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League of Women Voters^®
of Los Angeles

Advocating for Topics that Matter to You

Federal Elections Comm.. Correcting Citizens United. Evauluation of Direct Democracy. Action: Pension Reform. Climate Change. Prison Shift.

Fighting the SuperPacs

Today, the League of Women Voters announced they had surpassed their goal of 25,000 petition signatures on the White House "We the People" website that asks President Obama to appoint new commissioners to the malfunctioning Federal Election Commission (FEC). The League and partners Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, Democracy21 and Public Citizen launched the petition drive on January 11 in order to get a response from the Administration on this critical issue that, to date, it has ignored.
We could not have done this without the support of League members and supporters from across the country. You persevered through what was sometimes a difficult process, and helped push this petition across the finish line!
Reaching our goal is only the first step in this process, and now we must wait for an answer from the President. We will keep you posted on when the response comes out. In the meantime, you can also check out responses to other petitions that have also reached the threshold.
Also, please take a moment to check out the statement from the League on this achievement and take a look at our blog to stay caught up on everything going on. Thank you again for all of your work. YOU really helped to push this petition over the edge!
The FEC is supposed to be the government agency that enforces campaign finance laws, but it isn't working and hasn't for a long time. Of the six commissioners at the agency, three simply refuse to enforce the law, and five are serving despite the fact that their terms expired some time ago. It's time to clean house and President Obama needs to do something about it.
We needed at least 25,000 signatures of support by February 10, 2012 in order to get a response from The White House. Together, we can continue to make sure that the votes of millions of Americans are more valuable to our elections than a big pile of money.

League Supports Political Reform

AB 1148, the California DISCLOSE Act, would fight back against unlimited hidden spending on campaigns by letting voters know who REALLY is paying for political ads -- on the ads themselves. Authored by Assemblymember Julia Brownley and sponsored by the California Clean Money Campaign, AB 1148 would amend the Political Reform Act of 1974.
AB 1148 would stop special interests from deceiving voters about who is paying for political ads by requiring clear disclosure of their largest funders, on the ads themselves.
Learn more on how to get involved.

Direct Democracy: Whose Voice is Being Heard?

Carlos Moreno, retired justice of the California Supreme Court, and Joel Fox, past president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, are two of the panelists who responded to questions in a LWVLA forum on October 5, 2011.
October 11, 2011, marks the 100th anniversary of the election in which Californians wrote into their constitution provisions for direct democracy. This was when the California constitution was amended to allow for initiatives,referendum, and recall.
The initiative is a process that enables citizens to bypass their state legislature by placing proposed statutes and, in some states, constitutional amendments on the ballot. Referendum is a general term which refers to a measure that appears on the ballot. Recall is a procedure that allows citizens to remove and replace a public official before the end of a term of office.
The promise of direct democracy was that it gave the people a way to fight powerful special interests by allowing voters to write and veto legislation through the initiative and referendum and to remove elected officials through the power of recall.
In the last 35 years, beginning with Proposition 13, dozens of initiatives have profoundly changed the state's budgeting process, its criminal justice system, its educational system, and the autonomy of local governments. Initiatives have generated a substantial business sector, supporting signature gatherers, political consultants, and media. A tool intended to empower the "people" is frequently used by interest groups and businesses to further their own interests.
The October 5 panel of experts and practitioners evaluated California's 100-year-old experiment and to offer ideas for its future. Join the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles and sign up for the League's e-newsletter to be kept abreast of future events.
The League's sponsorship of this event is made possible by a generous gift from Martin Kellner in honor of his late wife Dorothy. A former president of the Beverly Hills League and the League of Women Voters of California, Dorothy Kellner was an active Los Angeles civic leader. Additional funding for the event is coming from the California Supreme Court Historical Society and from Zocalo Public Square.

ADVOCATING FOR PENSION CHANGES

RETIREMENT BENEFITS: The League will continue to advocate for reform of the City's retirement benefits based on its current position.
PENSION REFORM FOR THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES: WHY, WHAT, WHEN, AND HOW? Join the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles in advocating for change:
Why does the City need to change employee retirement benefits?
Because the residents of Los Angeles are losing city services while pension costs grow. This year library hours have been cut, and the budget to repair sidewalks and potholes has been reduced. This year's City's budget no longer provides for an increase in the number of police officers. City employees have had to take furlough days, which has reduced services to the public.
At the same time, the City's required contributions to its pension systems have increased this year by $75 Million and are projected to more than double in the next five years. By contrast, General Fund revenues are expected to increase by less than ten percent.
The current pension systems are unsustainable.
What changes does the League advocate?
The League advocates changes that continue to offer employees a secure retirement, but make the pension systems more affordable for taxpayers. These changes would continue to provide benefits that are fair and are more generous than what most employees in the private sector receive. These changes could include:

Raising the age at which employees can receive full benefits + for example, from 55 to 67 for civilian employees
Splitting the cost of retirement benefits more evenly between the City and its employees
Reducing the maximum pension employees can receive + for example, from 90% of final salary to 70% for fire and police

Find out more about the League's recommendations.
When should the City make these changes?
As soon as possible. The sooner the changes take effect, the sooner that they begin having an impact on the bottom line. Making the retirement systems more sustainable is important to solving the City's long-term structural budget deficit.
How can I help make reform happen?
Call or write your City Council Member to say that you support the League's position on reform of the City's retirement benefits and that you expect him or her to vote for city retirement benefit reform.
Need help finding your Council Member or knowing what to say? Click here .
For more background information, you can read the report prepared by the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles on Los Angeles City Retirement Benefits.

Climate Change

The LWV of Los Angeles strives to raise community awareness about climate change and advocates actions by local agencies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Join the CRaCC committee which meets monthly to discuss strategy and promote initiatives to address climate change locally. Click here for more information or email Margie Engel at green@LWVlosangeles.org.
League of Women Voters participated in Moving Planet Day September 24, 2011. Interested in supporting the global movement? Contact the League's Climate Reduction and Climate Change committee chairperson, Margie Engel, green@LWVlosangeles.org. More.

Criminal Justice - Early Release and More

Criminal Justice: Did you miss the November 7th forum on activities related to the prison population shift? Over 130 people attended the League's forum on this important topic. See the realignment two-part webcast here, part one. This is part two of the webcast. The event was a partnership with the Violence Protection Coalition.

Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our webmaster. Last revised: February 16, 2012 15:32 PST.