Category Archives: Organized labor

Rocky journey through this local election

By Roger Straw, October 28, 2018

Almost five months ago, I received an invitation to take part in the great democratic tradition of promoting a neighbor for local city governance.  Along with others, I spent limited funds and as much time as I could to talk to folks, organize and campaign.  Some of my friends came to join me and others got behind other good neighbors, and the race was on.  Two of our neighbors would be elected to our Benicia City Council in November.

News broke in late September that a major worldwide corporate power had bullied its way into our local democratic process.  Valero Services Inc., based in Texas but with 115 subsidiaries in Delaware, Michigan, Canada and several wealthy Caribbean nations, decided it wanted to buy a seat on the Benicia City Council.

Their first strategy was to spend an unknown amount of money to employ two national firms, EMC Research and Research America, to conduct a nasty telephone “push poll,” blatantly mischaracterizing and demeaning one candidate for Council and painting rosy pictures of two others.  When our City Attorney challenged the polling firms, Valero Refinery executive Don Wilson admitted that Valero paid for the poll, but neither he nor the polling firms would comply with our demands for more information.

Valero went about scaring its workers – those employed by Valero and others who contract for work at the refinery – into believing that my candidate wants to close down the refinery and take away the workers’ livelihood, their jobs.  This is far from true, but the tactic resulted in the amassing of a small fortune by Benicia standards, $155,000 in an “Independent Expenditure” fund known as a political action committee (PAC).  Unfortunately, this PAC is free to use its massive resources to damage a candidate and to promote other candidates.  Under U.S. law, corporations are considered “people” and have been given rights like you and me, to participate with voice – but not with a vote – in our tiny local elections.

Fortunately, Benicia enacted a fair campaign ordinance in 2008, which requires everyone, real people like you and me, and these monstrous shadow “people” like Valero Services Inc., to detail their campaign contributions and expenditures.  So in September we were shocked to discover not only how much money the PAC had gathered up, but also detailed descriptions of their new telephone poll and negative digital ads.

  • Complying fully with Benicia’s law, the PAC submitted names of its contributors (Valero Services at $14,200 and various contracting trade unions at $30,000 each, now totaling $155,000).
  • Complying fully with Benicia’s law, the PAC submitted a telephone caller script that showed a blatant false attack on my candidate.
  • Complying fully with Benicia’s law, the PAC submitted a photocopy of a mean digital ad showing my candidate in an unflattering pose.
  • And as required by law, the City of Benicia posted all of this on its website, and the news went wild.

Incensed letters went to the newspapers and lengthy hot conversations blossomed on social media.  ALL of the candidates spoke out against the PAC’s tactics and two candidates returned contributions they’d received from parties to the fund.

In the ensuing month, more money was contributed to the PAC and more was spent.  Despite the public criticism, the misleading phone calls and attack ads continue.  Going into the final week before the election, the PAC has spent over $58,800 to attack and promote candidates.  They have an additional $96,000 which can be spent in the final push this week!

Benicia candidates are required by law to spend less than $30,000 on their campaign.  The PAC has five times that amount to buy a seat on Council.

So I’m back to sharing about my recent sojourn in local democracy.  I don’t mind competing with neighbors.  I’ve participated in local elections before.  I enjoy the behind-the-scenes organizing, the competition, the excitement at the end of the race to learn the public’s choices.  But it is simply not fair to have to go up against Valero Services Inc.  Our local absentee Texas/Caribbean giant has mobilized our unions into a sickening fight to openly tear down one candidate and to champion two others.

The only good news in all this, the only antidote to this illness, is that we, the people, the REAL people, still reserve the right to vote.  I don’t care if you are for my candidate, Kari Birdseye, or any of our other Benicia neighbors.  EVERYONE who is a real breathing human being needs to ignore the elephant in our room and send in their ballot or show up at the polls on Tuesday, November 6.  Everyone needs to vote!

Roger Straw
Benicia

New totals for $ spent by Valero/labor’s Anti-Birdseye PAC

By Roger Straw, October 27, 2018

Reports reveal cumulative totals for Largaespada and Strawbridge, and against Birdseye

The Anti-Birdseye committee filed three separate reports with the City of Benicia on October 25, showing its expenditures through October 20, 2018.

TOTAL OF $58,857

Seems the PAC favors Largaespada as its top priority.  Buying a seat, placating Strawbridge, dumping on Birdseye.

