Council Again Rejects Attempts to Restrict Campaign Fund-Raising

THOUSAND OAKS â€”  Despite another resuscitation attempt, a drive to create campaign finance reforms for the City Council has again failed.

Joined by Councilwoman Elois Zeanah, Councilwoman Jaime Zukowski tried to persuade her colleagues this week that some restrictions on campaign fund-raising--even if not perfect--were better than none at all.

It was the third time in the past year that either Zeanah or Zukowski unsuccessfully pressed for reforms.

They say they believe the cost of running a council campaign has escalated to such a degree that potential candidates must either spend large sums of their own money, as they both did, or accept sizable contributions from developers or businesses that plan to bring projects before the council.

“We’ve all benefited from the status quo in one way or another, or otherwise we would not have been elected,� Zukowski told council members. “But is the status quo the best thing for the city?�

Mayor Andy Fox and council members Judy Lazar and Mike Markey, however, shot down a series of proposals by Zukowski and Zeanah on Tuesday night, calling them either unnecessary or more harmful than good.

They said Zeanah and Zukowski need to grasp the point: Their drive for campaign reform lacks support.

“It’s obviously going to go down in failure again,� Fox said during the debate. “I don’t see why it has to come back.�

Zukowski initially asked the council to consider an ordinance to place a voluntary cap on campaign spending. She did not offer a specific maximum. But Markey said even voluntary restrictions would prove unfair because they would place candidates who accepted the pledge at a competitive disadvantage.

The council rejected that idea, 2 to 3.

As a second option, Zukowski asked council members to consider an ordinance similar to one the county follows that limits contributions to supervisor candidates to $1,000 for individuals and $2,400 from political action committees in an election year.

But Fox said such an ordinance would not prevent wealthy individuals from spending as much of their own money as they desired, and would therefore lead to a situation where more affluent candidates would have an edge.

“Campaign limits hurt the little guy running for City Council,� he said.

And Markey said limits may lead to more political wrongdoing, noting that the state Fair Political Practices Commission said that municipalities with campaign contribution limits experience more problems with money laundering.

The result was another 2-3 rejection.

Then Zukowski asked her colleagues to support an ordinance requiring council members to refrain from voting on issues that would potentially benefit someone who contributed to their campaign.

But Markey said such a policy would be impossible to police because council members themselves are not always aware of who gives them money and what a contributor’s business interests may be.

That proposal, too, went down on a 2-3 vote.

Zeanah then argued for an ordinance where council members would have to disclose publicly if they had accepted a contribution from someone with business before the council.

But Lazar--saying she does not accept money from developers--said the public is responsible for making informed decisions about whom they elect.

The burden of explaining whether a council member accepted contributions from individuals or special interest groups should not fall on the council member, she said.

“If you as a voter do not take the time to investigate the people you are voting for . . . then shame on you,� Lazar said.

Lastly, Zukowski proposed the city at least televise more candidates’ forums on the city’s government channel, allowing those running for a council seat to share their views with voters without spending money.

But Markey argued that there are more than a dozen other events held by various city groups and it would be too costly to televise them all, and unfair to televise only a few.

Again, the vote was 2 to 3.

“It’s pretty clear that there is no support for this on the council,� Zukowski said Wednesday. “If this is ever going to happen, it’s going to have to come from the citizens. I don’t believe the subject is even approachable anymore.