In case you missed Frank Mickadeit’s column in today’s OC Register…

Unions, business both targeted

Mark Bucher, the Orange County conservative behind the unsuccessful 1998 attempt to stop unions from being able to deduct dues from employees’ paychecks, is back with a new measure that would cover that – and much more.

The “Stop Special Interest Money Now” proposal attempts broader reform than the failed plan, dubbed “Paycheck Protection.”

Mark Bucher, seated, examines returns on Election Night in 2005 – the last time a paycheck-protection initiative was on the California ballot. With him are Republican Park chairman Scott Baugh and precinct coordinator Aaron White.

The new ballot measure, filed with the state Friday, would flat-out ban contributions to candidates by both labor unions and corporations. It would ban both labor unions and corporations from using “the inherently coercive means of payroll deduction” to amass money for political purposes. Finally, it would prohibit contractors from contributing to officials who give them business. MORE