Most interesting: all three reports show expenditures of $4,733.33 (or $4,733.34) for “USE OF POLL, Received from Valero Services, Inc. and its affiliated entities, 3400 East Second St., Benicia.”  The total of the three is $14,200 – the exact amount previously reported donated by Valero Services.  The BIG QUESTION: is this referring to data gathered in the secret and possibly illegal “push poll” conducted by EMC and Research America?  Background, see benindy.wpengine.com/benicia-will-file-push-poll-complaint-with-fair-political-practices-commission/

Anti-Birdseye spending increases again today…

By Roger Straw, October 25, 2018

Yet more anti-Birdseye expenditures

News gets old fast around here… Just yesterday, the City of Benicia posted on its website, three new Valero/labor PAC Expenditure Reports.

Today we learned that Valero/labor submitted three MORE expenditure reports in their bid to buy a seat on Council! The PAC is up to 17 expenditure reports now (and the original 5 income reports).

The three new reports today show additional expenses for robo calls (with script by former police Lieutenant Scott Przekurat) and new digital ads (LL & CS smiling-faces alongside an unfounded put-down of Kari Birdseye.

One expenditure report also shows new income of $800 from Alfred Conhagen Inc., a Benicia hydraulic repair service that I assume must do a huge business with Valero.

The reports show cumulative totals for LL $28,874, CS $20,586, and Anti-Birdseye $18,836. Lots of money left – they have amassed a total of $155,000 now, more than five times what an individual candidate is allowed to spend on a campaign.

Outside labor PAC spending in Benicia – AND Vallejo

Repost from the Vallejo Times-Herald
[Editor: See update on total of $154,200 amassed by this giant outsider PAC which is anything but “Working Families.”  – RS]

Sacramento trades council donates $40,000 to local contests in Vallejo, Benicia

By JOHN GLIDDEN, October 24, 2018 at 3:52 pm

A Sacramento-based trades council has gotten involved with local politics by contributing a combined $40,000 to supporting various candidates for the Vallejo and Benicia city councils.

The State Building and Construction Trades Council of California Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee (PAC) gave $30,000 to a separate committee called Working Families for a Strong Benicia which supports Lionel Largaespada and Christina Strawbridge for the Benicia City Council.

The financial information was submitted to the Benicia City Clerk’s Office on Oct. 11.

The Trades Council of California PAC donated $10,000 this week to JumpStart Vallejo, similar records to the Vallejo Clerk’s Office show. JumpStart is supporting Pippin Dew, Hakeem Brown, and Jess Malgapo for the Vallejo City Council.

Working Families is supporting the two Benicia council candidates while also opposing fellow candidate Kari Birdseye.

The committee, known by a lengthy name, Working Families for a Strong Benicia, a Coalition of Labor, Industrial Services Companies, Public Safety and Local Leaders Supporting Christina Strawbridge and Lionel Largaespada and Opposing Kari Birdseye for Benicia City Council 2018, has raised $154,200 since Oct. 11.

Working Families is backed by the Valero Benicia Refinery, which has sunk $14,200 into the committee.

The committee, through political calls to Benicia residents over the past two weeks, has accused Birdseye of being a “yes man for the mayor.”

Don Wilson, vice president and general manager for refinery, in letter to the editor published by this newspaper on Oct. 16 argued Patterson has targeted the refinery and its operations. Wilson said if elected, Birdseye would join Patterson and Vice Mayor Steve Young on the five-person council to oppose the refinery.

Birdseye has previously denied the accusation regarding herself and Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson.

“I’m a critical, strategic thinker with years of experience in management, finances and leadership,” Birdseye previously said in an email to the Times-Herald. “I’m the last person who wants to give oxygen to the lie being spread about the Mayor and Vice Mayor building their shadow government, but if you look at the Vice Mayor’s voting record, he also is an independent thinker.”

Additional cash contributions have come from the Heat & Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local Union 16 Political Action Committee which gave $20,000 to the group, while $30,000 came from the International Brotherhood of Boilmaker, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers & Helpers Local 549 PAC, according to 497 forms posted to the city’s website.

Additional contributions of $30,000 each were contributed to the committee recently from the District Council of Iron Workers Political Action League, and the California State Pipe Trades Council PAC.

The Working Families committee has spent that money on the calls and political ads.

Birdseye, Largaespada, Strawbridge, and Will Emes are all running for two open seats on the five-person Benicia City Council this fall. The two incumbents, Alan Schwartzman and Mark Hughes, have both declined to seek re-election to the council.

Meanwhile in Vallejo, five candidates are running for three seats up for grabs in the election. Malgapo, Dew, and Katy Miessner are seeking re-election, while being challenged by Brown, and Vincent May.

JumpStart, which is an independent expenditure committee, is also supporting John Fox, Tony Ubalde and Tony Gross for the Vallejo City Unified School District Board of Education. Ubalde, Ruscal Cayangyang, and Burky Worel are seeking re-election to the five-person board. Gross, Fox, Allan Yeap, Ryan Messano, and Christy Gardner are challenging for a seat.

The election is Nov. 6.