CCMIN 04202021 - Laserfiche WebLink

She expressed support for revisiting the issue. She advised that her preference would be for the City Council and mayoral election expenditure totals to be the same but conceded the slight difference is not a big deal. She seconded the motion. In response to Councilmember Balch's inquiry, Councilmember Arkin reported the mayoral office is larger than a City Council seat. She advised jumping from $24,000 to $30,000 is extremely insignificant yet still larger. She explained she does not see the $60,000 argument being valid because it is for two elections and not just one. Councilmember Balch remarked he agrees with the two-election component and is not attempting to minimize the Mayor's role but hopes to convince either Councilmembers Arkin or Testa to tie the sum to the number of voters instead of a set amount. He noted the FPPC alters the State's contribution limit as a result of inflation. He noted Pleasanton is a changing community including the number of voters as the City approaches build-out due to the new Housing Element and believes tying the dollar limit to inflation and/or the number of voters is an essential element. Councilmember Balch expressed support for the $1,000 contribution limit and suggested bifurcating the item into the contribution and expenditure limits. He advised his goal with the spending limit is to prevent dark money from going into PACs and independent expenditures. He remarked he hopes that voters could look up a single Form 460 and find every contribution to the candidate with no concerns about dark money. He suggested an expenditure limit of 75 cents per voter consistent between mayoral and City Council elections. He reiterated that timely and accurate reporting must be the highest standard for transparency. He agreed with the public comments about the difficulties faced by a challenger against an incumbent and noted he would like them to have as equal footing as possible. Councilmember Narum expressed support for the $1,000 contribution limit and expressed support for bifurcation so she can vote in favor of the voluntary contribution limit. Councilmember Narum cited her extensive past Pleasanton political experiences and advised she did not understand the need for the mayoral race expenditure limit to be higher. She advised yard signs and advertisements cost the same and the number of voters is the same. She expressed support for a dollar amount tied to the number of registered voters and expressed appreciation for Councilmember Arkin moving off of the arbitrary number of $15,000. She questioned why $1 per voter was acceptable in 2008 but not today. She agreed that $55,000 is too high and stated it should be lower but reiterated her belief it should be tied to a reasonable amount per voter. She advised 50 cents seemed low to her but she could compromise at 75 cents. Councilmember Narum remarked that the question of PACs and individual independent expenditures is really important and noted the City should not force money out into rogue individuals spending for candidates out of the public eye. She noted a PAC's Form 460 is much more difficult to digest than an individual's and they do not meet their residents' desire for transparency. She referenced Mr. Ritter's comments about spending $40,000 and losing and noted others have spent in the 30s. She reported her maximum was $22-23,000. She remarked that if the limits were lower that money would have gone out to PACs and individuals rather than the candidate. Councilmember Narum remarked that even more than the $55,000 voluntary expenditure limit the $500-600 cost of having your ballot statement printed in the guide can be even more intimidating. She noted this is as much of a concern as wherever they land on the dollar figure for an expenditure limit. Councilmember Narum restated her desire to see the figure tied to a per voter limit and noted the inflation component is less important. She advised the City is growing and bringing in more registered voters which should be the benchmark. City Council Minutes Page 7 of 15 April 20, 2021