8/4/2019 2011 AB 448 Please Veto

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2050 Old Bridge Road, Suite 103 Lake Ridge, VA 22192

P.O. Box 1628 Nevada City, CA 95959

www.CitizensInCharge.org

August 26, 2011Hon. Jerry Brown

California GovernorSacramento, CA 95814

Re: Senate Bill 448 (DeSaulnier)

DearGovernor Brown,

Today I write to ask you to veto Senate Bill 448. If passed the bill would require citizens petitioning foran initiative, referendum or recall to wear a large badge on their chest saying either PAID SIGNATURE

GATHERER or VOLUNTEER SIGNATURE GATHERER.

Forcing citizens wishing to exercise their most basic rights to wear a sign with a government-mandated

message is deeply offensive. The examples of similar laws throughout human history are horrific andtotalitarian.

It is hard to fathom any reasonable interest in enforcing such humiliations on citizens. The U.S. SupremeCourt has unanimously ruled that paid signature gathering is protected speech. In fact, it is highly

protected speech. The High Court surely will not allow a state program of harassment and vilification of

those exercising their core First Amendment rights. And, indeed, the Supreme Court struck down aColorado law requiring that petition circulators wear a similar badge to those proposed by AB 481.

Further, SB 448 is so vaguely drafted that it would require people circulating a petition to wear a badgeon their chest proclaiming they are a Paid Signature Gatherer even when receiving no more

compensation than attending a campaign-sponsored pizza party or accepting a bottle of water from thecampaign while working in 100-degree heat or being given a 69-cent ball-point pen.

Senate Bill 448 is aimed at creating or furthering a negative perception of paid petition circulators which

serves no legitimate state interest. Accessing Californias ballot through the petition process requires thecollection of hundreds of thousands of signatures in a very short period of time, necessitating the use of

paid signature collectors. No measure has qualified for the state ballot without using paid petition

circulators in over two decades.

As the centennial for California's famed initiative and referendum process approaches, we believe that the

process should be expanded to include all Californians the opportunity to impact government through the

petition process, not further restricted to those well-funded enough to overcome Legislative barriers.SB

448 is a blatant attempt to harass and belittle citizens for exercising their right to participate in politicaldecision-making through the petitioning process. Supporters of the bill claim that it adds transparency,

but AB 481 is merely bureaucracy masquerading as transparency. As the Legislative Counsels Digest

indicates, voters already retain the right to ask a petition circulator about their employment relationship.Please vetoSenate Bill 448.

Sincerely,

Paul Jacob

8/4/2019 2011 AB 448 Please Veto

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2050 Old Bridge Road, Suite 103 Lake Ridge, VA 22192

P.O. Box 1628 Nevada City, CA 95959

www.CitizensInCharge.org

President