Yesterday the State Senate finally upheld its promise to hold a vote on SCA 3 - redistricting reform, passing the bill with a vote of 27-11. We applaud the Senators who had the courage to stand up for redistricting reform and give up their own power to draw districts. Or next step is to call Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (916-319-2046) to tell him the bill is not dead and he needs to schedule a hearing next week on SCA 3 - ideally, Tuesday August 22.

A quick little notice out of California - former City of Los Angeles building and safety commission chief Efren Abratique is coming under fire for voting three times to grant permits to a firm that directly benefitted his own company financially.

And now a friendly little reminder for all the local officials out there: if a vote comes before you where you have a financial stake in the outcome, the proper thing to do is to recuse yourself.  I have a feeling Abratique is going to learn that lesson the hard way.

Californians have a second chance of seeing public financing of state elections becoming a reality in the November election.

Prop 89, the Clean Money and Fair Elections Act, creates a voluntary system of public financing and limits political contributions to candidates and ballot measures. It will ensure that people with true grassroots support will be able to mount credible campaigns without having to rely on wealthy special interests to bankroll - and buy - their political platforms.

State public financing has already proven to be successful in both Maine and Arizona and we are working hard to add California to that list. Check out our Prop 89 webpage for more information.

In California, the fine line between government and lobbying is being blurred by a legislative staff migration. California's lobbying corps, caustically referred to as the Third House, is being led by experienced legislative staffers that no longer work in government. Jordan Rau reports in the Los Angeles Times:

Lobbyists can earn double or more what can be made on the public payroll while working on the same legislation they researched as staffers. UC San Diego Professor Thad Kousser says that this is an unwanted effect of term limits giving interest groups "a much more active role in actually drafting the legislation, negotiating the amendments."

There is a one year "cooling off" period in which former staffers have to wait to join a lobbying firm. Nevertheless, the smooth transition from staffer to lobbyist compromises the legislative process because staffers may effectively parlay their job in government into a lucrative career. Of course, this is nothing new, or even unique. Regardless, this is yet another example of the bond between the moneyed interest and government, which is a terrifying connection indeed.

In California, Common Causers are biting our nails. Our members, Board and staff have lobbied hard for the Legislature to put a redistricting bill on the November ballot that would create a balanced and impartial system of drawing districts, SCA 3. So far these efforts have not been enough to push this bill through the hazy fog of political deal making. Despite being scheduled for a floor vote many times, the state senate has failed to move SCA 3 through the Legislature.

There is still time for the Legislature to put a bill on the ballot. We must make sure our representatives understand how important this is to Californians. We are working with city councils to pass resolutions calling on state lawmakers to support redistricting reform that will respect our neighborhoods and cities over incumbent political interests.

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles city council took a step closer to adopting full-public financing for municipal campaigns. Although five of the council members expressed the usual concerns about tax-dollars for campaigns, the full 15-member council voted unanimously to draft a measure that could be placed on the March ballot. Check out the LA Times story.

Reflecting the unimpeachable tidiness of the current members, the city council also voted to change the name from Clean Money to "full-public financing". I still think "voter-owned elections" best captures the intent and philosophy of public-finance.

A successful drive for public-finance in the second most populous city in the nation would obviously be a huge boon for the movement.

The Palo Alto City Council voted on Monday, June 26th to pass a resolution in support of fair and public redistricting drawn by an independent commission of California voters. This makes Palo Alto the first city in California to officially support the creation of an independent redistricting commission along the lines of SCA 3. We applaud them for their support in telling the Legislature that cities should not be cut up by district lines. Hopefully the State Senate will listen as they prepare to vote on SCA 3 this week.

Last year Califonia's Proposition 77 to redraw electoral districts tanked when put to the voters.  This year, however, lawmakers have come back with a new and improved version of redistricting, focused on creating an independent commission to oversee the redistricting process.  After the state budget is settled, the measure will be put to the state Senate; then the Legislature will vote on it, and finally it will go to the voters on the November ballot.

From the Contra Costa Times:

Check inside for details of the proposed plan.