Good Government Reform Proposals

“For too long our Board of Supervisors have been far too cozy with monied interests
and their lobbyists. We the citizens of San Luis Obispo County have a right to know
who is lobbying our elected officials. We are one of the few Counties that does not
require lobbyists to disclose their clients, their gifts, or their campaign contributions.
It’s time for some sunshine on our Board of Supervisors!” Stephanie Shakofsky,
Candidate District 1 Supervisor
Over the course of my campaign for North County Supervisor, I will be releasing a series of good government reforms
aimed at making our County government more open, transparent, and effective. This reform, aimed at insuring
accountability by lobbyists and their monied interested, is the first in a series of reforms we will be proposing.

Reform #1: Insuring Transparency and Accountability by Lobbyists

One of the greatest threats to our Country’s experiment in democracy is the corruption of its political system. Too often
special interests have undue power and influence and exploit our government for their own financial gain which poisons
the trust that the public should have in its elected officials.

We deserve elected officials who represent us fairly and work on behalf of our interests. Our current Board of
Supervisors have been heavily lobbied and influenced by big monied interests—and they have put our County in
economic danger. My campaign is rolling out a series of good government reform initiatives that, when I’m elected, I will
work to make certain these reforms become law and that we have a government that is open, transparent and works
only on behalf of the people of San Luis Obispo County—NOT the monied special interests.

Disclosure Discourages Corruption: Require Lobbyists to Register and Report their Campaign Contributions,
Gifts, and Meetings

The citizens of San Luis Obispo County need to know who has access to our elected officials and who those Lobbyists are
acting on behalf of. We are one of a handful of Counties in the state that does not require lobbyists to register and
report their gifts, contributions, and meetings. Transparency in local government’s lobbying activity prevents corruption
of officials and the governmental processes. Improving the accountability of governmental officials whose actions, once
revealed, may mean they are forced to leave office or, at a minimum, change their positions in ways that are more
consistent with the public interest as a whole. And to that end, disclosure of public information is an important
dimension of all accountabilities.

The people of San Luis Obispo County recognize that although County Lobbyists do not have a public authority, but they
do have a significant influence on the County, and the public has a right to know who these people are that are paid to
influence the decisions made at the Board of Supervisors, as well as, any financial relationships between those
influenced and those who are trying to influence them. Transparency demands real time reporting by Lobbyists of all
campaign contributions (both raised and given), gifts, behests, and meetings.

The purpose and intent of this reform is to provide a procedure whereby persons acting as County Lobbyists are
required to register and provide sufficient information so that complete disclosure of the monied interests represented
by such County Lobbyists may become a public record to inform the general public. It is not the intent of this reform to
discourage nor prohibit the exercise of any person’s constitutional rights.

For the full legislative language of this proposal go to StephanieForSupervisor.com or call (805) 975-3999.