Issue Position: Campaign Transparency and Open Government

Issue Position

On the San Jose City Council and as Vice Mayor I was instrumental in creating and enforcing a Sunshine Ordinance which became a national model for other governments to follow. When I joined the Board of Supervisors there was no similar law. With my fellow Supervisors we initiated an ordinance, started making our daily calendars available, ensured that our meeting agendas were published and accessible well in advance, plus a number of other provisions.

We detailed what was required for elected officials before money was given to special causes, sponsorships and favored projects. Now, such expenditures must be added to public agendas which was not always done prior to the ordinance. There are currently "clean money" bills in the State Legislature and I have endorsed them. They provide transparency in political campaigns and allow for legitimate watch dog groups and members of the public to monitor election results in Registrar of Voters offices. Among other issues, the bills address voter fraud and ballot security measures.

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