Nonpartisan Versus Neutral

As a volunteer for CalPIRG, the Public Interest Research Group that sponsors the campaign finance reform Proposition 212, I am concerned about a luncheon at which the Woodland Hills Chamber of Commerce invited the League of Women Voters, described by your paper as a “national nonpartisan group,” to discuss all of the November ballot initiatives.

The league may be nonpartisan in that it doesn’t endorse candidates or support one party over another, but it is not neutral. It does take very strong positions on initiatives and other issues.

The league is a very vocal advocate of Proposition 208, the other campaign finance reform initiative, and equally vocal in its opposition to CalPIRG’s 212. Therefore, it seems impossible that a speaker sent by the league could present the two initiatives objectively, despite all good intentions. Compounding the problem is an audience that may use the words “nonpartisan” and “neutral” interchangeably.

Perhaps in the future, chambers of commerce should consider asking the league to disclose its positions to the audience prior to presenting the initiatives. And perhaps the media should remind, even inform, the public that the League of Women Voters may be nonpartisan, but it is not neutral.

TOBI DRAGERT

Tarzana