Whirlpool
Jim Holman handing out pamphlets at Planned Parenthood's Bankers Hill location in 2009 - Courtesy: Planned Parenthood
Late last year, it appeared as if San Diego Reader editor Jim Holman was gearing up to put another parental-notification measure on the ballot. Since 2005, he's put up more than $5 million in loans and direct contributions to support Prop. 73 (2005), Prop. 85 (2006) and Prop. 4 (2008), all of which failed. The measures sought to amend the state Constitution, which currently guarantees women privacy in matters concerning reproductive rights, to require physicians to notify the parent or guardian of a minor female before performing an abortion.
In documents filed last November with the California Secretary of State's office, Holman's listed as as “V.P. for Development” and the Reader's Little Italy offices as the mailing address for the fundraising committee “Californians for Parental Rights.” That month, the committee started circulating two similar petitions (one version required a 48-hour waiting period between notification and when the abortion can be performed; the other version didn't) and had until April 30 to gather 807,615 signatures. Both of those petitions failed to qualify. On June 22, the Secretary of State's office announced that two more petitions that entered circulation in January also failed to qualify.
Californian's for Parental Rights, meanwhile, raised $213,050, most of it coming from wine mogul Don Sebastiani and Catholic book publisher Ignatius Press. Between January and March of this year, the group spent $66,695.86 on campaign literature, legal and consulting services and petition circulation. Unlike with past campaigns, none of the money came from Holman.
