Benicia elections, Progress for Benicia PAC, Valero PAC

Valero PAC floods Benicia with misleading mailers under new name

By Roger Straw, October 28, 2022
[LATER – see also: Valero PAC spent $35,000 for phone polling, total now at $46,700]

Roger Straw, The Benicia Independent

Yesterday, residents of Benicia received slick mailers that misleadingly showed images of Benicia Mayor Steve Young and Vice-Mayor Tom Campbell supporting Valero’s preferred candidates for Benicia City Council.

In fine print at bottom, the mailer discloses that it is paid for by “Progress for Benicia” a previously unknown Political Action Committee (PAC), “Supporting Christina Strawbridge and Lionel Largaespada for Benicia City Council 2022.”

More about the mailers below, but first…

The “Progress for Benicia” PAC is Valero, under a new name – here’s how we know:

Yesterday, Benicia’s City Clerk posted two new campaign finance reports submitted by the new PAC, showing Paul Adler as “Responsible Officer.” Adler is the refinery’s Director of Government Affairs & Community Relations. The new PAC’s reports appear on the City Clerk’s page along with the notation, “(Formerly named Working Families for a Strong Benicia)”.

A slick mailer, designed to fool Benicians and to protect the PAC

Here’s the mailer. Note at top left, “Re-elect Strawbridge & Largaespada” and at right, the photos of Mayor Young and Vice Mayor Campbell.

If this comes to your door and you’ve not been paying much attention, you will clearly assume the entire City Council supports these two candidates. You will spend about 30 seconds looking at the mailer and dump it.

The Valero PAC will look all innocent and point out that the front of the mailer is all about how their candidates enable the 5-member Council to cooperate to “get things done.” Yeah, sure. That’s really slick, guys. Enough, maybe for a 2023 bonus for your PR team?

Public finance records skimpy at this time…

As of now, we know very little about the Valero PAC’s new identity. What is known comes from two nearly identical reports submitted to Benicia’s City Clerk on October 27.

  • Largaespada – click to enlarge

    One report, supporting Largaespada, shows a single expenditure of $4,349.31 on October 26, for a mailer, with the notation, “Cumulative to date total $27,198.61; TRUSTED MESSENGER MARKETING, 137 MAIN STREET, LOS ALAMOS, CA
    93440”.

  • Strawbridge – click to enlarge

    A second report, supporting Strawbridge, shows another expenditure of $4,349.30, also with the notation, “Cumulative to date total $27,198.61; TRUSTED MESSENGER MARKETING, 137 MAIN STREET, LOS ALAMOS, CA
    93440”.

  • IMPORTANT: Public records as of today do not give any accounting for the remaining $37,000 in the cumulative totals the PAC says it has spent. (Note this amount is a correction from my original report. Earlier, previously undisclosed PAC reports gave a fuller picture. See UPDATE: VALERO PAC SPENT $35,000 FOR PHONE POLLING, TOTAL NOW AT $46,700.)
  • ALSO IMPORTANT: These two campaign finance reports have no information as to where the PAC got its funds, or how much cash remains on hand. One might speculate that the Valero-backed $232,387 the PAC reported earlier this year were shifted to the new PAC.
  • NOTE that both mailers claim the PAC has not coordinated with either candidate’s campaign. In this way, theirs is an INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURE with explicitly and publicly disclosed support of the two candidates they want us to elect.

Stay tuned. I’ll let you know if/when we learn more.

Roger Straw
The Benicia Independent

Previously on the BenIndy…
Benicia City Council, Kari Birdseye, Terry Scott

Stephen Golub: Important endorsements and qualifications

Benicia officials and others who’ve worked with them the most back Kari and Terry over their opponents

By Stephen Golub, October 27, 2022

Stephen Golub, Benicia CA

If you were trying to find a good baby-sitter, doctor, financial advisor, contractor or employee, you’d value the advice of folks who’ve worked with these persons. You wouldn’t hire someone whom such folks wouldn’t endorse.

That’s why we should elect Terry Scott and Kari Birdseye to the Benicia City Council. The Benicia officials and others who’ve worked with them the most back Kari and Terry over their opponents.

Kari Birdseye and Terry Scott are the only two Benicia City Council candidates who have been endorsed by: Mayor Steve Young, Vice Mayor Tom Campbell, Former Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, Solano County Supervisor Monica Brown (who represents Benicia) and, last but not least, the Democrat Party.

Terry Scott and Kari Birdseye are the only candidates that the Democratic Party has endorsed for the Benicia City Council.

These many endorsements mean even more because they come from folks with different perspectives. But they’re united in endorsing Terry and Kari.

They’re also united in not backing Kari’s and Terry’s opponents, two of whom sit on the Council. Please consider what it means that our two mayors and vice mayor have all worked with those two opponents for years. They know who’ll do the best job for Benicia.

Mayor Young, Vice Mayor Campbell and former Mayor Patterson have all declined to support those opponents. They are backing Birdseye and Scott instead.

There’s much more to recommend Kari and Terry. They’ve both received loads of other endorsements. And they have many more qualifications for City Council.

