CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM PLAN STUDIED HAHN, CITING CITY ATTORNEY CONCERNS, THREATENS VETO OF NEWEST PROPOSAL.Byline: Harrison Sheppard Staff Writer The City Council began delving Wednesday into a controversial campaign finance reform Campaign finance reform is the common term for the political effort in the United States to change the involvement of money in politics, primarily in political campaigns. package designed to limit the influence of independent expenditures in city elections. In the past two elections, the city has faced an explosion in independent expenditures - activities for or against a candidate that are financed by an independent group without talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to the campaigns. They are seen as a loophole An omission or Ambiguity in a legal document that allows the intent of the document to be evaded. Loopholes come into being through the passage of statutes, the enactment of regulations, the drafting of contracts or the decisions of courts. that allows unions, large corporations and other well-funded groups to skirt laws restricting individual campaign donations. The amount of independent expenditures went from less than $5,000 in 1993 to more than $1 million in this year's City Council primary. ``There's no question that everyone is troubled,'' said Miriam Krinsky, president of the city Ethics Commission In the United States, an Ethics Commission is a commission established by State law to discourage dishonest practices by their public employees and elected officials. Almost all American states have such a commission. . ``The essence of that concern is the fact that independent spending in our city races has reached an unprecedented level.'' The package seeks to level the playing field by giving greater benefits, such as increased matching funds Noun 1. matching funds - funds that will be supplied in an amount matching the funds available from other sources cash in hand, finances, funds, monetary resource, pecuniary resource - assets in the form of money , to candidates who do not benefit from independent expenditures. Council members debated the issue for nearly two hours before losing a quorum A majority of an entire body; e.g., a quorum of a legislative assembly. A quorum is the minimum number of people who must be present to pass a law, make a judgment, or conduct business. when several members left the chamber. The council plans to resume the discussion Tuesday. Elements of the package are opposed by the City Attorney's Office and Mayor James Hahn For the Iowa politician, see . James Kenneth "Jim" Hahn (born July 3, 1950) is an American politician from the Democratic Party. He was the Deputy City Attorney (1975-1979), City Controller (1981-1985), City Attorney (1985-2001) and Mayor of Los Angeles, California , who has threatened to veto it, as he did a smaller proposal in 2001. At that time, Hahn asked for a more comprehensive package, which resulted in the current plan. Hahn said he is concerned about legal objections raised by City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo's office - an opinion that Ethics Commission officials asked the council to disregard based on legal analyses from other experts. ``It is not in the best interest of the city to face lengthy and costly litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. with an outcome likely to be against the ordinance,'' Hahn said in a letter to the council. Delgadillo's office has argued that certain provisions giving greater benefits to candidates who do not receive a high amount of independent expenditures are unconstitutional because they allow the government to make decisions based on the content of what is seen as an individual's First Amendment right to spend money in support of a candidate. Delgadillo, who was one of the largest beneficiaries of independent expenditures in the 2001 election, has personally recused himself from the issue, allowing his chief deputy, Terree Bowers Bowers is a surname, and may refer to
But Ethics Commission officials said independent experts in campaign finance, including the Los Angeles-based Center for Governmental Studies and California Common Cause, believe the provision is constitutional. The Ethics Commission has been pushing to get the package passed soon so that it can apply to the 2005 election campaigns. |
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