KITSAP SUN: Jan Angel defends anti-initiative bill, says it “doesn’t affect process at all”
Yesterday I shared the emails from Sen. Jan Angel, one of the lead sponsors of anti-initiative bill SB 5715, to her constituents that showed the true purpose of the bill is to “stop” certain initiatives “from getting on the ballot” (here is yesterday’s update for those who missed it: http://soundpolitics.com/
There is a story about it in today’s Kitsap Sun (“Angel targeted by Eyman on initiative bill”). In the story, Sen. Angel ignores the emails altogether (thus conceding their authenticity) and says in an email to the reporter: “SB 5715 … is a ‘transparency’ issue for the voter to help make a decision when voting. … The ballot title would include a fiscal note only under certain circumstances and doesn’t affect the citizen initiative process at all.”
But her emails show that’s not true.
The ACLU clearly disagrees with Angel in their statement against SB 5715: “We are opposed to the interjection of government sponsored speech on one side or the other of a political debate. Here, the primary purpose of placing this “information” — with numbers determined by a state agency — on the ballot is to sway voters into voting against the initiative. This goes beyond mere provision of information, and is designed to sway voters. The State should not use its power to tilt the electoral playing field. Proponents, opponents, and the media already do an active job of informing voters about costs; there is no need for the State to provide an “official” version of that in a prominent place on the ballot, where no other statements for or against are allowed.”
Scott Roberts for the Freedom Foundation disagrees with Angel: “Warning Label” Bill Would Bias Initiative Elections”
The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin Editorial disagrees with Angel: “Warning-label plan for initiatives goes too far”
Having legislators plotting and scheming to “stop” certain initiatives “from getting on the ballot” is a gross abuse of power. It doesn’t matter whether it is politicians conniving to block liberal initiatives or politicians scheming to undermine conservative initiatives. It’s totally wrong for politicians to use the power of government to sabotage the initiative process.
It’s now been laid bare that the sole purpose of SB 5715 is to stop initiatives.
Right now, House members are considering whether or not to support SB 5715 — every House member needs to be told how sleazy this bill is.
Please — RIGHT NOW — send an email to all 98 House members that says something like this (feel free to add more, there’s a lot to say):
“It’s been revealed that SB 5715’s sole purpose is to block initiatives from getting on the ballot. Emails from one of the bill’s co-sponsors clearly show it’s got nothing to do with giving voters information, it’s all about stopping initiatives. This is beyond sleazy. As the ACLU wrote: ‘The State should not use its power to tilt the electoral playing field.’ I ask you to actively oppose SB 5715. Leave our initiative process alone.”
Cut and paste these 98 House members’ email addresses into the “To” line of your email to them:
sherry.appleton@leg.wa.gov; steve.bergquist@leg.wa.gov; brian.blake@leg.wa.gov; vincent.buys@leg.wa.gov; michelle.caldier@leg.wa.gov; reuven.carlyle@leg.wa.gov; bruce.chandler@leg.wa.gov; frank.chopp@leg.wa.gov; judy.clibborn@leg.wa.gov; eileen.cody@leg.wa.gov; cary.condotta@leg.wa.gov; richard.debolt@leg.wa.gov; tom.dent@leg.wa.gov; hans.dunshee@leg.wa.gov; susan.fagan@leg.wa.gov; jessyn.farrell@leg.wa.gov; jake.fey@leg.wa.gov; joe.fitzgibbon@leg.wa.gov; roger.goodman@leg.wa.gov; mia.gregerson@leg.wa.gov; carol.gregory@leg.wa.gov; dan.griffey@leg.wa.gov; larry.haler@leg.wa.gov; drew.hansen@leg.wa.gov; mark.hargrove@leg.wa.gov; mark.harmsworth@leg.wa.gov; paul.harris@leg.wa.gov; brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov; dave.hayes@leg.wa.gov; jeff.holy@leg.wa.gov; zack.hudgins@leg.wa.gov; graham.hunt@leg.wa.gov; sam.hunt@leg.wa.gov; ross.hunter@leg.wa.gov; christopher.hurst@leg.wa.gov; laurie.jinkins@leg.wa.gov; norm.johnson@leg.wa.gov; ruth.kagi@leg.wa.gov; christine.kilduff@leg.wa.gov; steve.kirby@leg.wa.gov; brad.klippert@leg.wa.gov; linda.kochmar@leg.wa.gov; joel.kretz@leg.wa.gov; dan.kristiansen@leg.wa.gov; kristine.lytton@leg.wa.gov; drew.macewen@leg.wa.gov; chad.magendanz@leg.wa.gov; matt.manweller@leg.wa.gov; joan.mcbride@leg.wa.gov; gina.mccabe@leg.wa.gov; bob.mccaslin@leg.wa.gov; jim.moeller@leg.wa.gov; jeff.morris@leg.wa.gov; luis.moscoso@leg.wa.gov; dick.muri@leg.wa.gov; terry.nealey@leg.wa.gov; ed.orcutt@leg.wa.gov; timm.ormsby@leg.wa.gov; lillian.ortiz-self@leg.wa.gov; tina.orwall@leg.wa.gov; kevin.parker@leg.wa.gov; strom.peterson@leg.wa.gov; eric.pettigrew@leg.wa.gov; liz.pike@leg.wa.gov; gerry.pollet@leg.wa.gov; chris.reykdal@leg.wa.gov; marcus.riccelli@leg.wa.gov; june.robinson@leg.wa.gov; jay.rodne@leg.wa.gov; cindy.ryu@leg.wa.gov; sharontomiko.santos@leg.wa.gov
The most important thing you can do to stop SB 5715 is by sending the email above. But for those interested, here is contact information for Sen. Jan Angel (if you email her, please “cc” me:
jan.angel@leg.wa.gov; jan@janangel.com; tim_eyman@comcast.net
The office number is 360-786-7650. I also found this phone number on the web:
http://findnsave.
Each of us must do our part to protect the initiative process from this horrendous legislative assault.
And please help us with the 2/3-For-Taxes Constitutional Amendment Initiative. Success is the only option with the signature drive for I-1366. Please help us make it happen.