California Labor Federation Applauds FPPC Action Against Dark Money Groups

Statement by California Labor Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Art Pulaski

“With today''s record fine, California sent a strong message to shadowy special-interest groups that we won''t tolerate illicit campaign donations that undermine our democracy. We applaud Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) Chair Ann Ravel for aggressively pursuing this investigation and holding these out-of-state dark-money groups accountable for violating California law.

“When out-of-state special interest groups threaten the integrity of our elections, they must be brought to justice. In this case, these secret groups laundered money through a maze of Political Action Committees (PACs) with the goal of passing Proposition 32, a pernicious measure to silence the voices of California workers. Ultimately, voters saw through the facade and defeated Prop 32 by a wide margin.

“Had those groups not been held accountable for their illegal actions, we''d surely see more efforts in the future by the Koch Brothers and other out-of-state corporate interests to rig California elections. Fortunately, the FPPC said today, in no uncertain terms, that this sort of activity will not be tolerated here. It''s a good day for democracy in California.”

 

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