By Tim Goodrich- Printed in the Daily Breeze Febrauary 19, 2008
The recent article on the skyrocketing cost of elections in Torrance underscores the need to make sure campaign finance reform continues to be taken seriously. Doing so will ensure that our elections are as fair as possible and that all residents have an equal say in city government.
While the Blue Ribbon Ethics Committee and the City Council did a great job in their recently enacted campaign finance reform ordinance, I would like to suggest one more major point of reform that I believe is needed: lowering the maximum campaign contribution limit.
Currently, City law allows candidates to receive contributions up to $1,000 per individual. This contrasts greatly when compared to the limits of other cities such as Los Angeles ($500) or Hermosa Beach ($250). As the average Torrance resident can not afford to make a donation of $1,000, this high limit paves the way for special interests to have undue influence and a disproportionate say in our elections.
To ensure fair elections in our city, I feel that it is important to lower the maximum campaign contribution limit to a more reasonable amount. Taking this action will strengthen our democracy by ensuring the average resident has a fair say in the elections process.