Monthly Archives: November 2018

Benicia Independent, News deserts

In defense of the Benicia Independent

By Roger Straw, November 3, 2018
Roger Straw, The Benicia Independent

At the risk of detracting from important election issues, I will take just a moment to point out a few facts:

  • The Benicia Independent is a personal blog with my own take on local, national and international concerns of my choosing.
  • The Benicia Independent is not and does not present itself as a mainstream news media with “balanced” coverage and a staff of reporters who interview and investigate.  In my blog postings I hold to ethical standards, citing my sources and maintaining truthfulness and courtesy.
  • Unlike many personal blogs, the Benicia Independent does post legitimate breaking news stories.  This function is increasingly important given the cutbacks in staffing and coverage at our two local newspapers.
  • The Benicia Independent is not a social media forum like Facebook, Nextdoor or Benicia Happenings.  The care and feeding of commenters is beyond my reserves of time and energy.

The Benicia Independent was criticized recently by one of the candidates for City Council at a public forum.  That candidate is no doubt miffed by the relative lack of attention he has received on the Benicia Independent.  That lack of coverage is intentional.  His last-minute, eccentric, unfunded and poorly supported campaign will only draw votes away from more qualified and widely supported candidates.

Roger Straw
Benicia

Benicia City Council, Benicia Open Government Commission, Final Word Forum, Kari Birdseye, Legal action, Negative campaigning, Organized labor, Valero Benicia Refinery, Valero Services Inc.

Anti-Birdseye PAC tries to stop forum, threatens to sue City

By Roger Straw, November 3, 2018

Deep pockets hire attorneys, send threatening letter

Just hours before Benicia Open Government Commission was to convene its “Final Word” forum on Saturday Nov. 3 to give candidates a chance to counter dirty campaign tricks and last-minute smears, Valero’s anti-Birdseye PAC hired the attorney firm Nielsen Merksamer Parrinello Gross & Leoni to demand the forum be cancelled.

The November 2 letter is itself a last-minute campaign smear, explicitly linking Birdseye to city officials, claiming “the Forum is nothing more than a taxpayer-funded platform to boost the candidacy of a single candidate favored by the current Mayor.”

In a Trump-like maneuver to flip its own dark side back on its declared enemy, the letter makes up a fantasy and cries, “the appointed city officials tasked with policing political speech at the Forum certainly know that the City’s Mayor and Vice-Mayor have endorsed one of the candidates in the debate in the hopes of cementing their own political agenda, while aggressively trying to demonize others for their support of a different candidate.”

Reports indicate the City of Benicia will go forward with the forum.  The attorney letter will be reprinted and placed on a side table in Council Chambers as a matter of record.  [UPDATE: The forum was held.  See Final Word: No one likes the anti-Birdseye PAC’s dirty campaign.]

The PAC is highly active in its negative campaigning in other ways.  A local resident who works for a Richmond refinery and supports Birdseye reported receiving a phone call from an Ironworker asking him to arrive early to pack the forum.  The caller clarified that the PAC hoped to deny any Birdseye supporters from participation.

Now both sides are asking supporters to arrive early.  The doors at City Council chambers open at 8:30 a.m. for the 9 a.m. event.

One may assume that rules and procedures as adopted by the City will prevail:

“The City of Benicia code(Sec 1.42.110) allows for a last minute candidate forum to allow candidates to address last minute “hit pieces” and to respond to inflammatory statements and misinformation.

This forum does not always happen but, given the amount of negative campaigning happening in the City Council race, the City’s Open Government Commission will sponsor such a session this Saturday, Nov. 3 from 9-11am at the City Council chambers.

The event will be televised live on Ch. 27, and rebroadcast at 7pm on Sunday and Monday nights, Nov. 4 and 5. It will also be archived for the public on Monday, 11/5 on the City’s Agendas & Minutes page – scroll down to Open Government.

