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California Common Cause announced it is the main supporter of bipartisan legislation introduced this week, authored by State Senator Steve Glazer (D-Orinda) and co-authored by Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita), that would prohibit political contributions over $250 from parties seeking contracts with local governments to the elected local officials who make contracting decisions.

On April 7, 2022, California Common Cause will celebrate the organization’s 50th anniversary and honor “Democracy Heroes” who have played vital roles in the fight to strengthen democracy in California. The event will also celebrate the former staff and board members who helped make possible the organization’s accomplishments over the past five decades while laying the groundwork for our next 50 years. 

Today, California Common Cause lauded San Francisco’s ban on government officials soliciting behested payments from “interested parties” in the wake of a string of controversies involving those payments. The first-of-its-kind ban in California, which went into effect last week, was adopted in response to a massive corruption scandal that was exposed in 2020 involving multiple city departments and high-ranking city officials. Behested payments appear to have played a significant role in the scandal. California Common Cause touted San Francisco’s behested payment law as a model for other jurisdictions and the state to follow.

The Commission drew new district maps for our congressional delegation, State Senate, State Assembly, and Board of Equalization over the course of roughly 150 livestreamed meetings, including meetings dedicated to every region of the state and meetings held in a wide variety of languages.

“A healthy and vibrant press is key to holding government accountable and ensuring an informed electorate,” said Jonathan Mehta Stein, Executive Director of California Common Cause. “As local journalism continues to decline, misinformation, disinformation, and political polarization is on the rise. This initiative will allow us to get back to governing based on facts, and with a news industry that’s inclusive of every voice in our state.”

The lack of an independent redistricting commission has opened the door to political interference hindering the community-driven process and has allowed the Board of Supervisors to choose a map that serves the status quo and insulates the incumbency of those already in power.