55B - RESO - OPPOSE CA PROP 32 - Laserfiche WebLink

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PROPOSITION POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS BY PAYROLL DEDUCTION. 32 CONTRIBUTIONS TO CANDIDATES. INITIATIVE STATUTE. OFFICIAL TITLE AND SUMMARY PREPARED BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS BY PAYROLL DEDUCTION. CONTRIBUTIONS TO CANDIDATES. INITIATIVE STATUTE. • Prohibits unions from using payroll-deducted funds for political purposes. Applies same use prohibition to payroll deductions, if any, by corporations or government contractors. • Permits voluntary employee contributions to employer-sponsored committee or union if autho_ized yearly, in writing. • Prohibits unions and corporations from contributing directly or indirectly to candidates and candidate- controlled committees. • Other political expenditures remain unrestricted, including corporate expenditures from available resources not limited by payroll deduction prohibition. • Prohibits government contractor contributions to elected officers or officer-controlled committees. Summary of Legislative Analyst's Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact: • Increased costs to state and local government---potentially exceeding $1 million annually-to implement and enforce the measure's requirements. ANALYSIS BY THE LEGISLATIVE ANALYST BACKGROUND Political Refomn Act. California's Political Reform Act of 1974, an initiative adopted by the voters, established the state's campaign finance and disclosure laws. The act applies to state and local candidates, ballot measures, and officials, but does not apply to federal candidates or officials. The state's Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) (1) enforces the requirements of the act, including investigating alleged violations, and (2) provides administrative guidance to the public by issuing advice and opinions regarding FPPC's interpretation of the act. Local Campaign Finance Laws. In addition to the requirements established by the act, some local governments have campaign finance and disclosure requirements for local candidates, ballot measures, and officials. These ordinances are established and enforced by the local government. Political Spending. Many individuals, groups, and businesses spend money to support or oppose state and local candidates or ballot measures. This political spending can take different forms, including contributing money to candidates or committees, donating services to campaigns, and producing ads to communicate opinions. Under state campaign finance laws, there are three types of political spending: Political Contribnuions. The term political "contribution" generally includes giving money, goods, ^ ^rvices (1) directly to a candidate, (2) at the request of a candidate, or (3) to a committee that uses these resources to support or oppose a candidate or ballot measure. Current law limits the amount of political contributions that individuals, groups, and businesses may give to a state candidate (or to committees that give money to a state candidate). In 2012, for example, a i individual, group, or business could contribute up to $26,000 to a candidate for Governor and up to $3,900 to a candidate for a legislative office. In addition, current law requires political contributions to be disclosed to state or local election officials. Independent Expenditums. Money spent to communicate support or opposition of a candidate or ballot measure generally is considered an independent expenditure if the funds are spent in a way that is not coordinated with (1) a candidate or (2) a committee established to support or oppose a candidate or a ballot measure. For example, developing a television commercial urging voters to "vote for" a candidate is an independent expenditure if the commercial is made without coordination with the candidate's campaign. Current law does not limit the amount of money indivie.-,ais, groups, and businesses may spend on independent expenditures. These expenditures, however, must be disclosed to election officials. 28 1 Title and Summary / Analysis 55B-5