6/15/22
Clean Elections San Diego
Summer Update
.
Hi Everyone,
.
Summer is here. We didn’t meet this month and we are going dark in July. So enjoy your summer! But we can still use this time to work on the clean elections campaign. One of the long term issues that we want to deal with, is how can we cut the cost of clean elections? Our original estimate of the cost of clean elections in San Diego was $5 million a year or $4 per person per year. When compared to the city’s budget, that might not sound like a lot, but given the financial needs of the city, we do want to see if we can cut the cost of our clean elections proposal..
.
How do we do that?
Here is where we would like your feedback on some ideas that we have come up with . One idea, although it might not be considered to save money, would be to make our proposal a “pilot”. If it were passed by the San Diego voters, we have have clean elections for two, four year terms followed by a city-wide vote to see if San Diego voters still approve of clean elections after they have seen it in action. Another idea would be to cut the cost of the clean election funds for mayor and city attorney and save money. Another idea we have discussed is to completely cut funding for mayor and city attorney offices and only apply the clean elections measure to the city council races during a possible pilot period. Another possibility would be to make the funding of clean election funds based on a progressive higher amount of $5 contributions collected. The more a clean elections candidate collects, showing more voter support, the more funds that clean elections candidate would get. Maine has this in their clean elections measure
.
So, these are ideas we have discussed on how to cut the cost of clean elections for the city of San Diego. What do you think? We would like your feedback at what we have come up with. and we would also welcome your ideas on how we could cut the cost of our clean elections measure. Please send your feedback, ideas, as well as any questions or suggestions, to our campaign coordinator, John Hartley, at 619-299-8870 or hartley2k@aol.com..
.
And lastly, again check out our web page: CleanElectionSanDiego.org which hosts the Road to Clean Elections video by Bill Moyers Bill Moyers created and narrated this short, 7 minute video highlighting the positive impact of clean elections on Arizona and Maine.
.
Have a great summer!
Why I support Clean Elections for San Diego.
Why I support Clean Elections for San Diego – Richard J. Castro, Neighborhood/Clean Elections Activist – District 2
I believe in Democracy, as did the ancient Athenians, the English who signed the Magna Carta and, generally, our American Founding Fathers and authors of the Declaration of Independence, American Constitution and Bill of Rights. But having asserted so, I am mindful of the economic interests, that motivated all of them! It is virtually impossible to escape our economic or monied interests. However, that are ways to reduce the impact of money! in our political process.
I am a fervent supporter of measures associated with a program called Clean Elections. The purpose is to reduce if not eliminate the inordinate, crass and selfish influence of MONEY! Large financial contributors do not objectively donate their money. They support those who supports them and their interests! Clean Elections supports all announced, honor bound and legally circumscribed candidates, who participate in the election process with limited financial
resources – equally distributed. The focus is on the candidates, their ideas, motivations, energies and social/political talents. It is an idea and a program spelled out persuasively in Bill Moyers’ book, “Moyers on Democracy.” For all who believe in democracy, it is a book to beread and ideas to be absorbed and applied to our politics
.
Why I support Clean Elections for San Diego – Pat Sexton, North Park Activist – organizer of Save 30th. Street Parking and North Park United.- District 3
My name is Pat Sexton, organizer of Save 30th. Street Parking and North Park United. Today I’m speaking as a resident in my North Park community. I’ve lived in North Park most of the past 50 yrs., with short residency in Southeastern San Diego, and Talmadge. I was on the Board of the Skyline-Paradise Hills Community Planning Group, when William Jones, and Wes Pratt were the Councilmen for D4. Then started the original Kensington-Talmadge Community Planning Group when John Hartley and Gloria McCall were my Councilreps, for D3. I started attending North Park Planning Committee meetings (not on the Board) in 2017 and what a difference a few years made in how the City operates.
When I started in Community Planning Group attendance, every single new construction project came before the Planning Committee Group. The Mayor listened to the City Council, and they listened to the people and voted accordingly. The public had three opportunities to voice their opinion on the project. Council reps were voted in based on their platform for the community.
Today at North Park Planning Committee meetings, the ONLY projects we hear about are map waivers. I’ve heard many people say, “I didn’t know what was going on next door, until the dozer pulled up”. We all have been surprised to find out what was planned for us, when it’s implemented a day or two, or sometimes, overnight. Today, the developer simply goes to the Permit Counter, and purchases their permit, and so long as blue-prints comply with the State Building Code mandates, the permit is given. Seems to me there would be considerably less conflict, and much more support for our politicians, if the community involved was a partner on the decision making process, prior to the implementation, and had a platform to voice their opinions and recommendations.
Long time San Diegans vested in their chosen communities, NEED to have a forum or another way to work with our Council Rep, when something is coming down the pipeline, so they know the needs and wants of our communities. They in turn would know what a lot of the people living in the community want or need and could knowlingly represent us on the City Council. Transparency the basis of democracy in our country. Candidates need to be able to run for Council seats on a level playing field so a grassroots community person can run with the same budget as the candidate sponsored by the special interest lobbyist group. That’s what clean elections are all about. The government is, We The People, and we need to be heard and the Council Reps and Mayor need to hear those who live in the community, in order to get a balanced idea of what works and doesn’t.
I strongly urge the Mayor and Council Reps to hear us out and support Clean Elections for San Diego tax payers.