CalPIRG

==
=

<a href="http://www.calpirg.org/blogs/blog/cap/let-people-vote-prop-49"> http://www.calpirg.org/blogs/blog/cap/let-people-vote-prop-49</a><h3 class="node-title"><a class="title-link" href="http://www.calpirg.org/staff/cap/emily-rusch">Emily Rusch</a></h3>

    <div class="field field-name-field-bio-phone field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">510-844-6803</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bio-email field-type-email field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="http://www.calpirg.org/email/node/649/field_bio_email">Contact person by email</a><br /><br /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-shared-post-date field-type-datetime field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single" content="2015-10-06T00:00:00-07:00">Tuesday, October 6, 2015</span></div></div></div>By <a href="http://www.calpirg.org/staff/cap/emily-rusch" class="author">Emily Rusch</a><div class="field field-name-field-bio-position field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Executive Director</div></div></div>

This morning the California Supreme Court heard the oral arguments

over whether to allow Prop 49 back on the ballot. Prop 49 is a voter

instruction measure calling on our elected officials to overturn

Citizens United and reduce the influence of big money in politics.

CALPIRG actively lobbied for the passage of AB 1272 (Lieu) out of the

legislature to authorize the ballot measure. When the measure was

challenged, we joined Money Out, Voters In, Free Speech for the People,

California Common Cause, the Courage Campaign, and the California Clean

Money campaign on an amicus brief to the court, outlining the evidence

that the framers of the California constitutional convention were

intentional about including a right to voter instruction measures such

as Prop 49. 

Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has already made clear that she

believes the ballot measure is constitutional: "I do not see such a

clear showing that the Legislature lacks authority to place the measure

before the voters, warranting this court taking the extraordinary step

of removing the measure from the ballot, thereby disenfranchising the

voters," <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-court-ballot-20151006-story.html">she wrote.</a>

And <a href="http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_28924400/herhold-let-california-voters-have-say-citizens-united">Scott Herhold at the San Jose Mercury News wrote:</a> "Democracy,

particularly direct democracy, is inherently messy. As long ago as

1849, at the first California Constitutional Convention in Monterey, the

delegates provided for the right of the people to "instruct" their

representatives. In 1891, the Legislature even asked the voters whether

U.S. senators should be elected directly rather than being appointed by

lawmakers. (That did not occur until the 17th amendment to the U.S.

Constitution was passed in 1913.) Few underlying issues about campaigns

are more important than the unlimited spending by corporations and labor

unions ushered in by the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling."

Here are my remarks from the rally this morning in front of the court:

"Billions in campaign contributions from megadonors and

corporations have too much say over who can run for and win elected

office in this country. As 2016 presidential candidates compete for

cash, the influence of megadonors is on full display. The upcoming

election will likely break all previous campaign spending records. 
=
=Prop 49, The Overturn Citizen United Act, will have

another day in court.

Late yesterday the California Legislature

filed for the Court to rehear HJTA v Padilla and Restore 49

to the November 2016 ballot as the Court should have done in its

January 4th ruling.  The filing became official earlier

today.

An Amicus Letter was also filed by MOVI, Free

Speech For People, California Clean Money Campaign, CALPIRG and

Courage Campaign to demonstrate to the Court that Prop 49 was

driven by citizen action, to offer the Court new information and to

dispel any lingering belief the Court may have that Prop 49

was a calculated act by a partisan legislature to drive

turnout.

Sorry to report from the Secretary of State's office

that "no action was taken" despite our hundreds upon hundreds of phone

calls and the over 10,000 emails our friends at California Clean Money

Campaign generated.  MOVI suggested to the SoS's office that Secretary

Padilla might want to release a statement for these bitterly

disappointed and still disenfranchised Californians who do not

understand why he chose not defend our right to vote.

The latest we'll have an answer from the Court is apparently two

months though according to the Court Clerk it could be "significantly

earlier."  We'll be considering in the coming days how best to make

our voices heard in the court now. (Please be in touch if you're

bursting with an idea)

<michele moneyoutvotersin.org="moneyoutvotersin.org">

Today marks another

victory in MOVI's Restore 49 Campaign.  Our Restore 49

partners and MOVI activists have refused to go away quietly and will

continue to refuse to go away or be quiet.

Well done to all

& more to come,

49/11/08/16!</michele>

Michele

Michele Sutter
<a id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454261738341_4569" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.yesonca49.com/?e=d0ef04f66a12c44bc464bfb75d6d7e3a&utm_source=yesonca49&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=49_is_alive&n=2">http://www.yesonca49.com/</a>