Prop 32’s Rich Backers Trying to Bully Working People Out of Politics…Again

by Amy B. Dean

In their attempts to silence the political voice of working people, conservative groups and millionaire donors have been disingenuous and anti-democratic. But you can’t say they haven’t been persistent.

Proposition 32 — a so-called “paycheck protection” measure that will appear on California’s ballot in November — is hardly a novel innovation. Rather, it is this year’s tired reincarnation of similar ballot initiatives rejected by voters in 1998 and again in 2005.

The current measure is framed as something that would restrict political contributions by both unions and corporations. Yet, as Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik recently noted, it has loopholes for corporations that you could drive a campaign bus through. The proposition, Hiltzik wrote, “exempts such common business structures as LLCs, partnerships and real estate trusts. If you’re a venture investor, land developer or law firm, Proposition 32 doesn’t lay a finger on you.” Continue reading “Prop 32’s Rich Backers Trying to Bully Working People Out of Politics…Again”