COUNCIL’S CAMPAIGN FINANCE LIMITATIONS REVERSED

Five months after adopting new campaign finance rules for city elections, the Escondido City Council reversed course and voted to strip away two of the rule changes enacted by the previous council.

In October, the council reduced the contribution limits for city offices such as mayor, city council and city treasurer, and also established a prohibition on candidates carrying over surplus campaign funds from one election to the next.

The council also voted to impose its new contribution limits on all persons and organizations, including political parties, businesses and labor unions.

In November, a new conservative majority was elected to the council, as three seats were up for election.

At its meeting Wednesday, the council voted by a

3-2 margin, with Mayor Paul Mcnamara and Councilwoman Consuelo Martinez opposed, to do away with the prohibition on rolling over campaign funds, and also exempted political parties from the city’s contribution limits.

Instead, political parties must abide by state contribution limits, which, at $4,700 per election cycle, are higher than the city’s new limits of $1,000 for district council seats and $1,750 for citywide offices such as mayor and treasurer, according to City Attorney Michael Mcguinness.

The city received seven written comments from groups and members of the public, all in favor of maintaining the rules put in place in October.

Councilwoman Tina Inscoe, one of the new members elected in November, brought forward the proposed rule changes for council consideration.

Both sides in the council’s debate framed their position as seeking to ensure fairness and a level playing field for all candidates for city office.

“My desire is for fairness to all,” said Inscoe, and that the state’s campaign finance rules achieve the goal of fairness to both incumbent office holders and challengers.

According to a report from Mcguinness for Wednesday’s council meeting, state law does not specifically address the issue of rolling over surplus campaign funds from one campaign to the next.

The council’s action Wednesday means there is no city prohibition on the practice.

Martinez, who proposed the prohibition on rolling over campaign funds in October, said she sought to ensure that all candidates start out on an equal footing.

“What’s more fair than having all candidates, whether you’re an incumbent or a first-time candidate running for public office, to start at a level playing field?” she said.

Martinez said that if a candidate was allowed to carry over funds, those who raised money under the old limit of $4,300 per candidate in a city election would have an advantage over candidates operating under the new contribution limits.

“What’s being proposed tonight is anything but fair,” Martinez said.

But Councilman Mike Morasco said the prohibition on carrying over campaign funds was “politically motivated,” rather than being driven by the wishes of city voters.

“It has always been a fair and level playing field,” Morasco said, until the changes brought about by an “over-reaching decision by the council a couple of months ago.”

Morasco said no other jurisdiction in the state has adopted such a prohibition, and the ordinance would subject the city to the “high probability” of a costly legal challenge.

Councilman Joe Garcia, who also supported the rule change, said he had only a small amount of money left over from his successful council campaign last year, which has enabled him to pay campaign-related bills that have come due after the November election.

Mayor Paul Mcnamara said he opposed both rule changes, both to encourage citizen participation in elections and reduce political partisanship in city governance.

“You already have an incredible advantage by being an incumbent. Name recognition is a big deal,” Mcnamara said. “If you want average citizens to go out there and compete, you have to give them a chance to do that.”