Proposition Forces, Foes Turning to Television Ads

With less than a week to go before the June 7 election, supporters of Proposition 68 will begin a television advertising campaign today that casts their campaign financing ballot measure as “the one the special interests hate.”

At the same time, the campaign organization opposing both Proposition 68 and a rival initiative, Proposition 73, were scrambling Tuesday to prepare their own television commercials.

Although the television ads come very late in the campaign, they represent the first attempt by either side to reach out directly to large numbers of voters.

The 15-second and 30-second spots could prove pivotal in deciding the complex issue, since most voters, according to one survey, have never heard of the two campaign financing initiatives, even at this late date.

Proposition 68, backed by Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, some corporate leaders and a large number of other groups, would limit spending in legislative races and provide matching tax dollars to qualified candidates. It also would limit the size of campaign contributions, prohibit fund raising in non-election years and ban transfers of campaign funds between candidates.

Proposition 73, sponsored by three legislators, would ban the use of tax dollars in state, local or legislative campaigns. Although it contains no restrictions on campaign spending, it would limit campaign contributions and ban transfers of money between candidates.

Until now, supporters and opponents of the two initiatives have been hampered by their inability to raise sufficient amounts of money to carry their message to large numbers of voters.

A California Poll released Monday showed that 64% of the voters have not seen or heard of Proposition 68, while 78% of the voters have not heard of Proposition 73.

Of the remaining 36% of the voters who had heard of Proposition 68, 20% would vote yes, 6% would vote no and 10% were undecided, according to the survey. Of the 22% who had heard of Proposition 73, 9% would vote yes, 8% would vote no and 5% were undecided.

The supporters of Proposition 68 attempted Tuesday to generate enthusiasm for their campaign by going on the road with a model of the state Capitol and a skit designed to show how special interest groups win favorable treatment after contributing millions of dollars to legislators.

Dubbed the “Sacramento Special Interest Money Machine,” the model--complete with play money pouring through the dome--will travel to eight cities this week and is featured in one of the campaign’s television commercials.

“In the 1986 legislative elections, more than $57 million flowed through the money machine, almost all of it given by special interest lobbying groups,” said Walter Zelman, a Common Cause lobbyist and manager of the campaign in support of Proposition 68. “In far too many cases, the Sacramento special interest money machine cranks out the results the special interests want and the public pays the price.”

Zelman said the supporters of Proposition 68 have now raised $500,000 to spend on television advertising during the final week.

In one television ad prepared by the group, dollar bills fall through the open dome of the model of the Capitol as an announcer says: “The special interests are buying our government, funneling millions to politicians. Stop the influence buying. Cut campaign spending. Vote yes on 68, the one the special interests hate.”

A second commercial attempts to stress the support Proposition 68 has received from a broad coalition of groups around the state and newspaper editorial boards.

Carol Federighi, president of the California League of Women Voters, tells viewers: “We must cut campaign spending and stop the influence buying. That’s why California’s newspapers and civic groups from the League of Women Voters to the PTA urge you to vote yes on 68.”

Although both initiatives are opposed by Gov. George Deukmejian, Assembly Speaker Willie Brown and Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti, the No on Propositions 68 and 73 committee has been slow in raising funds to launch a campaign.

Bobbie Metzger, a spokeswoman for the organization, said campaign strategists were still in the process Tuesday of making television commercials that would air in the final days before the election.

The group also is preparing a series of slate mailers opposing both initiatives that they will send to voters in Los Angeles and other parts of the state.