The Special Exemptions Act, which will appear on the November statewide ballot, was intentionally written to create special exemptions for billionaires and corporations in order to increase their political power over 99% of the population.  Under these exemptions, billionaires, corporations and their Super PACs would have even more influence over California government and working families.    

Like Proposition 226 in 1998 and Proposition 75 in 2005, the Special Exemptions Act is designed to silence workers by prohibiting unions from making political contributions with money collected from paycheck deductions.   Working families fought and defeated those measures, so billionaires and anti-worker zealots are sneaking provisions that create huge loopholes for corporate contributions while claiming a level playing field.

But corporations don’t make contributions by paycheck deductions, so it would impose no limits at all on corporate spending. Make no mistake, this is an effort funded by right-wing corporate billionaires to silence your political voice and leave them entirely free to destroy your quality of life. We can’t let them succeed.

Facts about the Special Exemption Act:  

1. It exempts secretive Super PACs, which can raise unlimited amounts of money from corporate special interests and billionaire businessmen to support their candidates or defeat their enemies. And it does nothing to stop anonymous donors from influencing elections.

2. It doesn’t solve Sacramento’s problems, because it was intentionally written to restrict only some companies, while providing huge exemptions to others, like Wall Street investment firms, hedge funds, real estate developers, insurance companies and corporations that can still create front groups and make unlimited campaign expenditures supporting candidates.

3. It unfairly singles out teachers, nurses, firefighters and construction workers and limits their voices on issues that matter to us all—like cuts to our schools and colleges, police and fire response times, infrastructure, workplace safety, consumer protections, homeowner rights and unfair corporate tax giveaways.

Please visit www.stopspecialexemptions.org for more information on the measure.