HJTA WINS COURT VICTORY TO STOP TAXPAYER FUNDING OF CAMPAIGNS

A state appeals court has ruled that tax dollars may not be used to finance political campaigns, tossing out a law passed by the Legislature that attempted to authorize the practice.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and retired state Senator and Judge Quentin L. Kopp filed a lawsuit challenging the validity of Senate Bill 1107, a 2016 California law that sought to allow campaigns to be financed with public funds under some circumstances.

The Third District Court of Appeal ruled that the people of California had banned the practice of public funding of campaigns when they passed Proposition 73, coauthored by Kopp, in 1988.

“California voters decided to prohibit taxpayer dollars from being used as political slush funds,” said HJTA President Jon Coupal. “If politicians want to change that, they have to take the issue back to the voters.”

Voters were asked to approve the public financing of campaigns in 2006, when Proposition 89 was on the ballot. It lost by a margin of 74% to 26%.

The loss in the Third District Court of Appeal was even more decisive. The judges’ ruling was unanimous.