Speaker 2: Agenda item two Resolution 31715 Supporting My Washington Initiative Measure 735 and urging Seattle voters to vote yes on Initiative 735 on the November eight, 2016 general election ballot.
Speaker 0: Okay. It's provided under state law. S.W. 40 2.17.. 178.555. Where's the honorable? You should help me out on this one little bit. The City Council will now consider the adoption of Resolution 31715. And at the conclusion of the Council members comments, the Council will hear comments from members of the public who wish to speak either an opposition of or support of the resolution, and will make sure that we give the equal opportunity, approximately equal opportunity to both opponents and proponents of the resolution. So I will introduce the matter and then I will move it again. This is resolution 31715. And basically what this does, Initiative 735 is on the November 8th ballot and it will actually make Washington the 18th state to ask Congress to overturn Citizens United. And the resolution supports Washington, an issue of Measure 735 and urges our voters to vote yes on the Initiative 735 on the November 8th ballot. And what resolution 31380. We passed Resolution 31380 in 2012 that basically called on the United States Congress to initiate steps to amend the United States Constitution with provisions that clearly state three things. Number one, that corporations are not human beings and only human beings are endowed with constitutional rights. Number two, that contributions and expenditures for political purposes are not constitutionally protected speech, and that therefore regulating political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech. And three, Congress and the states shall have the power to regulate contributions and expenditures for campaigns and ballot measures and to require public disclosure of the sources of such contributions and expenditures. And again, as I said this morning, several states California, Connecticut, Illinois, Hawaii, Delaware, Maryland and many others have passed similar resolutions in Colorado and Montana have had successful referendums. So that's the initiative. I will move adoption of the resolution. So I'll move adoption of a resolution 31715.
Speaker 5: Which.
Speaker 0: Has been moved in second to the resolution 317 and five be adopted. And now we'll hear from council members either in support of. Well, we'll start with the support concerns in support of the resolution. I'll turn to council members to watch.
Speaker 9: Thank you, President Harrell. This is a resolution supporting Washington Initiative 735 and urging Seattle voters to vote yes on Initiative 75 on the November eight, 2016, general election ballot. As President Harold said, this resolution is not without precedent. 17 states and more than 650 municipal governments, including 18 in Washington state, have passed resolutions advocating that Citizens United be overturned. That being said, I think it is important that we walk through this resolution. The Supreme Court in Citizens United versus Federal Election Commission in Buckley v Valeo declared the spending of money by individuals, corporations and special interests in elections to be protected free speech under the First Amendment, amendment of the Constitution of the United States. In practice, this has meant that unlimited donations can be funneled through such super political action committees or super PACs, giving the 1% the nation's wealthiest individuals and corporations the ability to effectively rig elections and retain undue influence over the policies of elected officials, an astounding number of whom become corporate lobbyists when their political careers are over. Creating a revolving door between politics and corporations. How is it that the financial sector can bring our nation to its knees through fiscal malfeasance only to be given get out of jail free card and bailed out? Why is our foreign policy in our massive global military footprint continuing to be rooted in the protection and exploitation.
Speaker 4: Of.
Speaker 9: The exploitation of destructive fossil fuels? How is it that we can always find a way to further slash taxes but cannot invest in world class transit and green technology, let alone fixing our crumbling infrastructure? The answer, as we all know, is simple. Our corporate money saturated political system has been drowning in a sea of cash from the super wealthy. Big business representatives try to portray this as a natural process. They argue that Labor, for example, invests just as much in politics as they do. That is, of course, a ludicrous claim. While the top ten labor donors, donors from the labor movement spend 153 million in the 2012 election cycle, the Koch brothers spend over 412 million alone that year. Indeed, as this resolution notes, OpenSecrets.org maintained by the Center for Responsive Politics, reported that super PACs raised an astonishing $828 million and spend 600 of those during the 2012 presidential election. And in the wake of the Great Recession, which ordinary people still haven't recovered from, this deluge of corporate money continues to pour into campaigns at an exponential rate. The New York Times reported on the electoral spending of Charles and David Koch in early 20 1415, noting that the Koch brothers budget of 889 million for 2016 was on par with both corporate parties internal fundraising goals. And The Washington Post reported on April 15, 2016, that just 50 mega donors and their relatives. I repeat, just 50 families donated at least 41% of all money raised from 2015 until February 2016 by super PACs for the 2016 presidential election. While there can be no economic democracy under capitalism, many pretend that political democracy is sacred, protected and inviolable here in the U.S. But this has never been true. Money has always had too much power at the expense of the interests of ordinary working people, and it has never had as much power as it does today as a consequence of Citizens United. Independent, grassroots, working class challengers find themselves effectively silenced in this onslaught. The mainstream media, the corporate media all too often supports this process, implying that it would be folly to support someone who has, quote unquote, no chance. Of course they have no chance. Often because the game is rigged and those who work to ensure that the rules don't change are complicit. I urge the Council to join me in passing this resolution supporting initiative 735 declaring that corporations are not human beings and only human beings are endowed with constitutional rights. Contributions and expenditures for political purposes are not constitutionally protected speech, and that therefore regulating political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech. And that Congress and the states shall have the power to regulate contributions and expenditures for campaigns and ballot measures and to require public disclosure of the sources of such contributions and expenditures. It must be noted this is only the first step forward. This will not be enough. Overturning Citizens United will not be enough for a sustainable and truly democratic world. We will need to win economic as well as political democracy. But this is an important step forward, and I'm proud to stand with the woman campaign as we push forward. Let's send a firm message. Working people in Seattle want money out of politics.
