California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to call a special statewide election for various questions concerning the budget. If he does, that ballot will also include a vote on the Public Funding bill the legislature passed last year. See this Los Angeles Times story. Even though the Public Funding bill did not alter the state constitution, a vote of the public is needed to implement it, since it alters campaign finance laws that themselves had once been approved by an initiative. In California, laws passed by initiative cannot be changed by the legislature without another vote of the people.
Last year’s public funding bill discriminates against independent candidates, by requiring them to get twice as many qualifying contributions (to be eligible for any public funding whatsoever), compared to Democrats and Republican candidates.
I am all for having more voter input, but less than 2 months for public review is absurd. I think there should at least be 150 days, similar to signature collection period.
I’m disapointed that the situation in CA has come to the point of having another election, in the middle of a budget crisis where our state is issuing IOUs.
I’m also dissapointed that the public financing bill creates inequality in regards to non-major party candidates. On another point, voters may not get on board with the bill for fiscal reasons.