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Politics

San Diego County May Soon Have Campaign Donation Limits

District 4 County Supervisor Ron Roberts is shown talking to an audience at the County Administration building on Jan. 5, 2015.
Angela Carone
District 4 County Supervisor Ron Roberts is shown talking to an audience at the County Administration building on Jan. 5, 2015.

San Diego County May Soon Have Campaign Donation Limits
Supervisor Ron Roberts is seeking approval for a $20,000 contribution limit for countywide elections.

San Diego County could soon add campaign finance limits for elections.

The Board of Supervisors plan to vote Tuesday on whether to rein in political donations.

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Supervisor Ron Roberts said, unlike the city of San Diego, the county currently has no limits on how much money a political party can pour into a campaign — and he thinks it is time to correct that.

Roberts is asking fellow supervisors to follow the city's lead.

The Republican lawmaker is seeking approval for a $20,000 contribution limit for countywide elections and a $10,000 limit for other races.

"Rather than wait for a major incident to happen — that would have the public really scratching their heads — I thought why don't we try to put some sanity into this system," Roberts said.

Roberts also worried unlimited contributions from political parties created a way for donors to mask where money in a particular race is coming from.

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"They make a donation to the political parties and the political parties spend it," Roberts said. "And the public, I think, has more of a right to know who's contributing. It is not just the amounts that are being contributed but I feel strongly this is a good government issue."

If the measure is approved Tuesday, it could take effect as early as March.