Passed 08/29/2005
WHEREAS the amount of money needed in order to run for public office and to compete against big-monied interests and PACs has grown phenomenally in politics at the local, state, and national levels in the past several years, and
WHEREAS this pay-to-play system hinders the average citizen lacking great wealth from participating effectively in the political arena, thus undermining the democratic process, and
WHEREAS public financing of political campaigns will both improve voters’ access to their elected officials and keep elected officials from spending inordinate amounts of their time fundraising.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley supports a clean money system for elected citywide, statewide and legislative offices and looks to systems working successfully in Arizona and Maine for patterns that could be adopted for California’s unique electoral circumstances.