(Date)

Members of the Los Angeles City Councils Rules, Elections, Intergovernmental Relations and
Neighborhoods Committee
attn: Richard Williams, City Legislative Analyst
200 N. Spring St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Re: Council File 17-0058, Clean Money LA Legislation
Dear Councilmembers,
I write today in strong support of Councilmember Mike Bonins legislation to create a
system for full public financing of elections in Los Angeles. This effort will make our elections
more transparent, it will make our representatives more accountable to the people they
represent, and it will ensure faith and participation in local politics.
As Councilmember Bonin wrote in his legislation, The influence of money in our political
system casts a long, heavy shadow over our democracy. Candidates are forced to spend
inordinate amounts of time seeking out donors instead of voters, creating a widespread
perception of influence peddling and corruption, undermining the electorates faith in candidates
and elected officials, and discouraging voter participation. I agree with with this assessment of
the negative influence money has in our politics and I implore you to take action to address it.
The solution Councilmember Bonin proposes is smart, fair and based on successful
public financing systems in other jurisdictions around the country, including Maine and Arizona.
By offering candidates who demonstrate grassroots support with enough financing to run a
competitive campaign, we can level the playing field for neighbors who are looking to get more
involved in local politics, which will lead to better representation in local elected offices. This is
good for our neighborhoods. Additionally, Councilmember Bonins proposal for a dedicated
funding stream is a smart way to ensure publicly-financed elections do not affect the citys
general fund. That is good for Los Angeles.
In conclusion, I ask that you support Council File 17-0058 and that you help make Los
Angeles a nationwide example of how much better our city can become when we take the
corrupting influence of money out of our elections. Thank you for your time and consideration of
my request.
Regards,
(YOUR NAME)