Last year, the GFC Network made 1,100 donations averaging $2,000 each to more than 100 members of or candidates for the California Legislature. Do those figures surprise you? They shouldn’t. That’s the pattern of donations made by any active special interest union or corporation in Sacramento.
Persistent donations broadly distributed are the path to power in the California Legislature. That’s because lawmakers operate in hostile environments in which getting anything done means not only holding on to office but also meeting the demands of legislative leadership and dozens of other lawmakers. To succeed they need reliable financial support. They also need to know we’re there to stay. That’s because special interests never forget a legislator who disappoints them. After ten years and $25 million from 1000 donors and 18 chapters and with a visible presence in Sacramento, lawmakers trust GFC is there to stay.
Reversing the consequences of decades of our collective failure to resist special interest domination of the California Legislature requires relentless support of legislators who serve the general interest. Please participate.
