Press Release - Fall 2000

For Immediate Release
December 14, 2000

Contact: Richard Maullin
(310) 828-1183

FAIRBANK, MASLIN, MAULLIN & ASSOCIATES PLAYS MAJOR ROLE
IN HELPING GUIDE CANDIDATES AND BALLOT MEASURES TO VICTORY
IN CALIFORNIA AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY

Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin & Associates (FMM&A) enjoyed another extraordinary election year in 2000, helping to guide candidates and ballot measure committees to victory in some of the nation's most highly contested elections.

In California, FMM&A won more than 90 percent of its campaigns at all levels of the ballot. These wins included Proposition 39, a landmark victory for public education that reduced the voter majority needed to pass school construction bonds from two-thirds to 55 percent while imposing financial accountability requirements. Other victories included a half dozen Congressional races, including Cal Dooley's (CD 20) and Ellen Tauscher's (CD 10) hard fought battles for re-election. FMM&A was also instrumental in California victories for two other state ballot propositions, several state legislators in open seats, and several local ballot measures, including measures to finance transportation projects, K-12 and community college school construction, libraries and parks.

FMM&A was also highly successful in its campaigns elsewhere in the country. FMM&A was the pollster and strategist for U.S. Senator Herb Kohl's landslide re-election victory in Wisconsin. FMM&A also helped defeat Measure I-745 in Washington state, a statewide ballot measure that would have radically altered the method for allocating state transportation funds. FMM&A also served as the pollster for the Indiana House Democratic Caucus in its successful effort to maintain its majority in the state House of Representatives. Voters approved two FMM&A-assisted measures to reform current drug laws, Ballot Question No. 9 in Nevada and Measure 3 in Oregon.

• California Statewide Contests

  § Proposition 39. FMM&A provided public opinion research, message and targeting guidance, and strategic advice for this highly contested California ballot measure that reduces the majority needed to pass a school construction bond from 67 to 55 percent and sets up accompanying accountability requirements. Similar measures on the statewide ballot in earlier elections (including as recently as the March 2000 primary election) had failed. Proposition 39 won with 53 percent of the vote.

  § Propositions 36 and 34. FMM&A voter opinion research aided Propositions 34 and 36 to victory with 61 and 60 percent of the vote respectively. Proposition 34 was a comprehensive campaign finance reform measure, and Proposition 36 allows first- and second-time drug offenders to seek probation and treatment instead of incarceration.

§ FMM&A provided daily tracking poll data for the Gore campaign, accurately predicting Vice President Al Gore's double-digit win in California.


• Legislative Contests in California

§ In one of the most targeted Congressional races in the nation, FMM&A provided polling, message, and strategic consultation to Representative Cal Dooley in his successful campaign for a sixth term. Dooley defeated Rich Rodriguez, a well-known local news anchor, in a race where the Republican Party spent nearly $1 million on negative ads attacking Dooley.

§ In an equally contested campaign, Representative Ellen Tauscher retained her seat in Congress representing a key, suburban swing district by out-campaigning her Republican opponent who spent a half million dollars in negative television advertising.

§ FMM&A also helped four other California Congressional incumbents hold their seats. FMM&A also worked for Michael Case in CD 23 who came close to unseating a long-time incumbent.

§ In state legislative races FMM&A assisted Sheila Kuehl in wining a very competitive primary election to become the first openly gay member of the State Senate. In addition, FMM&A helped Democrats win several important races for State Assembly: Monterey County Supervisor, Simon Salinas (AD 28), prevailed in challenging primary and general elections in a district previously held by a Republican. City Councilwoman, Carol Liu (AD 44) came from behind to win the primary and then won the general in a landslide in a swing district. Newcomer Fran Pavley (AD 41) won after first succeeding in a heavily contested primary election, and Sarah Reyes, Kevin Shelley, Carl Washington, Fred Keeley and Herb Wesson had successful winning re-election efforts.

• Local California Ballot Measures

§ FMM&A voter research and strategic advice helped pass Measure A in Santa Clara County, a ½ cent transportation sales tax extension, which will finance bringing the BART system to San José.

§ FMM&A played a pivotal role in local measures to provide financing for schools, libraries, parks and public safety facilities. FMM&A provided polling and strategic advice to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District for an extension and increase of its existing parcel tax to $98 from $68 and for a bond measure of $89,354,000 for the Southwestern Community College District. It also provided polling and advice for bond measure campaigns on behalf of the San José and Saratoga libraries, public safety facilities in the City of Los Angeles and parks and recreation facilities in San José.

§ FMM&A helped defeat overly restrictive growth control measures in Sacramento County and Fillmore in Ventura County, among others.

• FMM&A also contributed to big wins in significant election contests outside of California:

§ In Wisconsin, FMM&A helped guide U.S. Senator Herb Kohl to a landslide re-election, collecting 62 percent of the vote.

§ In Indiana, Democrats in the State Legislature relied on FMM&A's polling to maintain their majority. Not a single Democratic incumbent seat was lost in this traditionally Republican state.

§ In Washington state, with FMM&A assistance, voters rejected I-745, a statewide ballot measure, which would have directed nearly all transportation dollars to roads.

§ In Nevada (Ballot Question No. 9) and Oregon (Measure 3), voters approved FMM&A-assisted measures to reform current drug laws.

§ In Arizona, FMM&A worked to pass two initiatives: Proposition 200, which would have allocated the state's tobacco settlement money to certain health care programs had a competing measure not received more votes. FMM&A also conducted a tracking poll for Proposition 106, which established a procedure for redistricting.

Among the FMM&A clients who won victories during the 2000 election cycle were the following (I=incumbent):