Posts Tagged ‘california supreme court’
Recent court decision says what you can and can’t say in your advocacy
Let’s say … and I’m just hypothesizing here … that the state legislature decided to raid a water districts’ coffers in an attempt to bail itself out from ballooning deficits. Or that a group of ratepayers placed an initiative on a local ballot that would rescind a water rate increase. Could you, as a public agency, actively campaign against these moves?
Thanks to a recent court decision, Vargas v. City of Salinas, the answer is yes … but only if you define “actively campaign” correctly.
“Express Advocacy” is still out, so what’s in?
In the Salinas case, a few Salinas residents placed an initiative on the ballot, Measure O, that would have repealed the city’s utility users tax. The city launched a communications effort to let citizens know the devastating effect Measure O would have on city finances. The voters voted down the measure, and the citizens group sued, claiming the city unlawfully interfered and used public funds for political purposes. They sought $250,000 from the city.
