By Roger Straw, August 14, 2019
Tim Grayson is Benicia’s Representative in the California State Assembly. First elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2018, he has begun campaigning for a final term in 2020. The primary election is set for March 3, and Tim is well on his way to a huge advantage, having raised over $285,000 in the first half of 2019.
An August 14 report in the Vallejo Times-Herald detailed Grayson’s 2019 campaign contributors , including that he “received donations from several petroleum and energy resources businesses, including Valero Services, Inc. ($2,000)….”
Valero wasn’t alone. The following Big Oil & Energy companies were generous to Tim this year:
| OIL OR GAS COMPANY | AMOUNT |
| Chevron Corporation and its Subsidiaries/Affiliates | $4,700 |
| Valero Services, Inc. | $2,000 |
| Tesoro Companies, Inc. | $1,000 |
| Signal Hill Petroleum, Inc. | $1,000 |
| Seneca Resources Company, LLC | $1,000 |
| Phillips 66 Company, LLC | $1,000 |
| PBF Holding Company, LLC | $1,500 |
| Macpherson Oil Company | $1,500 |
| E & B Natural Resources Management Corporation | $2,000 |
| California Independent Petroleum Association PAC (Note: Vallejo Times-Herald reported only $2,500, but there were 2 additional non-monetary donations, totaling $4,650) |
($4,650) |
| TOTAL FROM OIL & ENERGY | $20,350 |
I created a downloadable excel spreadsheet listing of all of Grayson’s 2019 contributions (source: California Secretary of State).
It is interesting to compare Grayson’s war chest with that of Benicia’s State Senator, Bill Dodd. According to the California Secretary of State, Dodd has taken ZERO DOLLARS from the oil & energy industry in 2019. Here’s Dodd’s downloadable excel spreadsheet.
Both of Benicia’s representatives have already taken in huge amounts for their re-election in 2020: Grayson over $285,000 and Dodd over $330,000. Both have received contributions from a wide variety of corporate and organizational interest groups, including many political action committees (PACs).
It is a fair question to ask, how will our representatives in Sacramento thank their big donors?
You must be logged in to post a comment.