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AP15:105

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 7, 2015

CONTACT: Sam Mahood

(916) 653-6575

 

Proposed Initiative Enters Circulation

Speech. Holocaust Denial Restrictions. Initiative Statute.

 

SACRAMENTO – Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced the proponent of a new initiative was cleared to begin collecting petition signatures today.  

The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides calendar deadlines to the proponent and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows: 

SPEECH. HOLOCAUST DENIAL RESTRICTIONS. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Restricts speech that lobbies against the recognition of the Jewish, Armenian, or Ukrainian Holocausts at any school, educational institution, or museum that receives state funds. Prevents Holocaust denial organizations, as defined, from disseminating information and conducting activities on the premises of these institutions, or involving the employees, clients, or students of these institutions. Permits injunctive relief and damages against the Holocaust denial organizations that commit violations. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: Given its restraint on free speech, a court may find this measure unconstitutional. If so, it would have no fiscal effect. If the measure could be implemented legally, the annual cost to state-funded educational institutions is unlikely to be significant statewide, but the cost for a particular local government in a particular year might be significant if it is sued and found to have violated the provisions of the measure. (15-0073.) 

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 1733 and the Attorney General’s tracking number is 15-0073. 

The proponent of the measure, Gregory Foulkes, must collect the signatures of 365,880 registered voters (five percent of the total votes cast for Governor in the November 2014 general election) in order to qualify it for the November 2016 ballot. The proponent has 180 days to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be submitted to county elections officials by June 6, 2016.  The proponent can be reached at (949) 973-0975 or grefou@gmail.com.  

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