TITLE
Recommendation to refer the "Paycheck Protection" initiative to the State Legislation Committee to consider a resolution of opposition by the Long Beach City Council.
DISCUSSION
The "Paycheck Protection" initiative has come before voters in California many times over the last several decades. Each time, most recently in 2005, it has failed. This initiative is once again on the ballot in November 2012. The City Council should go on the record as opposed to the initiative, as California voters have every time this has come up for consideration.
The primary purpose of this initiative is to silence labor organizations and exclude them from the political process. The means to this end is to prevent labor organizations from collecting dues from their members and using those dues for political purposes. This is an unfair infringement on the rights of organized workers to speak out on their own behalf.
A central idea of American democracy is pluralism-the idea that the public interest is best preserved by the public dialogue between various different interest groups advocating for what they believe is just. While no one group should be allowed to dominate the political conversation, neither should any group be silenced. Therefore, I recommend that the City Council refer consideration of this initiative to the State Legislation Committee for potential opposition.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no significant fiscal impact to this item.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
COUNCILMEMBER JAMES JOHNSON
SEVENTH DISTRICT