Speaker 0: So to follow our procedures, are there any council members that would like to speak in opposition of the resolution? And then your comments there? I don't think there would be, but I'll go follow my procedures. So now I will take comments from those who wish to speak in either opposition or in support of the resolution. Just to describe to the audience, this is a separate public hearing, and we do have some two people that like to sign up, I believe, that are in support of the resolution. So I would ask that Cindy Black come to the microphone, followed by Tiffany McCoy, and we will allow one minute on each testimony and allow the opposition same time.
Speaker 2: I didn't see you back in Washington coalition to amend the Constitution moment and we are urging the Council to vote yes in support of this resolution and to urge all Seattle voters to vote yes on this. I don't have to go over all the details of this, but basically, again, we want to say that corporations are not people and do not deserve constitutional rights. That only goes for actual human beings. If you read our Constitution, not once does it mention a corporation. They talk about people and citizens and in a person. And we also want to want to let you know that with the onslaught of money coming into our political campaign, it's become an oligarchy and not a democracy anymore. And this initiative will start moving us to the direction of bring back to a democracy. So please, I urge you to vote yes on this resolution.
Speaker 4: Thank you. Thank you.
Speaker 0: Before Ms.. McCoy speaks. I like to given the opportunity for one minute for anyone opposing the resolution. I don't see anyone running for the mic. So, Miss Black. Miss McCoy, you're on.
Speaker 6: Thank you. Thank you, Councilmember Marsland, for that introduction. There's really not much more I can add to that, but my name is Tiffany McCoy. I'm the field director for the campaign. And, you know, I'm just I'm really proud to work for this campaign that is truly a citizens initiative. 88% of our signatures were gathered by volunteers when. So that's over 293,000 signatures by volunteers that were not paid, which is really according to common wisdom, is not something that happens often in the state of Washington or any state that allows initiatives. But our individuals have worked on this issue for 3 to 5 years, tried to pass it through the state legislature as a resolution like other states have done around the country. But our state legislature was not able to come forward with a resolution, so citizens took this upon themselves to introduce it as an initiative, and we're going forward with that. I have 5 seconds, so I just want to say. Congress won't act just like the state house won't act. So this is why the people will act for them in their place and introduce initiatives across the state and the nation. In order to overturn Citizens United, please vote yes.
Speaker 0: Are there any members of the public who like to oppose the resolution and they'll be afforded the same amount of time hearing or seeing no one opposing. We have reached the end of the public comment sign up sheet for this particular item. And the public comment I do declare is closed earlier. But I.
Speaker 5: I hope I had a chance to read about what the resolution.
Speaker 0: Was, but I would like to do it now. Would you be on the pro side or the oppose side?
Speaker 3: I am definitely. I am for the president.
Speaker 0: Okay. Let this gentleman sign it. Will this this one here. That's side there. Was it green light? Answer. Push the button. The gray button at the bottom.
Speaker 3: Thank you. Good to go. I'd like to speak in favor of the amendment. I would be very happy to get independent expenditures out of the political process, including the city council process, as there were as well as the national this last city council election. There were far, far, far more independent expenditures for city council races. And there's ever been before. And I would like to see that ended. Just one other quick thing. The county council calendar said that this meeting was canceled today. So while I support many of the results, yes. Can I count the calendar? The council calendar had said that this meeting was canceled today, so I'm not sure if it's legal to vote after the county calendars. The council calendar says that, but I'm support of all everything else except for the 2035 plan, which I'm strongly opposed to . Thank you.
Speaker 0: Just to clarify, the we had budget meetings after this. That was what was council not this meeting, the budget meetings after that.
Speaker 3: That's not what it said.
Speaker 4: Yes, it is.
Speaker 3: Yes.
Speaker 0: Okay. Okay. Well, it's not canceled, so. Okay. I tell we. I didn't tell the public anything, sir. And so so the public comment, I do declare that the public comment period has expired on this particular item and we've reached the end. So the period is closed, so we're ready to vote. Those in favor of adopting the resolution vote i. I. Those opposed vote no. The motion carries the resolution adopted and the chair will sign it. Please read the next gen item to the record.
A RESOLUTION supporting Washington Initiative Measure 735, and urging Seattle voters to vote “Yes” on Initiative 735 on the November 8, 2016, general election ballot.