CALIFORNIA: Democrats Introduce Bill To Raise Referendum Filing Fee To $8000

In response to the proposed Sodomite Suppression Act, California state Assemblyman Richard Bloom (photo) and Assemblyman Evan Low, both Democrats, have introduced a bill that would raise to fee to file for a ballot measure from $200 to $8000. The Los Angeles Times thinks this is a bad idea:

There's nothing wrong in principle with raising the filing fee, which hasn't been hiked since 1943, if the purpose is to cover the cost of preparing the title and summary for the ballot. But the fee should not be used as a tool to make it harder to file undesirable initiatives. Besides, a higher fee would stand in the way of good measures as well as bad ones. This kerfuffle over a creepy, long-shot proposal aside, the real abuse of the citizen-initiative process comes at the hands of monied interests, including corporations, trade groups, public employee unions, wealthy individuals and others with $10 million or more to forward their own agendas.

Bloom is the former mayor of Santa Monica and his district includes West Hollywood. Assembly freshman Evan Low is openly gay and was elected mayor of Campbell, California in 2009 at the age of 27.