CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : Court Refuses Case on Political Mailing

The California Supreme Court has refused to review the constitutionality of a state initiative that banned the use of taxpayer money for political mailings. A group of state lawmakers challenged the 1988 initiative on the grounds that it infringed on the California Legislature’s right to govern its own affairs and budget. Two trial courts split on the constitutionality of Proposition 73, but the 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled Feb. 2 that voters had the right to control the spending of limited public funds. Proposition 73, passed in June, 1988, said “no newsletter of mass mailing shall be sent at public expense.” A legislative analyst in 1988 estimated Proposition 73 would save taxpayers $1.8 million a year from state mailings alone, with similar savings at the local level.