P.G. Delays Campaign Decision Council backs finance limits

The Pacific Grove City Council put off a final vote on a new campaign finance ordinance Wednesday night, preferring to further tweak parts of the proposal.

City Attorney David Lared presented the formal ordinance proposal along with a legal analysis. The council took an "unofficial" vote on key provisions of the ordinance to provide some general direction for a campaign reform committee, but one thing was clear, said Laredo:

"A majority of the council seems to favor the main theme of the proposal, and that is some type of campaign reform," he said.

The council affirmed support for a ban on campaign contributions from "nonindividuals," including political action committees, unions, businesses and corporations.

There would be a $500 cap on contributions from an individual.

Council members who receive more than $250 in campaign contributions would have to recuse themselves from voting on issues related to a contributor.

The council was split on several items in the proposal, including a provision identifying the names of people who solicit contributions for candidates. The council also debated whether a proposed relaxation of contribution caps is necessary in some instances.

After public discussion and council comment, Mayor Dan Cort directed council members Lisa Bennett, who heads the campaign finance reform committee, Dan Davis and Susan Goldbeck to further modify the ordinance and come back with a recommendation later this summer.

Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce President Moe Ammar said he was concerned how the ordinance would affect the relationship between the city and the business community.

"I agree with the findings of the committee: prohibit contributing twice; there should be no double-dipping," said Ammar. "But prohibiting (non individuals) from donating at all alienates the business community."

Ammar told the council that if the ordinance passed, Pacific Grove would become only the third city in the state to enact legislation that would ban business contributions to candidates.

"You have to have legal justification, the reason for your action," he said. "You cannot say that I want to pre-empt, I want to prevent, I want to stop. It's like putting a stop sign on Highway 68 when you don't need one."

Ammar said the chamber has been in contact with at least three attorneys regarding the exclusion, all advising that there must be a justification for the exclusion. The chamber has referred the matter to the Fair Political Practices Commission, he said.

Cort tried to clarify the council's position Thursday.

"The fear is that corporations are anonymous," Cort said. "As long as the contributor is living and breathing, they can make a contribution. The core of this is that it illuminates the need for campaign reform, and it's something that other cities can look at and use."