A former Turlock mayor and two former City Council members are taking local campaign finance reform into their own hands with a petition to adopt a legislative policy that would provide limits on participation by members of the City Council on matters effecting large campaign contributors. Former Mayor Brad Bates, along with former Council members Mary Jackson and Ron Hillberg, created the petition in an effort to "put an end to appearances of favoritism to campaign contributors that undermines the citizens' trust in our City Council and government in general," according to the Statement of Reasons on the petition. The petition calls for a TIN-CUP (Time is Now, Clean up Politics) ordinance that would prohibit a member of the City Council from participating in a vote on a matter that would have a material financial effect on a major campaign contributor.