Your guide to Proposition 4: Allowing public campaign financing in California

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Set us as preferred Proposition 4 would grant all state and local governments the ability to establish public campaign financing for candidates seeking office.California California’s general election takes place on Novemer 3.

Learn about L.A.’s city and county races as well races for state office.Proposition 4 would repeal a 1988 ban on the public funding of campaigns and allow all local and state governments to offer public financing programs with certain conditions.Candidates would have to abide by certain expenditure limits and follow strict criteria.Funds could not be used for legal or defense purposes or to repay personal loans, nor could they be pulled from education, transportation or public safety buckets.

The ballot measure also prohibits discrimination based on party or whether a candidate is an incumbent or running in opposition.Gov.

Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature placed this measure on the ballot.Supporters include California Clean Money Campaign, California Common Cause, the League of Women Voters of California, ACLU California Action, the California Federation of Labor Unions AFL-CIO and Oakland Rising.Opponents include the California Taxpayers Assn.and Reform California.The measure aims to tackle the cost of what it takes to run a campaign and to broaden the pool of people who could run for office without being tethered to any individual, group or special interest.“The increasing costs of political campaigns can force candidates to rely on large contributions from wealthy donors and special interests, which can give those wealthy donors and special interests disproportionate influence over governmental decisions,” the measure states.There have been several attempts to allow for public campaign financing in California.

Five charter cities, including Los Angeles, and at least 14 other states already allow some version of it.“This bill will restore control to local governments an...