THE GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA
www.cagreens.org
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Contact: Sara Amir, spokesperson, 310.270-7106
saraamir@earthlink.net
Pat Driscoll, spokesperson, 916.320-6430 patp@sonicfrog.com
Susan King, spokesperson, 415.823-5524 funking@mindspring.com
Cres Vellucci, press secretary, 916.996-9710 civillib@cwnet.com
Greens testify for legislation to reduce power
of special interests in elections, qualify all parties for public financing of
campaigns
SACRAMENTO (April 19, 2006) - The Green Party testified in favor of
legislation here today that would create public financing of elections for
all political parities - including third parties like the Greens - and
reduce the influence of special interests in politics.
The measure, AB583, had its first test in the upper house Wednesday in the
Senate Elections Committee. Authored by Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley), the bill
was approved by the full Assembly on a 47-31 vote late last year.
"This bill is a good start toward providing a better government to voters,"
said Dr. Forrest Hill, the Secretary of State candidate for the Green Party
of California. "It will diminish the perception of corruption in politics,
and will allow independent voices of smaller political parties a better
opportunity to be heard."
Previously, the Green Party of California and other groups opposed AB583
because it made it far too difficult for smaller political parties to qualify for public financing. After the author made changes to make the law
fairer for smaller political parties and level the playing field a little
more, the Greens agreed to support the legislation.
"We support the legislation as it is now written because the public
financing of campaigns will allow lawmakers to focus their time on the
public's business instead of spending 50 percent or more of their time
fishing for dollars from special interests," said Hill.
The California Clean Money and Fair Elections Act establishes a voluntary
system of public funding of campaigns similar to those in Arizona, Connecticut and Maine. Candidates from all parties, and independents, could
qualify for millions of dollars in public campaign funding by following a
set a rules designed to limit the influence of special interests.
Smaller party candidates would have to collect thousands of $5 donations -
twice as many their Democratic and Republican counterparts - to qualify,
but could still be entitled for up to millions of dollars in campaign financing for legislative, and
statewide elections.
