Senator Alex Padilla scored 100% on the Clean Money questionnaire

His opponent, Pete Peterson, did not answer the Clean Money questionnaire.

Tell your Assembly candidates:
I care about the
California DISCLOSE Act
and Clean Money
... and I vote!

They are running for Secretary Of State.

The California Clean Money Action Fund asked all candidates for state office in California to answer six questions about whether they support legislation for more disclosure on political ads and public financing of campaigns.

"No Answer" means the candidate didn't answer the questionnaire after our attempts to reach their campaign several separate times through email or by phone.

Overall Score.

Senator Alex Padilla (D)	Pete Peterson (R)
Overall Score: 100%	Overall Score: No Answer

The overall score on the survey is determined by the answers on the first five questions. For every “Yes”, the candidate gets 20%, for every “No” they get 0%. An answer of “Other” gets 10% unless it’s clear from their explanation that the candidate would or would not support the legislation.

Q1. Do you support legislation requiring ballot measure ads to clearly state their three largest true individual, corporate or union funders instead of committee names, even if the funds are transferred through one or more intermediary committees or organizations?

Senator Alex Padilla (D)	Pete Peterson (R)
Answer: "Yes"	Answer: No Answer
"Voters deserve to know who is funding campaigns. That’s why I’ve been a proud co-author of the California DISCLOSE Act to increase transparency in campaigns. In the State Senate, I authored tough campaign finance reforms that require stringent reporting of campaign contributions. As Secretary of State, I will fight to ensure voters can easily access information on campaign contributions online so we know who is funding campaigns in California."

Q2. Do you support legislation requiring independent ads for and against candidates to clearly state their three largest true individual, corporate or union funders instead of committee names, even if the funds are transferred through one or more intermediary committees or organizations?

Senator Alex Padilla (D)	Pete Peterson (R)
Answer: "Yes"	Answer: No Answer
"Increasing transparency in campaigns is a key part of restoring trust in government and encouraging greater civic participation. I authored the bill in the Senate to create an online database of campaign communications so voters can hold campaigns accountable for their actions. As Secretary of State, I will fight for greater transparency and accountability in campaign finance."

Q3. Would you support legislation described in questions 1 and 2 if your constituents were clearly in favor of it while major campaign funders opposed it?

Senator Alex Padilla (D)	Pete Peterson (R)
Answer: "Yes"	Answer: No Answer
"Absolutely. Strengthening our democracy begins with increased transparency and accountability."

Q4. Do you support legislation requiring state and local candidates to stand by their political ads, saying in those ads that they “approve this message” as federal candidates must?

Senator Alex Padilla (D)	Pete Peterson (R)
Answer: "Yes"	Answer: No Answer

Q5. Do you support legislation providing competitive amounts of public financing or small donor matching funds to campaigns of qualified candidates who demonstrate a broad base of public support and abide by strict spending limits?

Senator Alex Padilla (D)	Pete Peterson (R)
Answer: "Yes"	Answer: No Answer
"As City Council President in Los Angeles, I worked to strengthen and expand LA’s public financing system. As Secretary of State, I will work to level the playing field to encourage more candidates to run for office and ensure that everyone has a chance to participate in our democracy."

Q6. Would you support a system of public financing of campaigns as in question 5 that covers all state races, including Assembly, State Senate, and statewide offices, if it were funded by an annual tax or fee of no more than $8 per California resident? *

Senator Alex Padilla (D)	Pete Peterson (R)
Answer: "Other"	Answer: No Answer
"I support measures to reduce the influence of special interests in our democracy and favor proposals that make it easier for grassroots candidates to run for office. Our democracy works best when everyone participates. I support a public financing system like LA's which encourages candidates to build a broad base of support with matching funds for small contributions."

* The wording of this question created some confusion about its intent. The intent was to ask about funding of public campaign finance for state offices with a tax or fee that averaged $8 per person, an investment in the integrity of our elections that is less than one-third of 1% of California's General Fund this year. However some candidates responded to the question as if it were proposing an additional flat tax of $8 to be paid by every Californian. Due to the confusion the wording of this question created, its answers were not scored and did not count towards the overall score for the Clean Money Survey.

Note: Candidate explanations are shown as submitted. CCMAF has not edited the candidate explanations for content or writing style.

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