Montana Insurance

In the first test of California’s most borders restrictive policies contribute to day, six and seven gifts are given later in the campaign for accounts with a total of nearly $ 70 million.

Despite the borders Proposition 34, that limiting the maximum speed donation to $ 21, 200 by giving a campaign, candidates have been a number of methods, roughly in order to facilitate checks - in the first place by the use of ballots action committees, which are not the contribution of borders which, for various candidates.

Déjà vu race, which perhaps the greatest gift in the history of California politics, if the government had Viejas Tribal Lt Dir Cruz Bustamante $ 1.5 million. But even if it was much bigger Bustamante’s donations from Indian tribes and working groups, large donations were sent to almost all the candidates on the withdrawal of race, and come from a variety of interest groups — Corporate capital of the economy, the government unions on public service employees.

The plethora of questions about the donations is the effectiveness of borders which were written by politicians in Sacramento to replace stricter measures than in the courts and by voters in a voting share in 2000.

“The answer is simple, as I suppose, it is a success if it wants, whether it be a success,” said Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles. “They did not want to be a success.”

Furthermore, it is the gift laws have done little to the financial power of rich candidates like Arnold Schwarzenegger, the actor multi-millionaire, Dir underway to replace Gray Davis, an imbalance of purchasing power. An appeal against the Schwarzenegger campaign said Thursday it violates the limit of $ 100000 on personal loans to his gubernatorial campaign account personally guarantee $ 4 million in the form of loans from the National City Bank of Beverly Hills. The costume, inscribed the name of a Union Executive, seeks an injunction to prevent the marketing year utilisation of resources.

Schwarzenegger has been the major financier of the withdrawal of the race. He spent some $ 10 million to the race, both on donations and loans for his gubernatorial campaign and its ballot papers measure of protection to the recall committee. This committee can accept donations that can not be accepted, other than his campaign. Called Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Total Recall Committee, the Fund has $ 2.55 million in donations - with 12 of them, amounting to $ 1.51 million, more than $ 21200.

A donation is a legacy of $ 100000 Yellowstone Development LLC, a Montana where fines and penalties for environmental regulatory authorities related to offences against the environment. There are four donations of $ 100000, enterprises and individuals, and $ 25000 from a car dealership, Toyota of Orange.

“It is a Perpetuierung the same model, or you have more and more millionaires or contribute to this campaign governor,” said Jim Knox, executive director of the California common cause, a group that happens to finance public political campaigns.

Defender of the contribution of law, there is nothing that can be done legally, without violating the First Amendment rights by limiting personal expenses of candidates, rich or restricting the use of ballot papers action committees. They also say it is unfair, use the race to recall as a first test of the contribution limits, because it is an unusual choice, exceptional and pressure on candidates to throw money in less time.

“I think Proposition 34 was not for these elections,” said Karen Getman, a former chairwoman of the fair political practices, is now a lawyer Remcho Johansen & Purcell, which Davis. “What you see is chaos can be successful only if you make laws for an ordinary election and place it in this election also truncated.

During 1998, voters Proposition 208, it would be a situation in the strict limit of donations and expenditures of state politics, race, but a large part of it was conducted in accordance with the federal courts , Has shown that this is contrary to the free speech rights. As an alternative, then the assembly spokesman Robert Hertzberg and Senate President John Burton wrote a bill that limits less restrictive. It was for voters in 2000. In addition to setting a limit of $ 21200 gift - more than 10 times higher than the limits of presidential campaigns - he has to limit spending on a voluntary basis, and places a limit of $ 100000 the amount that could be a candidate to his campaign. But it has no limits on spending by candidates, rich or ballot paper action committees.