Who is supporting the candidates?
It takes more than wishes to run a campaign. Look closely at the issues and follow the money.
Honest candidates follow the letter and the spirit of the law. They make no promises supporters that will compromise their ability to represent the public's best interests.
Any individual, business or organization that gives $100 or more to a candidate in Torrance becomes public record. Check to see who supports each candidate in disclosure forms posted on http://www.torranceca.gov/ or read them at the City Clerk's office at 3031 Torrance Blvd anytime during business hours. All campaign materials must be identified as to their source. The City Clerk has asked all candidates distributing over 200 copies of specific material to file a copy of the material with the City Clerk. Read the requirements in TMC Section 17.1.8
If it is material from other committees, read the small print to find who out is printing and distributing information about a candidate and make your own judgment about their motives and commitment to fair and accurate statements.
Special interest groups may send out campaign pieces separate from what candidates authorize. These are called "independent expenditures" and should be clearly examined as they represent a particular point of view. Information about committees funding these pieces can be found by clicking on "Campaign Finance" on the California Secretary of State's website, http://www.sos.ca.gov/. Use Cal Access search to locate a specific committee.
Campaign pieces that recommend several candidates are called "slate" mailers and may be produced by a political party or organization that supports certain candidates. Other slate mailers are commercial enterprises where the candidates pay a fee to be included. Read the small print! Want to know more? Visit www.fppc.ca.gov.
2012 Campaign Finance Disclosures
2010 Campaign Finance Disclosures Archives
Top Ten Slate Mailer Organizations
Each month the Fair Political Practices Commission, California's campaign finance watchdog, posts on its website a Top Ten list covering a variety of categories. Previous lists can be found at www.fppc.ca.gov/index.php?id=253.
March 2010 Top Ten List
Slate Mailer Organizations are for-profit businesses that spend millions of dollars each election cycle encouraging people to vote for certain candidates and/or ballot measures. In many instances, committees representing candidates and ballot measures purchase space on a "slate mailer" as another way to influence voters. The more money a campaign spends on each slate mailing, usually equates to more room on the slate mailer profiling the candidate and/or ballot measure.
The list below identifies the Top Ten Slate Mailer Organizations that raised the most money during the 2007-08 election cycle.
Information compiled to create this list was obtained from public filings submitted by those slate mailer organizations registered with the Secretary of State.
| 1. |
CA Voter Guide (ID #595004) |
$ 3,879,821 |
| 2. |
COPS Voter Guide (ID #599014) |
$ 1,480,360 |
| 3. |
PORAC Official Law Enforcement Voter Guide (ID #594017) |
$ 1,110,100 |
| 4. |
Democratic Voters Choice (ID# 595002) |
$ 920,596 |
| 5. |
Save Proposition 13 Segregated Fund Account (ID# 598040) |
$ 846,435 |
| 6. |
Your Ballot Guide (ID# 588011) |
$ 786,442 |
| 7. |
Continuing the Republican Revolution (ID# 598041) |
$ 611,893 |
| 8. |
Your Transportation Improvements Voter Guide,
a service of Professional Engineers in CA Government (ID# 1262847) |
$ 519,025 |
| 9. |
Citizens for Good Government (ID #599010) |
$ 444,750 |
| 10. |
Republican Woman's Voice (ID# 1293667) |
$ 424,191 |
