Provided by "Money Out of Politics" Credit: policymic.com
In a stunning unanimous vote on Tuesday, the San Diego City Council supported a Constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and limit the power of money in politics. The vote was 8-0 with one absent councilmember not voting.
The resolution asks Congress to begin the process to amend the U.S. Constitution to overturn the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission “so that the expenditure of corporate money to influence the electoral process is no longer a form of constitutionally protected speech.”
Councilmember Marti Emerald introduced the resolution, calling it "an important message to send to Washington D.C.” Council President Todd Gloria said “the Citizens United case has affected our local campaign finance laws and we do need this action.”
The San Diego resolution was proposed by MOP (Money Out of Politics), a grassroots coalition led by Women Occupy San Diego, Common Cause, and the League of Women Voters.
San Diego, the eighth largest city in the U.S., joins over 350 cities and twelve states that have passed similar resolutions.
I believe this decision to see traditionally conservative San Diego take this stand is rather rare and exciting. This puts San Diego in step with other city and state governments who are calling for action to restore our democracy.
This being said, the MOP coalition will continue working to raise awareness and build the movement toward passage of an amendment establishing that corporations do not have the rights of people, and campaign contributions are not free speech.