PAC Men and PAC Women

There's a lot to unpack when it comes to politicalactioncommittees, or PACs. Joe Yerardi, a reporter at inewsource, joins San DiegoDecidesthis week for a quick PAC history lesson, including arundownof the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling andothercases that have upended the world of campaign finance inthelast few years. He also reviews the basics when it comesto"dark money" and other termsswirling around themysterious world of campaignfinance. "This stuff is a little hard to wrap your head around,"Yerardisaid. "But really it's extremely important to how this cityandthis country is governed." Hosts Sara Libby and Ry Rivard go from learning about PACstotalking to someone who runs one. Aimee Faucett, COO of theSanDiego Regional Chamber of Commerce, joins the show to discussthePACs she heads. The Chamber used to keep politics at arm'slengthbut has significantly ramped up its involvement in localraces.Faucett said the Chamber's goal when it comes togettinginvolved in politics and elections is to give the localbusinesscommunity a say in how the region is being run. "In San Diego, we're tying to be the mostbusiness-friendlyregion in California and with that we need tostart helping andsupporting campaigns by getting businesscandidates elected so thatwe have a voice," she said. Faucett also talks about the candidates and issues backed bythechamber, including plans for a convadium, theinfrastructuremeasure called Rebuild San Diego and minimumwage. Also on this podcast, Libby and Rivard discuss the City Council District 1 candidates andtheirbootstrap s, Bruce Lightner's weird website problems and more. Crazy Ballot Initiatives There are a few wild ballot proposals that involvecampaignfinance. One would amend the state Constitutionto impose a 1,000 percent sales tax on allpoliticaladvertising in California . All media spending by allpoliticalparties, PACs or candidates would be subject to the tax,and themoney would go to public education. Anotherproposedmeasure is the brainchild of a local businessman. It's beendubbedthe " NASCAR measure '' and would require lawmakers towearthe names of their top 10 donors on their person – as in,theywould have to wear pins or stickerswithdonors' names. The mock-ups of what that would looklikeare hilarious. Favorite Things • Sara Libby's favorite thing this weekisa profile of author Angela Flournoy atBuzzFeed .Flournoy's book, "The Turner House," is Libby'sfavorite newbook. • Ry Rivard's favorite thing is TheAxe Files , a podcast by David Axelrod,President Obama'sformer campaign architect.

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PAC Men and PAC Women is an episode from San Diego Decides by Voice of San Diego by Voice of San Diego.

This episode is 52:24 long.

This episode was published on May 2, 2016.

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