新闻稿
新消息：推出创新竞选财务资源，助力加州改革
新的交互式索引和报告详细介绍了加州所有地方竞选财务法
New interactive index & report details all local campaign finance laws in California
加利福尼亚州萨克拉门托 — Today, California Common Cause introduced a first-of-its-kind index 和 报告 on campaign finance laws in California cities to aid activists, academics, and elected officials in their research and reform work. The report, Local Dollars and Local Democracy, documents and analyses all campaign finance reforms across California cities as of December 2022.
Findings of the report broadly show that state laws have significantly progressed municipal campaign finance reform in California and that many cities, particularly charter cities, have implemented reforms that go above and beyond what state law requires.
“California has long been a trailblazer in campaign finance reform, proposing and implementing regulations aiming to curb the negative effects of big money in politics,” said Sean McMorris, transparency, ethics, and accountability program manager 为了 加州共同事业. “While there is no silver bullet 为了 money’s outsized influence in our political system, this report details the myriad of good reforms that level the playing field and mitigate the distorting effects unlimited money holds over our democracy.”
Local Dollars and Local Democracy is an analysis of all campaign finance reforms in California cities as of December 2022. The report’s findings are informed by the data collected in the California Municipal Campaign Finance Index (MCFI), which is an organized and interactive accounting, composed by California Common Cause, of campaign finance laws codified in the charters and municipal codes of all California cities. To contextualize the data and findings, the report also looks at the history, current state, and potential future state of campaign finance reform in California.
The California Municipal Campaign Finance Index is intended to aid education and advocacy efforts. The MCFI can meaningfully support campaign finance reform work 为了 anyone, like:
- Community activists, who can find what types of campaign finance laws exist (or don’t exist) in their city, and how nearby or similarly sized cities implement successful reforms;
- Lawmakers, who can reference best practices in other localities while drafting their own;
- City attorneys, to research the statutory language different cities use 为了 a particular type of reform; and
- Researchers or journalists, to use the index as a starting point or springboard 为了 studies and stories on election and campaign finance reform.
“Though we know California leads in campaign finance reform efforts, there is still more work to be done, especially at the local level of government,” added McMorris. “As our report documents, cities can implement reforms that supplement and improve upon existing state laws.”
Some standout findings of Local Dollars and Local Democracy 包括：
- 七个加州特许城市，或 加州所有城市中，1% 都已建立竞选公共融资系统;
- 143 California cities, 加州所有城市中，30% 都自我设定了竞选捐款限额 (i.e., limits other than what state law requires);
- 15 California cities, or 3% of all CA cities, have campaign-contribution-related recusal requirements (other than what is required in state law) 为了 elected officials and/or candidates with decision-making power at city hall;
- 99 California cities, or 21% of all CA cities, have campaign finance laws that generally increase transparency in local elections (based on qualitative criteria defined in the MCFI); and
- 加州九个城市，或 加州所有城市中，有 2% 设有道德委员会 监督或执行竞选财务法。
On Thursday, May 23, California Common Cause will host a webinar workshop guiding users on how to operate and best utilize the MCFI, followed by a panel discussion with academics and local leaders on the impact and importance of campaign finance reform.
