California Proposition 75 (2005)
From Ballotpedia
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California Proposition 75 was on the November 8, 2005 special statewide ballot in California as a initiated state statute, where it was defeated.[1]
Prop. 75 was an example of a paycheck protection ballot measure. In 1998, another paycheck protection measure (Proposition 226) was on the ballot; it, too, was defeated.
The campaign over Proposition 75 was high-profile and hard-fought. Just short of $60 million was spent on the campaign, with those in opposition outspending those in favor by nearly 10-1. (The "Yes on 75" forces spent $5.8 million while the "No on 75" forces spent $54.1 million).[2]
Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman signed the ballot argument in favor of Proposition 75 (along with Lew Uhler of the National Tax Limitation Committee and Allan Mansoor), while the arguments against Proposition 75 were signed by Lou Paulson (President, California Professional Firefighters), Barbara Kerr, (President, California Teachers Association) and Sandra Marques (RN, United Nurses Associations of California).
Election results
| Proposition 75 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 No
| 4,190,412 | 53.5% | ||
| Yes | 3,644,006 | 46.5% | ||
| Total votes | 7,834,418 | 100.00% | ||
| Voter turnout | NK% | |||
Impact of loss
Leslie Eastman, a founding member of the Southern California Tax Revolt Coalition, wrote in 2009 that "The aggressive union campaign against Schwarzenegger’s 2005 reform measures (including Proposition 75, which required unions for public workers to get written consent from members before spending their dues money on politics) left unions unchecked. Hence, the “spending spree” of our legislators to appease the union voter base - creating a California cycle of “pay for play” that has nearly destroyed our state."[3]
Ballot summary
The ballot title for Proposition 75 was "Public Employee Union Dues. Required Employee Consent for Political Contributions. Initiative Statute."
The official summary provided to describe Proposition 75 said:
- Prohibits the use by public employee labor organizations of public employee dues or fees for political contributions except with the prior consent of individual public employees each year on a specified written form.
- Restriction does not apply to dues or fees collected for charitable organizations, health care insurance, or other purposes directly benefitting the public employee.
- Requires public employee labor organizations to maintain and submit records to Fair Political Practices Commission concerning individual public employees’ and organizations’ political contributions.
- These records are not subject to public disclosure.
Fiscal analysis
The California Legislative Analyst's Office provided an estimate of net state and local government fiscal impact for Proposition 75. That estimate was:
- Probably minor state and local government implementation costs, potentially offset in part by revenues from fines and/or fees.
Campaigns
Total spending on Proposition 75-related campaigns came to nearly $60 million, with the "No on 75" outspending the "yes" side by nearly 10-1.[4]
Yes on 75
Two groups spent money promoting a "yes" vote on Proposition 75. Some of the major donors included:
- California Republican Party: $1,250,000
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce: $500,000
- Robin Arkley: $402,001
- Richard Riordan: $253,253
- Frank Baxter: $251,000
- William Lyon: $250,000
- Jerrold Perenchio: $250,000[5]
No on 75
Seven different organizations opposed to Proposition 75 were established during the course of the campaign.[2] Large donors included:
- California Teachers Association: $12.1 million
- Alliance for a Better California: $10.1 million
- California State Council of Service Employees $10 million
- California United Food and Commercial Workers: Over $800,000
- California Democratic Party: $3,275,540[2]
A report in 2009 showed that private financial firms that handle pension funds gave about $1 million in contributions to the United Food and Commercial Workers union, one of Prop 75's leading opponents during the time that Sean Harrigan, the union's former executive director, sat on the boards of several of the largest public pension funds in the state.[6]
See also
External links
- Official California Voter Guide to Proposition 75
- Full text of Proposition 75
- The official results from the Secretary of State
- Proposition 75 on the California Voter Foundation website
References
- ↑ The 2005 special elections in California
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Follow the Money, Proposition 75
- ↑ San Diego News Network, "Leslie Eastman: Look for the union label", June 30, 2009
- ↑ Campaign spending on Proposition 75
- ↑ Donors to "Yes on 75"
- ↑ Pro Publica, "With Labor Leader on California Pension Boards, Financial Firms Fattened Union Campaign Fund", June 13, 2009
