City Council Supports State Ballot Measure

OAKLAND, CA — The Oakland City Council decided Tuesday to support the state ballot proposition that would attempt to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United decision.

If passed in November, Proposition 59 is an advisory question that would let California voters encourage the state's elected officials to work on overturning the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal
Election Commission, possibly by constitutional amendment, according to the office of Councilmember At-Large Rebecca Kaplan, who co-authored the proposal.

"I am proud to say that the City of Oakland took a stand against the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United ... to protect the voices of the electorate and restore free and fair democracy," Kaplan said in a
statement. The 2010 Citizens United decision held that corporate financial contributions to political campaigns are protected as free speech by the First Amendment.

"This ruling rolled back previous bans on corporate spending in the electoral process, and opened the floodgates of special interest funding in our elections," Kaplan's chief of staff Sheng Thao said in a statement.
"As a result, corporations now have unprecedented influence over democratic elections, thereby threatening self-government and the foundation of our democracy," Thao said.

The resolution, co-authored by City Councilman Dan Kalb, pledges the city of Oakland's support for Proposition 59 and declares the city's opposition to the Citizens United decision.

— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock