The sponsor of an effort to call a constitutional convention in California this week accused signature-gathering firms of "dirty tricks" including throwing out signatures, paying petition circulators not to work for the campaign, and blacklisting anyone affiliated with the effort.
The initiatives in question are sponsored by Repair California, a campaign group formed by the Bay Area Council. One of the measures (09-0066) would authorize voters to call a constitutional convention, and the other (09-0067) would formally call a convention.
Since one of the goals of the sponsor is to put restrictions on the initiative process, some within the Capitol had speculated that signature-gathering firms – which make significant amounts of money under the current system – would be loathe to help the constitutional convention measures succeed.
According to a February 3 press release from Repair California, firms are boycotting the constitutional convention measures in alleged violation of the California Unfair Competition Law, and this has dramatically driven up the cost of collecting signatures.
Jim Wunderman, president and chief executive officer of the Bay Area Council, said signature-gathering firms have gone a step further, and are actively trying to thwart the initiatives. The press release alleges: "People actually or apparently acting on the signature gathering firms' behalf are engaged in behavior intended to threaten and intimidate persons who are circulating petitions calling the Convention. Also, there is evidence of 'dirty tricks' designed to thwart the Constitutional Convention petition effort. For example, persons acting on the signature gathering firms' behalf may have thrown valid signatures away."
In related news:
Number of Active Initiatives Breaks State Record. As of February 4, there are 103 active initiatives – some of which have qualified for a 2010 ballot, others that are circulating for signatures, and many that have been filed but have not yet entered circulation. Many of these initiatives will never appear on the ballot, and several are multiple versions of the same initiative (sponsors often introduce multiple versions and then vet the measures to determine which version to proceed with). This large number of initiatives indicates that this could be the busiest campaign season since voters gained the right of the initiative in 1911.
Alcohol Tax Initiative Filed. An initiative (10-0005) filed February 2 would increase excise taxes on beer, wine, champagne and spirits to fund treatment and support services for alcohol addiction. The new revenue also would be used to provide homeless and low-income individuals recovering from alcohol abuse with treatment facilities, to increase law enforcement targeted at drunken drivers, and to fund public awareness campaigns relating to alcohol abuse. The measure would create an additional tax of $10.60 per gallon of beer; $25.60 per gallon of wine, champagne and hard cider; and $85.40 per gallon of distilled spirits, on top of the existing alcohol taxes.
Deceptive Majority-Vote Tax Increase Initiative Obtains Funding. An initiative allowing the Legislature to approve tax increases contained in a budget bill, or any budget trailer bill, with a simple majority vote has obtained funding from the California Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
The initiative (09-0057), which also eliminates the voters' right to seek a referendum of taxes or fees in budget-related bills, was issued the following title and summary: "Changes Legislative Vote Requirement to Pass a Budget from Two-Thirds to a Simple Majority. Retains Two-Thirds Vote Requirement for Taxes."
Cal-Tax's Board of Directors has voted to oppose this initiative, noting that the two-thirds vote requirement makes it more likely that waste will be evaluated – and spending controlled – before attempts are made to increase taxes.
California Forward Initiatives Enter Circulation. All of the California Forward initiatives (09-0070, 09-0071 and 09-0098) are now cleared to circulate for signatures. However, Capitol Weekly reported February 4 that the sponsor has yet to obtain significant funding for the measures that would make it easier to increase taxes or more difficult to lower taxes.
Cal-TaxReports, February 8, 2010
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