On Tuesday, May 24, the City Council will consider adopting an ordinance that will require disclosure of the top five contributors to political committees making independent expenditures in local elections - namely, for and against ballot measures and city council candidates. The top five contributors of $2,500 or more would be listed prominently on mass communications sent directly to voters: mailers, newspaper ads, and other campaign literature. The council also has the option to include video and audio advertisements.
The ordinance will expose "dark money" spent by political committees with deliberately opaque names to hide the identities and motives of the donors. The names of the individuals, corporations, and unions that donate to these committees will be prominently displayed, rather than a meaningless committee name like the "Neighborhood Empowerment Coalition." There are provisions to address "layering," where one political committee donates to another to get around the ordinance. There also are provisions to address “earmarking,†in which a contribution or expenditure is made or promised contingent on some condition (for example, that the contribution be used to support a specific candidate).
Although generally very strong, the ordinance does not yet have a strong enforcement mechanism to ensure compliance. The staff report provides a few possible options. They include:
(1) authorizing the City Attorney to bring an action for either civil fines or injunctive relief;
(2) authorizing members of the public to bring civil actions; and
(3) criminal penalties.
The staff report can be found here: Web Link
And the ordinance itself is here: Web Link
Public support for this ordinance is crucial! Please consider sending an email encouraging the City Council to adopt this ordinance with strong enforcement mechanisms and with the expanded definition of "advertisements" to include audio and video.
The full council can be contacted using this email address: citycouncil@mountainview.gov
