Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association Endorses Prop. 54

Taxpayer group joins a bipartisan coalition of good government and business groups in endorsing Prop. 54, a ballot initiative to give voters a voice in their Legislature.

April 8, 2016 – The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, an organization dedicated to protecting the rights of California taxpayers, announced its endorsement of a measure on the November 2016 state ballot to rein in the special interests and give power back to the average voter in the legislative process.

Howard Jarvis joins California Common Cause, the First Amendment Coalition, the National Federation of Independent Business, the California Chamber of Commerce, Californians Aware, and other organizations as early endorsers of Prop. 54.

“Prop. 54 will help ensure taxpayers are protected against costly, ill-advised legislation that is all too often rushed through the process without proper vetting and debate,” said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. “This measure will bring every new proposal into the light of day so the public, and not just the special interests, have a chance to weigh in.”

The measure, filed by former State Senator and Assembly Minority Leader Sam Blakeslee, and government reform advocate Charles Munger, Jr., would increase transparency in the legislative process by requiring that all proposed new laws be published online in final form, viewable to the voters, for at least 72 hours before the Legislature votes. It would further require that all legislative meetings are recorded and made freely available online for the public within 24 hours, and it would guarantee the right of all Californians to record open legislative meetings and share those recordings freely.

Proponents continue to collect signatures to qualify the California Legislature Transparency Act for the state ballot.

To learn more about the California Legislature Transparency Act or to join the coalition, visit www.HoldPoliticiansAccountable.org.