HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-15-2016 Item 11, Hornaday - PillsburyCOUNCIL MEETING:
ITEM NO.:
FEB 0 2 2016
January 29, 2016
City of San Luis Obispo
Attn: Mayor
990 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Dear Mayor Marx,
This letter is to encourage you to support a significant, vanguard effort to assure that our city continues
to be blessed with a general absence of outside money in influencing our city elections. Especially as
our population grows, this is not a given whatsoever. We are all aware of the state of national elections
due to the Supreme Court's affirmation of Citizens United, identifying corporations as people and thus
not limited in their campaign contributions.
The "Integrity in Our Elections Ordinance" which has been presented by SLO Citizens Congress would
build on our existing election laws to accomplish three things: 1) create public funding of the city's
mayoral and council elections using the "democracy voucher" method. A version of this was adopted by
Seattle last November. Other variations of this exist across the country. Even on a local level where
campaigns cost FAR less money, the need for financial support in order to compete at all requires more
money than many potential candidates can raise. This stifles open elections and diversity. For instance,
the majority of our population consists of young people, but the Council membership does not reflect
that. 2) it requires people and organizations who spend money on "electioneering communications" to
register with the city clerk so that those who support our community elections are a matter of public
record, and 3) the ordinance empowers a citizen's Elections Commission to hear allegations of campaign
violations and make recommendations to the city attorney's office.
As you know, this ordinance would NOT require that candidates choose this public system option.
Candidates could still elect to fundraise independently. This ordinance has been written to give
candidates a freedom of choice.
It would be our hope to have San Luis Obispo continue its reputation for leading meaningful change by
changing how our elections operate, serving as an example that we hope will encourage other cities, the
county and the state to adopt such an ordinance.
Your constituents and members of SLO Citizens Congress,
Ju o na ay
3 s Praderas Drive, SLO
Douglas Pills rY
668 Lawrence Drive, SLO