Residents of Santa Monica, California are engaging in a wide-ranging debate on potential election reforms to consider to tackle diversity issues on the City Council, and in the influence of special interest money on city elections. One of the potential remedies is public financing to help level the playing field and allow a wider variety of people to seek office.A voluntary public financing system would mitigate the 1st Amendment concerns of City Attorney Marsha Moutrie, who attended the most recent forum on electoral reforms (and offered an extended "rain on the parade" metaphor) while creating conditions to encourage more minority and women candidates to run (since they are more frequently at a fundraising disadvantage).