Dear Senator Dodd,
Retirement usually means fewer letters and no more obligation to respond. I hope you afford this one with your attention nonetheless.
In 2023, you carried SB 650 to the finish line and secured permanent authorization for 50/50 raffles in Major League sports. It was a practical piece of legislation with real impact. The Giants Community Fund alone has directed those proceeds toward programs that have served more than 150,000 children as a result of your efforts.
The broader charitable raffle system in California tells the opposite story. For small nonprofits, the 90 percent-to-charity rule appears generous on paper but is unworkable in practice. A raffle cannot run itself. There are printing costs, software costs, staffing costs, compliance costs, and basic administrative costs. When nearly every dollar is already committed before the first ticket is sold, the program becomes unmanageable. That is exactly what happened. The state has not reported receipts under that framework since 2003. In response to a Public Records Act request this month, the Attorney General’s office confirmed in writing that no analytical report on the program has been produced and that no aggregate compliance data is maintained. More than 200,000 California nonprofits remain boxed out by a rule that leaves them no viable path to participate. Meanwhile, Omaze is raking in millions for charity across the pond.
The solution is straightforward. Extend the same workable 50/50 framework now used by Major League sports teams to the rest of California’s charitable sector. Keep the same oversight. Keep the same reporting. Keep the same transparency. If that structure is sound for the Dodgers, it is sound for a food bank, a youth organization, or a local community foundation.
The case for reform is even stronger now than it was twenty years ago. When the old 90 percent rule was written, lawmakers were dealing with a real concern: weak tracking, poor controls, and cash handling that made abuse easier. That concern made sense at the time. It does not carry the same force today. Tickets can now be serialized, payments can be tracked digitally, and funds can be monitored in real time from purchase to distribution. The accountability problem that once justified a rigid rule has largely been solved.
I am writing to ask for your help. The effort is called “50/50 For All” — or even, with your permission, “Dodd’s 50/50 For All”: one workable rule for every California charity. I would be grateful for your guidance, your voice, and any introductions you would be willing to make to those who worked with you on SB 650. A recommendation from you would carry real weight with the people still in the building.
Your earlier work proved the model. This is the natural next step. I have no financial incentive behind this proposal.
If this reaches you at the right moment, I would be grateful for the chance to speak.
With respect and thanks,
Shane Clary
5050forall.com