[img]1323|right|Stephen Murray||no_popup[/img]Stephen Murray, a former City Council candidate, and Daniel Lee, a political activist, brought a notice-of-intent-to-circulate-a-petition on Tuesday to City Clerk Martin Cole.
They are hoping, ultimately, to overturn the Supreme Court’s controversial Citizens United ruling that allows corporations to spend limitless amounts during election cycles.
Not directly, though.
Mr. Murray and Mr. Lee told the newspaper this morning that, starting in two weeks and ending in June, they will be gathering 1800 signatures to qualify their resolution for the November ballot.”
If their resolution wins voters’ hearts, the gentlemen said elected officials of Culver City would be obligated to petition state government to press the federal governments to wipe out Citizens United. Fourteen amendments have been proposed, they said, to defang the Court ruling.
At a glance, it may appear that Mr. Murray, a committed environmentalist, and Mr. Lee, a member of the nationwide www.MovetoAmend.org coalition, are trying to ban corporations from participating in future Culver City elections.
Not so, they say. At least not directly.
If their resolution passes, they say, this will add the strength of a 40,000-population to the expanding list of Americans hoping to reverse Citizens United.
Mr. Murray said that several surrounding communities have passed similar resolutions: Los Angeles (2011, 2013), Santa Monica (2012), Long Beach (2013), West Hollywood (2012), Thousand Oaks (2012), Malibu (2012).
Here is a listing of similar state and local resolutions, and elected officials that have endorsed the amendment process:
United for the People: http://www.united4thepeople.org/local.html
The text of the Murray-Lee initiative says:
“Resolutions that corporations are not people, money is not speech and corporations should not harm the public good.
“Resolved, the People of Culver City calls to defend democracy from the corrupting effects of undue corporate power by enacting legislation and amending the Constitution of the United States and California to establish that:
1. “Only human beings, not corporations, are endowed with constitutional rights, and
2. “Money is not speech, and therefore regulating political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech, and
3. “Corporations should act in regard to, and be accountable for any risks to the community or environment as a result of its operations.
“Be it further resolved that the People of Culver City hereby instruct our local, state and federal representatives to enact resolutions and legislation to advance this effort.”
Websites for further information on the issues and amendments:
Reclaim Democracy: http://reclaimdemocracy.org/
Move to Amend: https://movetoamend.org/
Mr. Murray may be contacted at Stephen@sunstruction.com
