Comments of Ned Wigglesworth
FPPC Meeting, February 10, 2005

Good morning. My name is Ned Wigglesworth. I'm an analyst with TheRestofus.org, a nonpartisan watchdog group that works on campaign finance and other related issues.

I would like to bring two items to the Commission's attention this morning:

The first deals with the current collaboration by Governor Schwarzenegger and the Citizens to Save California committee in pursuit of their mutual agenda. To date, this effort has been as tandem as a bicycle built for two. Their model is as simple as Simon Says: the governor announces the policy and the plan, then the committee pursues it.

Hand in hand the governor and the committee have crossed the state of California, touting their agenda at a series of high-powered fundraising luncheons at fancy hotels, seeking $100,000 donations from lobbyists and wealthy elites. I would like to be clear that the problem here is not their agenda, but the six-figure donations they are raising for a committee that is controlled by the governor. This is a clear violation of the spirit and letter of California state law and the regulations passed by this Commission.

The committee has now filed a lawsuit stating that the relevant regulation is unconstitutional, which suggests to me that even they don't believe their hype about being independent. The governor and the committee are in cahoots in violation of state law. They know it and the people of California know it. That is why TheRestofUs filed a complaint against them for accepting unlimited donations; that is why I encourage you today to investigate the matter vigorously; and that is why I urge the Commission to seek injunctive relief against this activity. The people of California's trust in this Commission demands it. If you do not act, we will.

The second point deals with a possible loophole caused by FPPC regulations 18530.9 and 18225.7. This loophole appears as though it may allow a candidate-controlled committee to collaborate with a non-candidate-controlled committee to evade contribution limits. In this year of many ballots, Republicans and Democrats alike have indicated their interest in establishing candidate-controlled ballot committees. I encourage you to take action to investigate and close this loophole so that candidates cannot sidestep California's contribution limits.

Thanks for your time and attention.

#-#-#

TheRestofUs.org is a nonpartisan political watchdog dedicated to alerting citizens to the problems of big money in politics.