Former Exxon CEO Lee Raymond:  “I’m not a U.S. company and I don’t make decisions based on what’s good for the U.S.” Californians can change this. Pass AB83!

Updated 3/20/23

In 2010, the Supreme Court decided in the corrupt case Citizens United that corporations were actually “an association of citizens,” opening our elections up both to dark money and the influence of the foreign investors who now hold over 40% of all shares in US corporations.

We take the word “citizen” very seriously here in Ventura County. At Swap Meet Justice’s monthly citizenship fair, we know that applicants wait years, and sometime decades, before they can get the help they need to become citizens and to receive the privilege of voting. Foreign investors jump the line and abuse our voting process to increase their profits.

AB83 – Political Reform Act of 1974: contributions and expenditures by foreign-influenced business entities could help level the playing ground by preventing these entities from messing with our elections. (Lot of resources, fact sheets, etc. here)

It passed through the Assembly Committee on Elections with our Assemblymember Steve Bennett and is heading for a hearing in thee Appropriations Committee. We don’t have a horse in that race (your friends/family might – check here), but this is a great chance to strike back at Citizen’s United.

Continue reading “Former Exxon CEO Lee Raymond:  “I’m not a U.S. company and I don’t make decisions based on what’s good for the U.S.” Californians can change this. Pass AB83!”