Pasadena Need Campaign Contribution Limits (Photo – Graphics Dept.)
Many people feel that money has too much influence in politics these days.
By Ellen Finkelpearl
Here in Pasadena, the Charter Reform task force has been reviewing the issue of campaign contribution limits for City Council and Mayoral candidates. They, seem inclined to settle on the state mandated limit of $5500 per contributor. They likely will not recommend a lower limit to the City Council, which means that this important issue will not be taken to the voters in the fall. (But we can still try to show the council that Pasadenans care very much about this issue.)
The limit of $5500 per contributor was designed for statewide races and seems excessive for a city council race in a moderate sized city such as ours. Cities of comparable size have imposed much lower limits, e.g. Torrance with $1000, Berkeley with $250. Los Angeles has a limit of $800.
It should be obvious that allowing such high limits gives an advantage to those with connections to the wealthy. Lower limits allow for those without such connections to have a chance at gaining an office and empowers small donors, giving them a voice in the political process.
Some members on the task force and on the Council have been arguing that lower limits would simply funnel contributions to “Independent Expenditures,” i.e. contributions that allegedly have no connection to the candidate and that have no dollar limit. They claim that the higher limit allows for greater transparency and that Independent Expenditures are harder to trace. However, California law requires that those contributions be reported, even if sometimes their origins are obscure.
The task force asked their consultants from the firm Baker Tilly to assess whether IE’s did in fact increase in cities that had established lower limits. City staff also did an analysis. Neither of these studies established any connection between the lower limits and an increase in IE’s. The task force and consulting firm were also concerned that lower limits might put greater pressure on city staff to keep track of potential violations, but both have concluded that there would not be an undue burden.
You can still make your voices heard!
The task force will meet Thursday, May 9, 2024, at 6:00 pm, at the H&H Jivalagian Youth Center, 2242 E Foothill Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107, on the east side of Pasadena. You may appear in person, send a letter: cityclerk@cityofpasadena.net, or attend live via zoom: (See Zoom link).
> The agenda with more information is downloadable at this link.
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