A Federal court in San Diego yesterday issued a permanent injunction against the City of San Diego’s $500 contribution limit per person to independent expenditure committees involved in City elections. The ruling quotes the recent Citizens United case we have written about, and is a logical step, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s predicate, on the path of ultimately banning limitations on contributions to Federal PACs that engage in independent expenditure advocacy. Congratulations to the San Diego County GOP and their great election attorney, Jim Bopp, Jr.
Attached is a copy of the ruling.
February 17th, 2010 at 12:00 am
The San Diego City “campaign control” ordinance dates to 1973, and was
sponsored by then-Mayor Pete Wilson. For decades the donation limit
was $250. The ordinance was then effectively copied by the County of
San Diego and adopted there in 1975.
This ruling by Hon. Irma Gonzalez, if upheld, is the biggest news in San
Diego election law in 37 years.