Lotteries. Charitable Raffles. Legislative Constitutional Amendment.
	Rebuttal to Argument Against Proposition 17

Arguments on this page are the opinions of the authors and have not been checked for accuracy by any official agency.

The opposition is making baseless charges to scare voters. These are the facts they do not want you to know: traditional raffles are illegal in California and have been for over 100 years. There are no exceptions. No court or prosecuting agency has ever claimed traditional raffles are legal for California nonprofit charities.

Proposition 17 has no effect on the State Lottery. It simply legalizes what occurs every day across this state. In fact, Proposition 17 is supported by public education leaders.

Proposition 17 prohibits commercial, for profit, raffles. Ninety percent of the funds raised by the raffle must go toward the charity. Any person paid for conducting the charity raffle must be an employee of the nonprofit. Other regulations governing the conduct of charitable raffles are in the companion bill, Senate Bill 639, which is being held in the Legislature pending this vote.

Proposition 17 is not being backed by professional gambling interests. It is supported by law enforcement leaders who are tired of having to shut down legitimate, but illegal, charitable raffles. The drive to legalize charitable raffles has received support from countless diverse charitable nonprofit organizations, education leaders, and religious organizations. These nonprofit organizations provide 50 billion dollars in services to this state and employ 750,000 people.

Do not be misled by the "Committee on Moral Concerns." It is time to get rid of this archaic prohibition on charitable raffles. Vote "Yes" on Proposition 17.

Jackie Speier
State Senator, 8th District

Curtis J. Hill
Sheriff, County of San Benito

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