Money and Politic$ in Alameda: Time for Local Campaign Finance Reform?

League of Women Voters of Alameda Forum on ‘Money and Politic$ in Alameda’ Features Robert Stern, October 24 at Community Center of Harbor Bay Isle, 7-9 PM: Is It Time for Local Campaign Finance Reform?

Campaign finance expert Robert Stern will be the keynote speaker at the  LWVA’s October 24 public forum on Money and Politic$ in Alameda: Time for Local Campaign Finance Reform? Also

on the panel are Whitney


Barazoto, Executive Director of the City

of Oakland Public Ethics Commission, and Robert Gammon,

co-editor of the weekly East Bay Express. 

This free LWVA community forum will be on Thursday, October 24, from 7-9 pm at the Community Center of

Harbor Bay Isle off of Island Drive on Bay Farm Island. This accessible

facility is next to Temple Israel at 3195 Mecartney


Road, behind the service station and CVS Pharmacy at the Harbor

Bay Landing Shopping Center.

Stern, who co-authored

the California Political Reform Act of

1974 and is the former president of the non-partisan Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles,

is a widely recognized authority on elections and government ethics. Sacramento Bee columnist Peter Schrag has

called him “the

godfather of modern political reform in California.”

Stern will provide a historical perspective on national and state efforts to ensure fair elections,

including California Senate Bills 2, 3, and 27, which the League of Women Voters® of California (LWVC)

supported.

Barazoto and Gammon will provide East Bay perspectives on how money influences


the political process in local elections and the role of local ordinances and


ethics commissions. A question-and-answer session will follow the panel


discussion.

The League

of Women Voters® of the United States first adopted its Position on Campaign Finance

in 1974. The LWVC adopted its first Position on Campaign


Financing in 1973.

The LWVA is

currently crafting policy recommendations on local campaign


finance reform and transparency that are based on these long-established League


positions. For more information on the event or about local campaign finance reform issues, please contact LWVA members Karen Butter (karenbutter@comcast.net;

510-769-9634) or Joe Van Winkle (Joe_vanwinkle@hotmail.com;


916-716-0445). 

“The time for

campaign finance reform in Alameda has arrived,” said LWVA Co-president Felice

Zensius. “The League of Women Voters of Alameda is proud to have Robert

Stern, a true expert on the subject, address our community.”

Organized by Joe Van

Winkle and Karen Butter of the LWVA Action Committee, this event promises to

generate an especially lively discussion.