National Nurses United

NewsBriefs 6/11/06 8:28 AM Page 7 Nurses Turn in 620,000 Signatures to Qualify Campaign Finance Reform Measure ollecting an unprecedented 620,000 contributions just since 2002, according to voter signatures in just a little more the Center for Responsive Politics, a political than four weeks, CNA/NNOC looks to money watchdog group. "This money is toxic," says Deborah Burger, have qualified an initiative for California's November ballot that would transform state RN and president of CNA/NNOC. "The nurses politics by instituting a voluntary system for of California are concerned about the health of publicly financing the elections of candi- California democracy. How can our lawmakdates who reject private donations, and ers look out for our public interests when sharply curtailing how much money can be they're worrying about where their next campaign dollar is coming from or whose lobbyists' donated to politics. backs they need to scratch?" "Politics are not private property," said CNA/NNOC [CALIFORNIA] Burger added that after California nurses' experience with the Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro said. "Our political process and the Schwarzenegger administration last year, they government belong to everyday people. This are also concerned about how long patient proinitiative we're sponsoring is a dramatic step tection laws, such as RN-to-patient ratios, can survive under such a system. in bringing health to a very sick system." Nurses say the cure is to reduce the influObservers have wondered why registered nurses would be leading the charge for ence of private, particularly corporate, money. reforming electoral politics, but to The Clean Money initiative does this mainly CNA/NNOC's nurses, the reason is obvious. by giving candidates who don't accept private The healthcare industry, which includes donations and meet certain qualifying criteria physician groups, HMOs, pharmaceutical an amount of public funds to run their camcompanies, and hospital corporations, has paigns. The public pool of money is funded by for decades blocked efforts to fundamentally a 0.2 percent corporate tax increase. Candireform healthcare, such as by establishing a dates who don't agree to "run clean" have to Medicare-for-all or single-payer system, by abide by stricter limits on the size of contribuwielding power over legislators through tions they can take. The measure would also money in the form of campaign contribu- tighten the amounts that could be donated to tions, independent expenditures, and the independent expenditure and political party hundreds of industry lobbyists that prowl committees, and bans contributions from lobCapitol Hill and Sacramento. The healthcare byists and contractors with the state. CNA/NNOC spent a whirlwind April and industry spent $793 million on federal lobbying and $265 million on federal campaign early May gathering voter signatures to qual- C JUNE 2006 W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G Top: CNA/NNOC RN members and staff deliver boxes of signed petitions to the Los Angeles County registrar offices. Above: CNA/NNOC President Deborah Burger, RN gives fake Schwarzenegger and his "Republican" elephant a scrubbing ify the initiative and hosting events designed to increase public awareness of the measure and its need. In April, groups of CNA/NNOC nurses surprised passers-by and visitors to the Ronald Reagan State Building in Los Angeles when they pretended to scrub with soap and brushes a live "Republican" elephant and "Democratic" donkey to symbolize the need for candidates of both parties to reject the dirtying, corruptive influence of campaign contributions. Later that month, nurses kicked off signature-gathering events in towns up and down the state, from Eureka to Fresno to San Diego. —staff report REGISTERED NURSE 7

• Cover