| Dear, In 2020, Californians went to the polls to decide, among other issues, whether to pass Prop 22 and classify rideshare and delivery gig workers as employees. From the very start, it wasn’t a fair fight. Uber, Lyft, and other corporations donated more than $150 million to confuse voters into saying no to the proposition.(1) Candidates for office benefited greatly as well from billion-dollar corporation largesse -- the top ten industries in California, including tech, entertainment, and health care, donated nearly a billion dollars to campaigns.(2) State and local elections are being sold to the highest corporate bidder, and we can’t ever count on our representatives to put our interests first until we get corporate money out of politics. That’s where AB 20, the Corporate-Free Elections Act, comes in. Click here to tweet the video out! Or share on Instagram by clicking here. AB 20 would make California the 23rd state to ban corporate campaign contributions and start to restore power to the people.(3) Only one nonwhite male has ever held the governor’s office in California, in 1875.(4) White people -- mostly straight males -- comprise a majority of the legislature, even though they’re in the minority in California.(5) That’s little surprise, since most corporations in California and around the country are run by white men. They use their deep pockets to elect people who benefit them, look like them, and maintain their wealth and power. Corporations are also only interested in one issue: profits. They’ll never donate in favor of Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, and any other reform that might cost them -- even if it would make our state healthier, safer, and more just. By banning direct corporate campaign contributions, AB 20 would take the first step toward getting money out of politics and creating a more representative democracy and a more equitable California. (6) But rest assured: every major special interest will fight this measure tooth and nail, from Big Polluters to Big Tech, to maintain their grip on politicians -- and policy. That’s why we’re working with our allies to pull out all the stops to get this bill over the finish line. To overcome well-heeled corporations and pass AB 20, we need to generate massive grassroots demand, and Courage California is part of a broad coalition effort to do just that. And we need your help to get the word out. Click here to tweet the video out! Or share on Instagram by clicking here. For our democracy, Raquel, along with Angela, Annie, Caitlin, Deepthi, Jay, Irene, Lindsay, LisaMarie, Molly, and Scottie (the Courage team) Footnotes:  |
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