There is an old saying in Washington, D.C., politics, “If you’re not at the table, you’re probably on the menu.” The same is unfortunately true for L.A. County politics, and the point is especially true for the 2014 and 2016 L.A. County Supervisor races.
When the right individuals are elected to high office, like the County Board of Supervisors, they can help stem the tide of those who would vilify public employees and jeopardize quality public services. That’s why we make sure we have a seat at the table in these campaigns.
By November 2016, we will have new individuals in 4 out of the 5 Supervisor seats. The only current remaining Supervisor will be Mark Ridley-Thomas. This year, we’re gaining former Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis in the 1st District. Likewise, we hope to help secure a campaign victory for former State Senator Sheila Kuehl in the 3rd District.
The combined campaign expenditures in these races could be as much as $8 million. CAPE has been a significant player in these campaigns, both as a member of the County Federation of Labor independent expenditure campaign, and through our own independent expenditure campaigns where our Association’s Political Action Committee – PAC – is sending campaign mail directly to Los Angeles County voters.
All of us on the CAPE Board are extremely proud of CAPE’s efforts to support these candidates and elect the individuals who will value public services provided by County professional employees, but these programs are very expensive. Our strong efforts this year have nearly exhausted our PAC accounts.
To help offset the costs of this year’s campaign efforts and the programs to follow in 2016, our Board of Directors recently approved an increase in the Association’s allocation to the PAC on behalf of members. THIS IS NOT A DUES INCREASE. This is simply an increase from $3 to $5 per member in the amount transferred each month from the Association’s general fund to the Association’s PAC fund. This reallocation will only apply to CAPE-member PAC contributors. It will not apply to agency fee-payers, nor will it apply to any CAPE member who has already opted out of contributing to the PAC fund. Again, it is not a dues increase and it will not result in any additional dues being assessed to any CAPE member.
Per long-standing CAPE Board of Director’s policy, use of member’s dues for political activity is optional. Any member who objects to this increase in the allocation of your monthly CAPE dues to the PAC can contact the Association and opt-out of it. If you choose to opt-out, the amount of the increase will not be transferred to the PAC and will remain in CAPE’s general fund. To opt-out of this increased allocation of your dues to the PAC, simply email [email protected] with “opt-out of PAC reallocation” in the subject line.
Again, no dues will increase because of this change in allocation and those who “opt out” will simply have their portions left in the association’s general fund to cover other expenses.