Reject the Ballot’s Ordinance 6

California voters sent a resounding message last November when they passed Proposition 208 with 61% of the vote. Those who backed the statewide measure were fed up with influence peddling and purchased political power. Proposition 208 banned campaign contributions from registered lobbyists and set strict limits on individual gifts. It also placed a $10,000 annual limit on so-called officeholder accounts, whether for a small-town council member or the governor.

Unfortunately, the influence money machines and the politicians immediately set out to run around, over and through the will of the voters. Between election day and Jan. 1, when the measure took effect, huge fund-raisers were held statewide. Loopholes were sought and found. Now Proposition 208 is under attack in the courts by the California Republican and Democratic parties and by large fund-raising committees. Here in Los Angeles, a majority on the City Council placed Referendum Ordinance 6 on the April 8 ballot to that end.

In a nutshell, the backers of Ordinance 6 seem to think that Los Angeles voters were misled last November. Proponents imply that voters now understand that the council members and the city’s other top elected officials really need their fat, former officeholder accounts of $75,000 annually and larger individual contributions. Moreover, the argument goes, council members each have so large a district and so many constituents that they should not be held to such a low figure.

But the argument about large council districts loses credibility if you remember that statewide officeholders are held to the same limit. Moreover, Proposition 208 passed in Los Angeles County and all of the other counties that include the state’s largest cities by margins ranging from 57% to 71%.

It’s true that Los Angeles officials have done some good things with their officeholder account funds. But they can still do good things with $10,000 a year. City voters should continue to show their ire with politics as usual. They should reject Ordinance 6 on next Tuesday’s ballot.