Few Changes Result from Council Workshop on Poway Campaign Laws

A workshop to discuss various changes to Poway Municipal Code campaign laws was the focus at the City Council's regular Tuesday night meeting.

The workshop resulted in City Council members agreeing to leave many of the laws unchanged, including the decision to keep the contribution limit at $100.

The contribution limit, which city staff initially recommended be raised to $300 to fall in line with the county limit, promoted the most debate.

Two members of the public spoke out against the idea, with one stating that he thought it was a "form of corruption" to raise the limit.

"I just don't feel it's absolutely necessary," he said. "[It] keeps corruption from infiltrating our system."

Councilman Dave Grosch agreed.

"I would rather have the numbers stay the same," Grosch said. "I did OK with the $100 limit. Money shouldn't be the issue that people can't run."

Deputy Mayor Jim Cunningham sided with Grosch noting that he didn't think $100 was a barrier. 

"I see it as an open door," he said. "You’re going to put a good pair of shoes on and walk Poway. People that raise a lot of money but don’t walk, lose." 

Despite the opposition, Councilwoman Merrilee Boyack said she believed increasing the contribution limit was necessary. She said it would allow potential candidates to compete against those who invest more in their own campaigns.

"I believe that $300 is actually a very good idea," she said. "We're not vulnerable to all the rich people and all the rich people parties. I think that it's important that we reduce that barrier."

Other topics included possible fines for those who violate the city's campaign laws—an idea proposed by Councilman John Mullin, who also said that he believed many ordinances are "holding the bar so high it's impossible to jump over."

Mayor Don Higginson, who was elected to the council in 1986 and is its longest-standing member, addressed concerns that some proposed changes were unnecessary. 

"This is really the only time we've looked at our campaign ordinances," said Higginson, who briefly reviewed the history of the city's campaign laws. "There are a number of problems we need to address." 

Among the proposed recommendations that received the OK from the City Council were: 

• Repealing Resolution No. 86-065, which requires a fee of $50 for the printing of candidate statements—which are voluntary statements—in the voter information pamphlet. Staff is recommending that the city adopt a resolution prior to each election "based on an estimate of true costs provided by the Registrar of Voters Office."
• Following California's Election Code Section 9202(b) which asks for the "collection of a fee up to $200 by any person filing a notice of intent with the city clerk." 

The changes to the laws will be brought forth as an ordinance for proposed adoption at a future council meeting. 

In other council business:

• Council members approved a conditional use permit to modify a Verizon telecommunications facility and install additional antennae on St. Bartholomew's Church.
• Council members approved a resolution rescinding Specific Plan 88-02, which would "allow land uses permitted by the underlying zone and allowed in the adjacent commercial shopping center" on the southeast corner of Pomerado and Twin Peaks roads.
• Council members OK'd the city's quarterly investment report. The book value of the city's investment portfolio as of Sept. 30 is $112,672,298.
• Cunningham gave an update on the fundraising for the Winter Fest at Community Park slated for Dec. 16-19. He said the city raised about $7,500 so far for the. 

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story stated Mayor Don Higginson was elected to the City Council in 1981 instead of 1986. Patch regrets the error.