Almost half of the money that Assemblymember Matt Haney raised between January and June of this year came from a group dedicated to reducing the role of labor unions in state politics, campaign records show.
CalMatters exposed the somewhat shady way this organization, through a network of supposedly independent local chapters, donates tens of thousands of dollars to candidates for the state Legislature.
The group describes itself as a “force multiplier” to expand its influence against “special interests,” but the special interest they group most opposes is organized labor. The founder, David Crane, was an advisor to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger; Ron Conway, the SF plutocrat, is also among the founders.
Haney, records show, raised $285,000 in direct contributions. Independent expenditure groups put up almost $1 million in additional money.
Govern For California affiliates gave Haney $122,500, in $9,600 chunks ($4,800 for the primary and another $4,800 for the general election). That’s legal, but some say it’s dubious. From CalMatters:
Some experts also questioned whether it’s a way for its small cadre of wealthy donors to evade contribution caps designed to limit anyone from having outsized influence on state politics.
“Aside from getting around contribution limits, there doesn’t seem to be much reason to go through this extra effort,” said Stan Oklobdzija, a visiting public policy professor at UC Riverside who researches campaign finance. He said he hadn’t seen anything comparable to the Govern For California strategy in the state.
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And while Govern For California chapters received contributions from nearly 250 donors this election, state campaign finance records show that nearly two-thirds of all the money raised came from just 20 people — donors who can, and often do, make separate maximum allowable contributions to the same candidates the chapters are supporting.
Haney touted his support from labor (mostly the building trades) in his campaign for office, and some labor unions gave him money. But he got even more from this anti-labor organization.
In fact, according to CalMatters, Haney was the single largest recipient of GFC money in this election cycle.
Haney, like all candidates and politicians, has always insisted that his campaign contributions have no influence on his policy stands. But a big, sophisticated group of anti-labor donors clearly thought he was the most reliable candidate for the job.
That’s how the system works.