Terry Scott has owned many small businesses. He knows the challenge that Benicia’s many shop, restaurant and other small business owners and employees face. But he’s also been a Senior Vice President for the Hasbro toy and game company, managing a 700-member staff and a $1.7 billion budget. He’s well-equipped to understand and analyze city finances.

As Benicia Community Foundation Executive Director and Benicia Arts and Culture Commission Chairperson, Terry has done a great deal for the city’s economy, services and quality of life. He’s been a leader in creating all sorts of fun and recreational initiatives for the city’s kids and the rest of us.

Kari Birdseye chairs the Benicia Planning Commission, where she’s done a tremendous job seeking solutions for our city’s economic, housing and environmental challenges. As Matthew Turner Elementary School PTA President, she led a team that raised $100,000 annually for the school. She’s shone as an Emmy Award-winning producer and as the developer of award-winning economic and environmental programs, including being honored by the Governor. She’s been active in many other efforts that protect and improve our town.

Kari helped lead the successful fight to block the Texas-based Valero Energy Corporation’s “Crude-by-Rail” plan to bring through Benicia potential “oil bomb trains” – the kind that exploded and killed 47 people in another small city and that have derailed and frequently caught fire in at least 20 other places.

As parents, both Kari and Terry know how important it is that our City Council look out for Benicia’s kids. As a retiree, I can vouch for their dedication to the city’s retirees and elderly.

Our community is lucky to have two candidates so committed to making and keeping our Beautiful Benicia so special, by improving our roads, keeping our water bills under control, protecting our environment, helping local businesses to thrive and keeping our community safe and secure.

I started this letter likening our choice in this election to finding a good baby-sitter, doctor, financial advisor, contractor or employee. That’s what being City Council members is about, and more. We want people who’ll care and be supremely competent in looking out for Benicia’s kids, health, finances, businesses and entire community. Terry and Kari are best suited to wear these many hats.

I could go on, but don’t take my word for it.

Instead, take the word of Mayor Young, Vice Mayor Campbell, Former Mayor Patterson, the Democratic Party and so many others: Please vote for Kari Birdseye and Terry Scott for City Council.

Stephen Golub
Benicia, CA

More letters, news & links about Kari here on the BenIndy

And best of all – Kari’s website!

Benicia City Council, Kari Birdseye

Judi Sullivan: A long list of prior and continuing achievements

In addition, Kari is kind, considerate, generous with her time and energy, and willing to listen to others while collaborating in order to develop consensus.

By Judi Sullivan, October 26, 2022

Judi Sullivan, Benicia CA

It is a privilege to support and endorse Kari Birdseye for our Benicia City Council.

Her long list of prior and continuing achievements at the community, state and national levels far exceed those of other candidates. Her career spans the areas of professional journalism, environmental science, community organizing, management of large fiscal budgets, media, and public speaking for professional gatherings.

Added to that are her innate personality attributes of being kind, considerate, generous with her time and energy, and willing to listen to others while collaborating in order to develop consensus. She has the strength and the proven ability to stand strong through a diverse array of experiences.

A brief summary taken from her career highlights stated on her website is being shared here to back up the talents and abilities shared above.

    1. She was the recipient of the Governor’s Environmental Leadership and Economics Award not only once but twice.
    2. She led Earth Justice’s Healthy Community Goals of lessening harmful pesticide impacts on farmworkers.
    3. She has 20 years of managing staff and budgets in the media and non-profit fields.
    4. She was an award-winning broadcast news producer at CNN, just to name a few of her outstanding professional accomplishments.

Currently Kari is a Strategic Communications Manager for NRDC, (National Resource Defense Council), S.F. Branch, collaborating as a journalist and spokesperson having key relationships with legal and scientific staff outreach at local, state, and national levels. In addition to these skills, she has successfully managed a budget of 10 million dollars as a Director of Communication, including working with agency grants and being a grant writing consultant.

As a volunteer leader, she has a strong, diversified track record of participation in our community. At present, she is the well-respected Chair of the Benicia Planning Commission.

Judith S. Sullivan
Benicia, CA

More letters, news & links about Kari here on the BenIndy

And best of all – Kari’s website!

Benicia City Council, Kari Birdseye

Richard Flynn: Kari Birdseye will represent the interests of the people

Independence from interested corporations is an important check and balance on power.

By Richard Flynn, October 26, 2022

Richard Flynn, Benicia CA

This election, I’m supporting Kari Birdseye for City Council. Like other folks have mentioned, I too have found the connections of some other candidates to Valero troubling. I believe they are all decent people and I know the city’s relationship with the company is complex, but I feel more confident that Ms. Birdseye will represent the interests of the people. And I feel she has already demonstrated this as Chair of our Planning Commission.

The fact that the company is spending money to influence our election tells me that they believe the other candidates will better represent their interests. Personally I think independence from such interested corporations is an important check and balance on power, since few of us as individual voters have a spare $200,000 to help our vote.

Having spent decades working on environmental cleanup projects all over California and in states like New Jersey, Colorado, the US Virgin Islands and Canada, my view is that while we have it pretty good here in Benicia, we need to work to keep it that way. I believe a vote for Kari is a step in the right direction.

Richard Flynn
Benicia, CA

More letters, news & links about Kari here on the BenIndy

And best of all – Kari’s website!