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FPPC opens door to taxpayer-funded elections
By Jon Coupal
A common complaint among the taxpaying public is that the government spends taxpayer dollars for political ads. In theory, this is supposed to be illegal, but it still happens all too frequently.
Up until now, the Fair Political Practices Commission has been an aggressive enforcer against these expenditures.
For example, the FPPC imposed a $1.3 million fine against Los Angeles County for using taxpayer funds for political ads touting Measure H, a sales tax increase on the ballot in 2017. The FPPC also created an “ad-watch” program by which citizens can report government-financed communications that they suspect crosses the line into political advocacy.
The big fine against L.A. County was precipitated by a complaint filed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. It was hoped that the fine levied by FPPC would serve as a warning to government entities in California that they must obey all state laws and regulations relating to both reporting campaign expenditures as well as providing disclosures on campaign advertising.
Jon Coupal is the President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA). He is a recognized expert in California fiscal affairs and has argued numerous tax cases before the courts.
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