Los Angeles City Council Fights For Election Transparency

Los Angeles City Council: Local Efforts Against Corrupt Campaign Finance Laws Continue to Grow

Democracy, elections and voting at Democracy Chronicles

Common Cause, a great website for information about election reform, has recently  published an article on some unlikely progress from one of the nation’s largest cities.  The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a measure requiring political donors be disclosed for major spenders in elections. Transparency has always been high in importance for any system of elections and has recently been degraded due to the Citizen’s United decision of the US Supreme Court. The new measure would be a local way for a major metropolis to fight back against the influence of big money in politics:

This new bill, from Assemblywoman Julia Brownley in Santa Monica, would require full disclosure, in the ads themselves, of the largest major funders of all political television, radio, print, mass mailing, and online advertising for and against ballot measures and for independent expenditures for and against candidates.

In order for progress to made on this front, many other similar efforts will have to gather steam.  We can do our part by making election reform a major issue in this year’s campaign for President.  The Los Angeles City Council is apparently doing its part:

After the public comments, Councilman Bill Rosendahl made a statement where he cited the toll that money makes in the political process highlighting the deliberate confusion some companies supporting ballot measures make in their advertising. Councilmember Paul Koretz said it’s always difficult to get money out of the voting process but that disclosure is the way to make our system clearer and less murky for voters.

The LA City Council unanimously supported the item, and the State Assembly will vote on the California Disclose Act later this month.