The forum will be moderated by Open Government Commission Chair Bonnie Silvera, with assistance from two other OGC members.  Questions from audience will be written on 3×5 cards and selected by OGC members. Questions will be addressed to all candidates.  Only questions that deal with the purpose of the forum will be addressed.  Candidates are asked to speak to the issues and not make personal comments about other candidates, especially in a negative manner.

Benicia City Council, Kari Birdseye, Local elections, Negative ads, Negative campaigning, November election, Organized labor, Valero Benicia Refinery, Valero Services Inc.

ANTI-BIRDSEYE PAC SPENDS ANOTHER $58,000, TOTAL NOW OVER $135,000

By Roger Straw, October 30, 2018
[For PAC income report, see ANTI-BIRDSEYE PAC SPENDS ANOTHER $58,000, TOTAL NOW OVER $135,000.]

The latest campaign finance reports posted by the City of Benicia show that the Anti-Birdseye (Texas-Valero/Labor “Working Families”) PAC has spent additional funds totaling $57,997 on the following:

  • $3,283 on 11/1 for “Live Calls” scripted against Birdseye and in support of Birdseye’s opponents, and paid to Winning Connections of Washington, D.C.
  • $523 on 11/03 for Door Hangers opposing Birdseye and in support of her opponents.
  • $38,192 on  11/03 for “Canvassing” (media buys) paid to Digital Turf of Kennebunk, ME.  (Previous buys paid to Digital Turf were designated “media buys”. That is likely what this report is for.)
  • $8,000 on 10/27 and another $8,000 on 10/30 for Mailers paid to Digital Turf of Kennebunk, ME.

The reports show cumulative PAC totals spent:

  • For Strawbridge, new spending of $28, 178, TOTAL of $52,652
  • For Largaespada, new spending of $29,819, TOTAL of $61,582
  • Strictly against Birdseye, $21,432.31
  • TOTAL PAC SPENDING TO DATE: $135,666

Compare these totals to those spent by the individual campaigns:

  • Strawbridge campaign, $24,354
  • Largaespada campaign, $14,348
  • Birdseye campaign, $17,076
  • TOTAL OF ALL THREE CAMPAIGNS, $55,778

And the PAC still has over $59,000 to spend in the last few days before the election!  (LATE BREAKING – Reports indicate that the PAC most likely spent considerable additional funds on an attorney, whose letter was sent today challenging Benicia Open Government Commission’s Final Word forum.  One estimate is that such a letter could cost around $20,000!  More on that later…)

I’VE SAID IT BEFORE, BUT IT BEARS REPEATING: Corporations can throw their money around for and against candidates, but they don’t get to VOTE.  Living, breathing humans cast ballots and make all the difference.  Please vote for Kari Birdseye!

Click here to go to Kari’s campaign website, BirdseyeForBenicia.com
Kari Birdseye, Local elections, Negative ads, Negative campaigning, November election, Organized labor, Valero Benicia Refinery, Valero Services Inc.

Anti-Birdseye PAC receives a Halloween gift of another $15,000, total now $195,000 to buy a seat

By Roger Straw, November 2, 2018
[For PAC spending report, see ANTI-BIRDSEYE PAC SPENDS ANOTHER $58,000, TOTAL NOW OVER $135,000.]

Valero/Labor PAC for Largaespada and Strawbridge, against Kari Birdseye gets a second contribution from the Boilermakers

The Anti-Birdseye political action committee (PAC) filed a new contribution report yesterday.  This report shows another receipt of $15,000 on October 31.  This is the second contribution from the International Brotherhood of  Boilermakers (etc.).  The “Brotherhood” helped kickstart the fund with a $30,000 contribution on October 10.

This raises the total Valero-inspired anti-Birdseye fund to $195,000.  The four candidates are limited by City ordinance to less than $30,000 each.  So the PAC now has over six times the financial power than any citizen who organizes friends and neighbors to support a campaign.

For previous reports of contributions and expenditures of the candidates as well as the Anti-Birdseye PAC and others, check out the City of Benicia Campaign Finance Reports page.