PROPOSAL TO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF CALIFORNIA TO SUPPORT INITIATIVE REFORM

March 2005

• Whereas, the Initiative process in California was created to give the electorate a means to express its will when the Legislative and Executive branches of government were not responsive to the needs of the people; and
• Whereas, special business interests and the rich now crowd the ballot with measures to confuse and overwhelm voters and to achieve outcomes that often are to the detriment of average Californians and the ideas promoted by these rich special interests can only make their way onto the ballot by paying people to gather signatures; and
• Whereas, with over 34 million people in California, any really good ideas that people support should be able to energize volunteers who could easily get the required one million signatures;
• Therefore, be it resolved that the Democratic Party of California supports an Initiative in 2006 to make it illegal to pay those who gather signatures for any future California Initiatives.

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