Angelenos Rally to Get Big Money Out of Politics

CALPIRG

Los Angeles, CA- Today, volunteers from across Los Angeles gathered waving signs, cheering, and distributing literature in an effort to build support for Proposition C just days before Angelinos go to the ballot.  Proposition C would instruct the members of Congress representing Los Angeles to work to put an end to unlimited campaign contributions through a constitutional amendment.

“Proposition C will send our members of Congress a clear message from their bosses- get big money out of politics,” said Austin Price field director CALPIRG.

In the wake of Citizens United, there has been unprecedented spending by corporations, unions, and private individuals through independent expenditures.  In the 2012 election over $2 billion was spent by outside groups with the vast majority being spent on negative advertising.  Following Citizens United nearly 60% of Super PAC funding came from just 159 donors contributing atleast $1 million. The race for the next mayor of Los Angeles is the most expensive in our city’s history with both candidates pulling in millions of dollars in independent expenditures.

“This is what democracy should look like –people working together to give their elected officials a clear direction.  It shouldn’t be about special interests using their million dollar megaphones to drown out the voices of the rest of us.” said Price.

The measure has been endorsed by every single candidate for office in the citywide election and similar measures have all passed with 72% support or greater in the states of Colorado and Montana and dozens of cities across the country.  Los Angeles was one of the first cities to go on record against Citizens United through a resolution in 2011 and since then over 400 cities and 13 states have also taken action to call on Congress to overturn Citizens United and work to fix the campaign finance system.

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Paid for by the Committee to Pass Prop C, Sponsored by California Public Interest Research Group. 3435 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 385 Los Angeles, CA 90010. Additional information is available at ethics.lacity.org.

CALPIRG, The California Public Interest Research Group, is a statewide nonpartisan, nonprofit, public interest group.