SAN DIEGO- Francine Busby, chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party, has called on San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer to refuse to speak at the 42nd American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) Annual Meeting.
ALEC is meeting in San Diego July 22 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt downtown. Mayor Faulconer is slated to speak along with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.
“This organization is a threat to democracy in the United States,” said Busby. “As the leader of one of the largest cities in the country, Mr. Faulconer should have the guts to stand up to this bill mill funded by corporate lobbyists and billionaires trying to drown out the voice of the people.”
ALEC sponsors “scholarships” to bring lawmakers from all over the country into secret meetings with lobbyists from industries like fossil fuel, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, privatized prisons, and insurance who shop around model legislation and wine and dine legislators. The elected representatives then take the corporate wish-lists back to their home states and try to pass these bills into law.
“This is legalized corruption,” said Busby. “There is no accountability and no transparency. The public isn’t at the table at all. Corporations get unlimited access to elected officials without any kind of input from their constituents.”
Referring to co-speakers at the conference including Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas Busby said, “San Diego should not be associating itself with these extremists. These people use fear to push a corporate agenda that takes away rights from voters and hands them to elite special interests.”
“The mayor claims to be a moderate Republican. He claims to serve everyone. He should prove that by standing up to corporate bullies and refusing to speak at the ALEC meeting.”
