Campaign Finance Law Is Debated

Orange County political reformer Shirley L. Grindle arrived at a good-government debate Thursday with Supervisor Chris Norby carrying boxing gloves.

The props went unused, but there was plenty of verbal sparring.

The topic was whether the county’s 25-year-old, strict campaign finance restrictions should be repealed.

Grindle, the law’s principal author, defended what has been called the most effective local ordinance in California. Norby has suggested the law be repealed and replaced with more relaxed state contribution limits.

The local law is popular with voters, Grindle told 75 members and guests of the O.C. Public Affairs Assn. in Costa Mesa. It “played a significant role in cleaning up Orange County’s political image and saved the business community tons of money,� she said. “There is no overriding reason to repeal [it] other than to satisfy Mr. Norby.�

Norby said changes in state law and adverse court decisions have eroded the ordinance, called TINCUP for its original campaign slogan in 1978, “Time Is Now, Clean Up Politics.� Candidates should be held to a single standard -- the state’s, he said.

“Since TINCUP [passed], we’ve had four supervisors forced to resign, two supervisors indicted and one treasurer jailed as a result of the biggest municipal bankruptcy in history,� Norby said. “TINCUP hasn’t done anything to clean up politics.�

Norby proposed the repeal in March as the Board of Supervisors discussed an August deadline to put matters on the November ballot. He suggested replacing the current limit of $1,400 per four-year election cycle to the state limit of $3,400 for the primary and the same for the general election.

Recent court decisions undercut the effectiveness of the law, Norby said, which he contended restricts speech and aids well-heeled candidates and incumbents who need less financial help. Courts have agreed that contributions can be restricted but must be reasonable.

“There will always be a problem with campaign finance restrictions

The impetus for campaign contribution limits came from the business community, Grindle said. Small-business owners complained that they were “getting bled to death� by requests and demands for money from candidates. “It was getting out of hand,� she said.

If the state limits are adopted for Orange County, they can rise more rapidly and could reach $5,000 in just a few years, she said.

“You better start thinking about what it’s going to cost to do business in Orange County,� she told the crowd.

The local limit applies to the county’s elected officials, including supervisors, the sheriff, district attorney, treasurer/tax collector, clerk/recorder and public guardian/public administrator.

California passed its first major statewide political reform in 1974, addressing such issues as conflicts of interest and campaign financing. Orange County followed four years later with TINCUP.

An amendment establishing the $1,000 limit was passed by voters in 1992.