I urge all California voters to vote no on Proposition 32 on Nov. 6. This measure bans unions and corporations from using payroll-deducted funds for political purposes. Sponsors praise Prop. 32 as a good government measure designed to keep special interest money out of California politics that impacts corporations and unions equally.
It does not. This is because corporations do not fund their political donations using payroll-deducted funds. So Prop. 32 will not limit the huge, unlimited, corrupting political donations from corporations and Super PACs that serve their interests.
On the other hand, unions have no effective way other than payroll deductions to fund political donations to candidates and causes that support the interests of their members. If Prop. 32 were to pass, it effectively would silence the voice of working families at the ballot box while giving corporate interests and billionaire businessmen free rein to exert even more influence on our political system.
In coming weeks, corporate interests will be pouring millions of dollars into a campaign to pass the deceptively crafted Proposition 32. Don’t be fooled. Reward them by voting no on 32 and by supporting legislation that would require the Super PACs to identify donors and that would require corporations to seek shareholder approval for political donations.
Tim Fenton
Davis