It’s conventional wisdom in California politics that almost any proposed law can get on the ballot if its backers have enough cash.
The era of grass-roots, volunteer signature drives to qualify a ballot measure long ago gave way to an “initiative industrial complex” that pays petition circulators by how many signatures they collect at those ubiquitous folding tables outside supermarkets and department stores.
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The economics are simple: Per-signature prices are low when an election is a long way away and only a few ballot measure proposals are in circulation. And prices rise sharply when interest groups begin their initiative campaigns late and petition circulators are in high demand.
Voters may think November’s election is barely on the horizon, but for the industry built around petition drives, this is the homestretch. Some of the groups behind this election cycle’s bumper crop of proposals simply don’t have the necessary funds while a few that do are hinting they’ll spend whatever it takes, possibly setting a new record for the cost of signature gathering.
It appears that a spike in per-signature prices is on the horizon, based on conversations this week with several political strategists and petition circulators — who asked to speak anonymously in order to provide a candid assessment of what’s going on. Some provided a glimpse at their own...
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