Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Philip Gutierrez clarified a recent ruling which now allows membership-based organizations, such as the LB Chamber, to use membership dues to fund political efforts.
LB City Attorney Bob Shannon hailed the action as a win for the city because it strengthened the integrity of the campaign finance ordinance, Proposition M passed by voters in 1994. This win comes at a price tag of $100,000 of taxpayers’ money to cover the Chamber’s legal fees. Shannon is appealing.
Also, Bob Shannon made a statement last week about the Chamber buying elections. Take a look at how many of the current seats in city and state government that were “bought” by labor unions in and out of LB. This is not about the Chamber buying elections. It’s about all organizations being on a
level playing field.
The Chamber is claiming victory, too. A long standing policy of the Chamber, according to its President and CEO Randy Gordon, is to not use membership dues for political activity. They never have and they never will, according to Gordon. The judge did rule that the Chamber can take in unlimited money from its members over and above dues to support and elect pro-jobs
candidates.
They decided to endorse city council candidates in 1998 and in 2003 the Chamber endorsed and funded its first state candidate. According to Gordon, in nearly 10 years, the Chamber has lost less than a handful of members who have disagreed with its political action efforts.
So now, the Chamber has a choice to make.
It may be time for the Chamber to play ball, and play it hard. They should ask members to donate above current membership dues levels to fund candidates without having to deal with the ridiculous limits imposed under Proposition M.
I know the Chamber’s leadership has it in them to play hard ball. The ultimate question is: does the business community have what it takes.
Pull a donor database of any LB elected official who routinely votes against jobs and you will find a healthy showing of donations by businesses. It’s time to stop feeding the enemy by playing both sides of the field. Businesses need to protect the economic vitality of our city and region by investing in the Chamber’s effort to secure pro-jobs candidates.
Remember, whether you like it or not, the vitality of Long Beach rests mainly upon our businesses ability to make a profit. Profits keep businesses alive so they employee a workforce.
At the end of the day, our community is only as strong as the business community enables it to be.
Disclaimer: Shaun Lumachi is a former Vice President and on contract with the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce.