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Support the Clean Money Campaign Prop 89

VOTE YES FOR CLEAN MONEY, PROP. 89

By Bill Magavern, Senior Representative, Sierra Club California, and

Trent Lange, Vice President, California Clean Money Campaign

With political corruption scandals bursting out everywhere from San Diego to Texas to Washington, D.C., Californians now have a real opportunity to turn the tables on polluters and developers by weakening the dominance of big money campaign contributors.  Proposition 89, the California Clean Money and Fair Elections Act, is the best hope in years for a fundamental change that would finally give the environment a more level playing field in Sacramento. 

You know the problem:  Environmentalists are frequently up against developers and corporations that contribute millions of dollars to political campaigns.  Environmentally-friendly candidates often can't get elected because they don't have enough money to compete against corporate-backed candidates.

In Sacramento, good environmental bills are often killed by legislators or a governor that have received large campaign contributions from the polluters or developers we're fighting -- sometimes the very same day they kill our bills.

Clean Money public funding of election campaigns would drain the swamp of corruption by providing competitive amounts of public campaign funds to candidates who voluntarily limit their campaign spending and show a broad base of support.

Arizona and Maine, where Clean Money systems have been operating for six years, have proven it works.  Clean Money candidates now hold nearly 80% of the legislature in Maine and 10 out of 11 statewide offices in Arizona, including the governor's office.  Voter turnout and participation has increased significantly as confidence in government has risen.

Not surprisingly, legislators elected with Clean Money in Arizona and Maine have much better environmental voting records than legislators elected with private money. Legislators in Maine who used Clean Money scored nearly twice as high on the League of Conservation Voters scorecard as those who did not.

We need the same reform in California.  If we want clean air and clean water, we have to have Clean Money.  That's why Sierra Club California strongly endorses Prop 89.