Local Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance Fails to Pass

The first reading of an ordinance that would have capped campaign finance donations at $1,000 for City Council races and $2,500 for mayoral races failed to pass 4-4 on Monday.

Mayor Victor Gordo and Councilmembers Tyron Hampton, Justin Jones, and Gene Masuda voted against the ordinance.

Masuda had voted in favor of the limits in July, while Gordo, Hampton, and Jones have always opposed the ordinance.

Masuda did not express reasons for his vote during the roll call.

“Campaign contribution limits are designed to give an advantage to wealthy self-funded candidates over those with less money,” Hampton said in a text message to Pasadena Now. “This system ultimately allows special interest groups to have even more influence over the candidates they endorse.”

The ordinance would not have imposed limits on self-funding or Independent Expenditures.

“Generally, I approve of the idea of campaign limitations and limits, but I have to say that I think this ordinance opens the barn door to Animal Farm where some individuals are more equal than others because it allows people who have money to use those resources to make an unlevel playing field,” said Carl Selkin. “And I would suggest that a reasonable ordinance would say that all people, whether they’re self-funded or borrowing money or stealing money, need to restrict themselves to the campaign limits but I support the idea of those limits.”

Ordinances must receive a successful first and second reading by the City Council.

Since the ordinance failed to receive a successful first reading the efforts to cap limits had failed for now.

The City adopted the state limit in 2021 when an ordinance that would have allowed unlimited funding did not get a second vote.

Most of the discussion on Monday was on enacting a trigger that could lift campaign finance options under certain conditions by ordinance, including independent expenditures and self-funding. That item would have been discussed separately.

Councilmember Jason Lyon, who proposed the trigger concept, called it a “complicated idea” on Monday.

“I’ve spent some time looking at it since then. I think there are a lot of legal complexities and there would be a lot of hurdles in First Amendment law in particular to getting to it,” Lyon said.

A number of local residents urged the City Council to pass the ordinance. The City Council received more than 30 letters in favor of the item.

“Nowhere is democracy more relevant than at the local level,” wrote local Julianna Delgado. “It is here where the ‘rubber meets the road’ and a level playing field with respect to fundraising that impacts citizens’ right to equal protection and participating in elections must be safeguarded. Without campaign limits the best candidate for the job may be at a structural disadvantage against those with wealthy friends and families — often from outside our City — who can easily write large checks.”