LA is the largest city to pass a resolution supporting getting money out of politics. Credit: {a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottlowe/1429635055/"}@scottjlowe{/a}
Los Angeles has become the largest US city to pass a resolution in support of getting money out of politics. The resolution passed the city council unanimously after a raucous session. The LA Times:
At a packed City Council meeting that included remarks from a man in a top hat with fake money tucked in the pocket of his suit, Los Angeles lawmakers Tuesday called for more regulations on how much corporations can spend on political campaigns.
…The council resolution includes support for a constitutional amendment that would assert that corporations are not entitled to constitutional rights, and that spending money is not a form of free speech.
The amendment is aimed at overturning the historic 2010 Citizen’s United Supreme Court decision, which changed the legal definition of corporations to allow them to spend unlimited funds in elections:
“The flood of money since Citizens United is literally drowning out our voices,” said Garcetti, who is running for mayor in 2013. “If we’re going to be moving forward in this country, we need less special interest money in the political process.”
The Wall Street Journal notes that other cities have passed similar resolutions:
Other cities around the country, such as Madison and Dane County, Wisconsin, Missoula, Montana, and Bolder, Colorado, have passed measures calling for such an amendment.
But LA is by far the largest yet Mother Jones reports:
The collective voice of a major American city—speaking on such a watershed issue—will likely carry weight, even in Washington.
LA is just the beginning. Which is why we’re supporting an all-out push to get more towns on board, so Washington will be forced to listen.
Read more:
LA Times: L.A. calls for end to ‘corporate personhood’
Wall Street Journal: LA City Council to Vote on Citizens United Declaration
Comments