This morning at a conference room across the street from the State Capitol, advocates in the campaign against Proposition 93 (the Nunez-Perata Term Limits Weakening Measure) will hold a press conference — the star attraction? California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner. While nothing "official" has been announced, we are just hours away from a likely formal commitment from Poizner that he has not only signed the official ballot argument against Proposition 93, but that he will be playing a key role in opposing 93, including a starring role for Poizner’s checkbook.
For those who are unaware, before his entry into politics, the soft-spoken Poizner was very successful as an entrepreneur and inventor in the Silicon Valley. His company developed some technology that has been incorporated into virtually every cell phone on the planet, and in selling this technology to one of the largest communications firms in the world, Poizner came away with a net worth approaching a billion (with a "b") dollars.
Poizner has already shown a willingness in the past, separate from his own campaign for office, to donate from his personal fortune to assist with statewide ballot measures that support important political reforms. Back in 2005, Poizner (along with the Governor) was leading the efforts to pass Proposition 77, which would have reformed the way that legislative district boundaries are drawn in California. While the measure ultimately fell short, it wasn’t due to lack of personal funds that Poizner generously donated to that cause. The reality is that the state’s public employee unions not only opened their big checkbooks, but in the case of the California Teachers Association they literally mortgaged their headquarters to defeat all of the measures supported by the Governor in that 2005 special election.
Poizner’s passion for the pursuit of fair redistricting in California has as part of its origin his own efforts to try and win election to a State Assembly seat on the Bay Area Peninsula where he lives. This particular seat was drawn specifically to elect a Democrat, and Poizner of course, is a Republican. Still, Poizner spent a small fortune, investing not only in himself but also in a health voter registration effort. Still, even the moderate Republican with virtually unlimited financial resources could not overcome the advantage given to his opponent in the unfair lines.
After this morning, it may be more difficult to drop the "moderate" moniker on Poizner. While he certainly is moderate in his temperament, there is nothing moderate about his willingness to take on the legislative power "elite class" in the State Capitol. There are a lot of reasons why Poizner could argue that standing up to lead the fight against Proposition 93 is a bad idea — including the fact that the very budget of the agency he now runs comes from the state legislature. Nevertheless, Poizner is apparently going to throw down the gauntlet today, and make it clear that it is the citizens who run this state, and not the "elite class" would would gather power to themselves.
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