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“People who have more money should be free to buy more cars, more homes, more vacations, and more gizmos than the rest of us. They should not be able to buy more democracy." -Bill Moyers |
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For Immediate Release: June 8, 2005 California Recovery Team Pays for Join Arnold Website – In-kind Contribution Subjects CRT to $5,600 Limit – Injunction Sought by TheRestofUs.org Campaign finance watchdog TheRestofUs.org filed a motion in Sacramento County Superior Court on May 31, 2005, asking the court to enjoin the Recovery Team from accepting any further contributions over $5,600 and to force the Recovery Team to disgorge any contributions in excess of the legal amount. The activity that would be enjoined is just part of a larger pattern of using multiple committees to evade California’s contribution limits, said the group. “We filed this preliminary injunction as part of our broader efforts to get Governor Schwarzenegger to abide by California’s campaign finance laws as he pursues his re-election and Year of Reform,” said Derek Cressman, Director for TheRestofUs.org. “Instead of treating California’s already lenient fundraising limits like trash in their pursuit of his agenda, the governor and his fundraising squad should campaign within the means prescribed by California law.” The action is based on ongoing and substantial contributions from the Recovery Team to Governor Schwarzenegger, including but not limited to the Recovery Team paying for JoinArnold.com, the official website of Schwarzenegger’s re-election campaign. According to the website itself, JoinArnold is “Paid for and maintained by the CALIFORNIA RECOVERY TEAM”, an in-kind contribution that subjects the Recovery Team to a $5,600 limit on the contributions it can accept under Section 85303(a) of the Political Reform Act. Joinarnold.com’s Privacy Policy page, which solicited contributions for Californians for Schwarzenegger – 2006, was taken down last night. Hard copies and electronic copies are available from TheRestofUs.org. “Two years ago, Governor Schwarzenegger inspired hope in many Californians when he promised to end the culture of big money in Sacramento,” said Ned Wigglesworth, analyst for TheRestofUs.org. “Since then, he has broken all fundraising records, illegally loaned his campaign $4.5 million, cut the funding of the state campaign finance watchdog agency, filed a lawsuit against that agency, and created multiple committees to evade the campaign laws of California. With the exception of his call for an independent redistricting panel, this is not the record of a reformer.” More information about the preliminary injunction can be found at http://www.therestofus.org/PreliminaryInjunction-FactsandLaw.htm. Judge Shelleyanne Chang is expected to issue a tentative ruling on the preliminary injunction after 2 p.m. on June 21. If the losing party requests a hearing, that hearing is expected to be on June 22. #-#-# TheRestofUs.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit
organization working to make democracy work for ordinary citizens.
TheRestofUs.org is involved in campaign finance ballot measures
in Oregon and Ohio and independent redistricting policy in California,
Florida, and Ohio. We will soon file an amicus brief asking
the U.S. Supreme Court to review and uphold Vermont’s mandatory
spending limits. We also support federal efforts to eliminate
the 527 loophole for soft money electioneering.
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