{"id":2078,"date":"2025-02-06T09:40:51","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T17:40:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/?post_type=press&p=2078"},"modified":"2025-07-29T10:07:43","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T17:07:43","slug":"california-fair-elections-act-introduced-to-allow-local-governments-and-california-to-have-public-financing-of-elections","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/california-fair-elections-act-introduced-to-allow-local-governments-and-california-to-have-public-financing-of-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"California Fair Elections Act Introduced to Allow Local Governments and California to Have Public Financing of Elections"},"template":"","class_list":["post-2078","press","type-press","status-publish","hentry","press_type-press-release"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"SB 42 would put a measure on the November 2026 ballot to allow voters to decide the matter","featured_image":"","press_type":157,"authors":"","related_issues":[104,431,429],"related_work":false,"location":3},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":"","name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"

SB 42 would put a measure on the November 2026 ballot to allow voters to decide the matter<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\r\nSACRAMENTO, CA \u2014 At a time when voters are more concerned than ever about the dominance of Big Money in politics, Senator Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) has introduced SB 42, jointly authored by Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San Jose) and Senator Ben Allen (D-El Segundo), to restore control to local governments and the State by allowing them to enact new options for election campaign funding.\r\n\r\nSB\u00a042 is sponsored by the California Clean Money Campaign, California Common Cause, and the League of Women Voters of California.\r\n\r\nFive California charter cities currently empower voters by providing public financing matching funds or democracy vouchers to help voters support qualified candidates, but state law currently bans counties, districts, general law cities, and the State from offering public funds for campaigns. SB\u00a042 would put a measure on the November 2026 ballot to remove the ban.\r\n\r\nIn 2016, the Legislature passed SB\u00a01107 (Allen), signed by Governor Jerry Brown, which would have removed the ban but the courts ruled that the question must be put before the voters. SB\u00a042 would do so by putting a measure on the November 2026 ballot.\r\n\r\n\u201cIn historic votes, overwhelming bipartisan majorities in both Houses of the Legislature voted nine years ago to give local governments and the State the option to enact public financing laws,\u201d<\/i>\u00a0said SB\u00a042 author\u00a0Senator Umberg, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee<\/b>.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s long past time for California voters to have their say in the matter and SB\u00a042 will do exactly that on next year\u2019s ballot.\u201d<\/i>\r\n\r\n\u201cPublic financing of campaigns is the best way to empower voters, increase diversity of candidates running for office, and give voters confidence that Big Money can\u2019t just buy their elections,\u201d\u00a0<\/i>said\u00a0Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San Jose), joint author of SB\u00a042<\/b>.\r\n\r\nElected officials and those running for office spend a significant amount of time soliciting donations. Public financing of campaigns can reduce the influence of money in elections and lead to more diverse candidates running for office that better reflect the communities they seek to represent.\r\n\r\n\u201cVoters across the political spectrum know that the crushing expense of campaigning can prevent great candidates from making it through the electoral process. This bill creates a path by enabling public financing systems that reduce reliance on special interests and amplify the voices of grassroots communities,\u201d<\/i>\u00a0said\u00a0Senator Ben Allen (D-El Segundo)<\/b>, the author of 2016's SB\u00a01107 and a joint author of SB\u00a042.\r\n\r\n81% of likely California voters said that Big Money campaign contributors have too much influence over elected officials in California, and 63% said that ordinary voters have too little influence, according to a 2024 poll by the California Clean Money Campaign.\u00a0 That may be why voters in charter cities have passed public financing measures by large majorities when given the opportunity. 75% voted for Los Angeles\u2019 Measure H in 2011, 65% voted for Berkeley\u2019s Measure X1 in 2016, and 74% voted for Oakland\u2019s Measure W in 2022.\r\n\r\nA broad coalition of state, local, and national organizations supported last session's SB\u00a024 (Umberg-Allen) and AB\u00a0270 (Lee-Cervantes) that also would have put a measure on the ballot to repeal the ban.\u00a0 They both made it through their first four key votes but were held in the Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees, respectively, last August.\u00a0 This year an ever bigger coalition will push to pass SB\u00a042.\r\n\r\n\u201cThough it was disappointing that SB\u00a024 and AB\u00a0270 didn't get to the Governor's desk last year, a lot of progress was made building the coalition for Fair Elections,\"<\/i>\u00a0said\u00a0Trent Lange, President of the California Clean Money Campaign<\/b>, sponsor of SB\u00a042.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re so grateful that Senator Umberg is leading with Assemblymember Lee and Senator Allen on SB\u00a042 to give voters the opportunity to remove the ban on public financing and thereby give counties, districts, general law cities, and the State the ability to explore publicly funded election systems that work for them.\"<\/i>\r\n\r\n\u201cPublic financing of campaigns empowers candidates from all walks of life to compete for public office without having to rely on wealthy donors,\u201d<\/i>\u00a0said\u00a0David Shor, Money in Politics Director of California Common Cause<\/b>, a cosponsor of SB\u00a042.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWe know that there will be a large coalition of grassroots organizations representing all spectrums of Californians who understand the ways big money in politics has harmed communities across the state, and will join in helping it pass.\u201d<\/i>\r\n\r\n\u201cThe escalating role of money in politics poses a significant threat to the health of our democracy. By prioritizing special interests and diminishing the voices of ordinary voters, it undermines the core principle of representative governance,\u201d<\/i>\u00a0said\u00a0Dora Rose, Deputy Director of the League of Women Voters of California<\/b>, a cosponsor of SB\u00a042.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cPublic financing is a proven tool that levels the playing field, enabling diverse candidates to run viable campaigns while restoring the public\u2019s trust in the fairness of our elections. SB 42 gives Californians the opportunity to reclaim their elections and ensure they reflect the values and priorities of the people, not just the wealthiest donors.\u201d<\/i>\r\n\r\nSB 42 will be heard in the Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee in March or April."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_add_component","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_add_component":null},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_work","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_work":{"heading":"Work","manually_curate":false,"work":null}}]},"yoast_head":"\nCalifornia Fair Elections Act Introduced to Allow Local Governments and California to Have Public Financing of Elections - Common Cause California<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/california-fair-elections-act-introduced-to-allow-local-governments-and-california-to-have-public-financing-of-elections\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"California Fair Elections Act Introduced to Allow Local Governments and California to Have Public Financing of Elections\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/california-fair-elections-act-introduced-to-allow-local-governments-and-california-to-have-public-financing-of-elections\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Common Cause California\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-29T17:07:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/common-cause-share-image.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/california-fair-elections-act-introduced-to-allow-local-governments-and-california-to-have-public-financing-of-elections\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/california\/press\/california-fair-elections-act-introduced-to-allow-local-governments-and-california-to-have-public-financing-of-elections\/\",\"name\":\"California Fair Elections Act Introduced to Allow Local Governments and California to Have Public Financing of Elections - 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