Today, Los Angeles for Democracy Vouchers is excited to release our new publication, “Exploring Reform: A Compendium of Research, Reports, and Modeling of Democracy Vouchers in Los Angeles.”

This report analyzes the source of money in the City of Los Angeles’ politics dating back to 2001, outlines what a democracy vouchers system can look like in Los Angeles, catalogs and summarizes existing studies into democracy vouchers, and models the outcomes and cost of a Los Angeles democracy vouchers system. Additionally, in the appendix of the compendium, the California Clean Money Campaign (CCMC) details their suggestions and recommendations for a hybrid democracy vouchers and lump sum grant system (“full public financing”) similar to full public financing systems in Arizona and Maine. We’re grateful to everyone who weighed in on the content of this report and recognize this is just the beginning of a larger conversation on how best to expand our campaign finance system to include all Angelenos.

Last spring, in a unanimous vote, the Los Angeles City Council passed a motion instructing the Chief Legislative Analyst (CLA) to study the feasibility of establishing a democracy vouchers program, including options for full public financing. This compendium builds on that momentum and hopes to be a useful reference as the CLA, Councilmembers, and community leaders explore campaign finance reform. With big money donors pouring into our local elections, the voices of everyday Angelenos aren’t being heard—and many working class communities and communities of color are left out of our campaign finance system altogether, which requires disposable income to participate. The CLA’s report will help explore options for expanding our campaign financing system via a democracy vouchers program to empower more Angelenos to have a seat at the table, regardless of economic status—just as a democracy vouchers program has done in Seattle, where donors are now similar to voters in terms of age, income and race.

If you want to join us in taking big money out of politics in Los Angeles, reach out here.