This is a terrible ad to run; it could really negatively affect the initiative process in California long term.
Sacramento Bee:
Derek Cressman of government watchdog group Common Cause said he was "hard pressed" think of a situation where signing an initiative petition led to identity theft. He said the ad sounded like an attempt to "provoke a fear" to discourage people from signing petitions."If they really wanted people to take their warning seriously, they'd have more credibility by revealing their own identities," he said.Petitions for 14 proposed measures have been cleared for circulation, though the ones that have gained the most attention are a referendum to repeal a law requiring some online retailers to collect sales taxes on purchases made by Californians and a proposed initiative to block unions from using dues paid through automatic payroll deductions for political contributions without permission.
