are limited in state law. We see no reason why similar limitations at the local level should not be allowed should a municipality choose to impose them.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Janet Brennan, President
LWV of the Monterey Peninsula