California Clean Money Action Fund is a left-of-center lobbying organization that opposes private campaign contributions. Contending that deep-pocketed donors unfairly influence the democratic process, it believes election campaigns must instead be funded by the government. ¹

It aligned with left-of-center organizations to promote all-mail voting in the 2020 elections. ²

Background

California Clean Money Action Fund is the political advocacy arm of its 501(c)(3) affiliate  . The groups work alongside one another to enact liberal-aligned campaign finance laws in California. ³ Until 2016 the fund published a semi-annual “Clean Money Scorecard” report, which ranked California politicians on their alignment with the campaign speech regulation agenda of CCMAF and the liberal groups California Common Cause, California Public Interest Research Group, and the League of Women Voters of California. ⁴

Activities

Following the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States, California Clean Money Action Fund joined forces with Women’s March National, Left Action, Progressive Takeover and several other left-wing organizations, to demand that states make mail-in ballots accessible to all voters in the upcoming 2020 U.S. Election. ⁵ The petition was spearheaded by the left-wing advocacy website . ⁶

With the passage of Assembly Bill 860 in June 2020, California established a policy to send ballots to all registered voters for the 2020 election. ⁷

Financials

Earning less than $50,000 per year, California Clean Money Action Fund is exempt from the financial disclosure requirements of larger nonprofits. ⁸

In 2017, California Clean Money Action Fund had its tax-exempt status automatically revoked for failing to file a tax return for “three consecutive years,” according to IRS records. ⁹

Leadership

Former hedge fund executive Trent Lange serves as president and executive director of California Clean Money Action Fund and the California Clean Money Campaign. ¹⁰

Kevin Wolf, co-founder of Wind Harvest International, is chairman of the board of directors. Others on the eight-member board include Brad Parker and Joann Loulan, trustees of the Progressive Democrats of America. ¹¹

Affiliated Organizations

The California Clean Money Campaign, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is the parent organization of California Clean Money Action Fund. ¹²

1. “California Clean Money Action Fund.” California Clean Money Action Fund. Accessed June 9, 2020. http://www.cacleanaction.org/
2. “Sign the Petition to Your State Election Officials: Vote by Mail Must Be Available to ALL Voters.” Action Network. Accessed June 11, 2020. https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-to-your-state-election-officials-vote-by-mail-must-be-available-to-all-voters
3. “2015-2016 Clean Money Scorecard.” California Clean Money Action Fund. Accessed May 21, 2020. http://www.cacleanaction.org/pdf/cacleanmoney_scorecard_2016.pdf
4. “2015-2016 Clean Money Scorecard.” California Clean Money Action Fund. Accessed May 21, 2020. http://www.cacleanaction.org/pdf/cacleanmoney_scorecard_2016.pdf
5. “Sign the Petition to Your State Election Officials: Vote by Mail Must Be Available to ALL Voters.” Action Network. Accessed June 11, 2020. https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-to-your-state-election-officials-vote-by-mail-must-be-available-to-all-voters
6. “Sign the Petition to Your State Election Officials: Vote by Mail Must Be Available to ALL Voters.” Action Network. Accessed June 11, 2020. https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-to-your-state-election-officials-vote-by-mail-must-be-available-to-all-voters
7. White, Jeremy. “California Enacts November Mail-Ballot Law — with Surprising GOP Support.” Politico. Last modified June 18, 2020. Accessed July 17, 2020. https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/06/18/california-lawmakers-pass-november-mail-ballot-bill-with-surprising-gop-support-1293679
8. “About the California Clean Money Action Fund.” Accessed July 22, 2020. http://www.yesfairelections.org/about/aboutus.php
9. “Auto-Revocation List.” IRS. Accessed July 21, 2020. https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/displayAll.do?dispatchMethod=displayAllInfo&Id=792898&ein=743184793&country=US&deductibility=all&dispatchMethod=searchAll&isDescending=false&city=&ein1=&postDateFrom=&exemptTypeCode=al&submitName=Search&sortColumn=orgName&totalResults=1&names=california+clean+money+action+fund+&resultsPerPage=25&indexOfFirstRow=0&postDateTo=&state=All+States.
10. “Board of Directors of the California Clean Money Action Fund.” California Clean Money Action Fund. Accessed June 9, 2020. http://www.cacleanaction.org/aboutus.php
11. “Board of Directors of the California Clean Money Action Fund.” California Clean Money Action Fund. Accessed June 9, 2020. http://www.cacleanaction.org/aboutus.php
12. “California Clean Money Action Fund.” California Clean Money Action Fund. Accessed June 9, 2020. http://www.cacleanaction.org/