Diverse Coalition Organizing To Stop Prop. 89, a Deceptive, Unfair Ballot Measure
Contact: Robin Swanson (916) 443-7817
August 2, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sacramento – A diverse coalition of business, labor and nonprofit community groups is building to fight Prop. 89, a deceptive initiative filed by the California Nurses Association. Prop. 89 is poorly crafted initiative that would silence the voice of businesses and non-profit groups. Significant portions of similar measures in other states have been declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Election reform is an important subject, but the flawed scheme that the CNA has proposed is patently unfair, one-sided, and a waste of precious taxpayer resources” said Allan Zaremberg, President of the California Chamber of Commerce and Co-Chair of Californians to Stop 89, a coalition of business and taxpayer organizations (Stop 89). Other co-chairs of Stop 89 include Bill Hauck, President of the California Business Roundtable, and Larry McCarthy, President of the California Taxpayers Organization. Other co-chairs will be added to the group.
Stop 89 also announced that they have assembled a top team of professionals to manage the campaign against Prop. 89. Schubert Flint Public Affairs, Goddard Claussen Strategic Advocacy, and Kaufman Campaign Consultants have been hired to manage the Stop 89 campaign. These firms have managed dozens of successful ballot initiative campaigns in California over the past two decades on behalf of businesses, organized labor, educators and nonprofit organizations.
“Our committee will be a diverse, bi-partisan effort to defeat the proposal,” said Bill Hauck of the California Business Roundtable. “We are reaching out to groups representing organized labor, non profits, education, law enforcement and many others to oppose this initiative. The initiative will have the effect of silencing hundreds of organizations representing tens of millions of Californians, while extracting new taxes to pay for political campaigns in our state.”
The California Teachers Association and the California State Council of Laborers have recently voted to oppose the initiative.
“Prop. 89 is poorly written and full of unintended consequences. It does nothing to enforce current campaign contribution limits or to limit how much the wealthiest citizens can spend on their own campaigns, while limiting the participation of small businesses, labor unions and non-profit organizations in the political process,” said Barbara E. Kerr, President of the California Teachers Association. “This is not real reform.”
“California faces many public finance challenges,” said Larry McCarthy of Cal Tax. “Our roads need fixing, our schools need help, and our health care system is in trouble. What we don’t need is to spend precious tax dollars on political campaigns by candidates and elected officials.”
###
The 335,000-member CTA is affiliated with the 2.8 million-member National Education Association.