It’s Unreal

The most surprised person in California on election night must have been Assemblyman Ross Johnson (R-La Habra), the lead author of Proposition 73, the so-called campaign reform initiative on the primary ballot. Against all odds and expectations, even of its authors, Proposition 73 was approved by California voters with 3 million votes. The measure thus prevailed over the true reform measure, Proposition 68, and will become law on Jan. 1.

Proposition 73 never was a serious proposal. It got onto the ballot in part as a diversionary tactic to defeat Proposition 68, the measure sponsored by Common Cause with the backing of the League of Women Voters and a long list of other public-interest groups.

There was no real campaign for or against Proposition 73. Gov. George Deukmejian and the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Legislature had aimed their major fire at Proposition 68, which would have limited the size of individual campaign contributions and provided for modest public financing of legislative campaigns linked to limits on how much a candidate could spend in each election.

But California voters were intent on putting some restrictions on political fund-raising. In fact, they approved Proposition 68, but, since Proposition 73 also passed, and with more votes, it will prevail. The reason for the voters’ choice was clear: In the final days of the campaign, opponents of Proposition 68, organized by political consultant Michael Berman, ran a devious television ad claiming that Proposition 68 would allow the Ku Klux Klan and other extremist groups to reap huge amounts of taxpayer money to run their own election campaigns. While this theoretically was possible, the danger was negligible. But the ad crystallized the voters’ skepticism of giving even legitimate candidates public funds to help run their campaigns. The ads of the No-No Campaign contained an afterthought: Also vote against Proposition 73, which outlaws public financing.

Well, the voters went right out and voted for Proposition 73, and politicians throughout California are in a tizzy trying to figure out what it will do to them. Some of its features are similar to Proposition 68 and will do some good, like banning the transfer of money from one political campaign to another. This will restrict the ability of legislative leaders to raise millions of dollars to pour into the campaigns of their allies. But the measure will not stop the escalation of campaign money wars because there is no limit on how much the special interests can give--only in how they give it.

Unlike Proposition 68, which dealt only with legislative contests, Proposition 73 applies to all state and local elections in California, from governor down through city council and school board. And, rather than attempting to give challengers a fighting chance, the new law is likely to give incumbents even more advantage than they have now.

On the whole, Proposition 73 is campaign finance obfuscation, not reform. Once its defects become obvious, proponents of real reform should be prepared to resume their crusade.