The Weekly's story is here: Web Link excerpted below about Proposition 30. The discussion is about why Mandy Lowell, a former Palo Alto school board member, is involved in a campaign against Proposition 30 through her husband's contribution of $35 million to defeat Prop 30. If Prop 30 loses, it will mean large cuts to education funding statewide.
"The fight over Proposition 30, Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed tax initiative, has attracted major campaign contributions statewide, with the two sides raising more than $110 million in cash, according to Maplight, a nonprofit that tracks campaign finances. Most local contributions have been made in favor of Brown's plan, which would increase income tax for those making more than $250,000 a year and increase the sales tax by � cents over four years. The sales tax, Brown has argued, is necessary to avoid a series of steep cuts to education and public safety that would be implemented early next year if voters strike down Proposition 30.
The quest to defeat Brown's tax plan is being led by Palo Alto-based political activist Charles Munger Jr., whose half-sister, Molly Munger, is pursuing a rival tax measure, Proposition 38. Charles Munger's contribution of $35 million accounts for about two-thirds of the funds in the campaign against Proposition 30. Munger is the husband of former Palo Alto Board of Education member Mandy Lowell, who on Aug. 21 spoke to the board urging their support of Proposition 38.
The only other multi-million dollar contribution in opposition of Brown's tax measure came from the group Americans for Responsible Leadership, an Arizona-based group that backs Republican causes. The organization contributed $11 million in opposition to Proposition 38, according to Maplight."
