Deputy Registrar of Voters John Gardner specifies the rules
MAGA masks and Black Lives Matter masks are allowed, but masks with candidate’s names are not allowed.Vallejo Times Herald, By Katy St. Clair, October 29, 2020
California’s laws regarding electioneering within 100 feet of a polling place are pretty explicit: No signs or clothing with the name of a candidate, nor his or her likeness or logo.
So why is MAGA “Make America Great Again” attire acceptable?
Deputy Registrar of Voters John Gardner says MAGA is OK because it denotes a political idea, but “Ridin’ With Biden” is forbidden because it specifically denotes a candidate.
“It can’t have a candidate’s name on it,” he said. “But slogans are OK.”
In other words, “Build Back Better” will fly but not “Ridin’ With Biden.”
California’s Secretary of State came to the decision that slogans such as MAGA or Build Back Better are OK, but not all states agree, such as New York, which forbids MAGA merchandise near the polls.
Gardner pointed out that when Barack Obama was running for president, people were allowed to wear “Yes We Can” or “Change we can believe in” apparel.
And in 2016, “I’m With Her” for the Hillary Clinton campaign was fair game, too. Other political speech such as “Black Lives Matter” is also permitted.
However, you can forget “I Like Ike” because election officials don’t want to plant names in the heads of people who might walk into the polls not knowing who they are going to vote for, he said.
California bans what is known as “electioneering” within 100 feet of a voting booth. According to state law that means voters and others can’t make any “visible display or audible dissemination of information that advocates for or against any candidate or measure on the ballot.”
Banned stuff includes, but isn’t limited to, the following:
A display of a candidate’s name, likeness, or logo.
A display of a ballot measure’s number, title, subject or logo.
Vallejo Times Herald, By Richard Freedman, October 29, 2020
Vallejo Police Chief Shawny Williams (Courtesy photo)
The City of Vallejo, in collaboration with the Vallejo police and fire departments, will open their Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as a precautionary measure starting Monday.
This action is being taken in preparation for potential civil unrest directly associated with the Nov. 3 election, according to a news release issued Wednesday.
“While there is no immediate threat of unrest, nor do we have reason to believe there will be a threat in the City of Vallejo or surrounding areas, the City must be prepared to respond to any emergency appropriately. The type of emergency will determine the appropriate response to any crisis,” said communications and public information Christina Lee in the statement.
The Vallejo Fire Department will increase its staff by an extra battalion chief and an additional fire engine to assist with increased call volume if necessary during the EOC activation. The police department will continue to have its mobile field force (MFF) on standby, prepared to mobilize in the event of social or civil unrest to help calm and disperse crowds, Lee said.
Though “the City recognizes and respects our citizens’ First Amendment Rights to free speech … we ask that anyone who intends to exercise these rights remain mindful that COVID-19 remains a threat, especially as we are entering the cold and flu season, which could place those with a compromised immune system at an increased risk for infection,” Lee said, urging citizens to “continue to wear a mask, especially when gathering where social distancing can be difficult.”
Vallejo Police Chief Shawny Williams issued a statement Thursday afternoon, stating that “while we hope for peace and civility after the elections; hope is not a strategy, and failure to prepare is preparing to fail. We are planning to have a more visible uniformed presence throughout the elections and the following days. With our Emergency Operations Center activated, we will work collaboratively with all of our city departments, council members, and county partners to protect and serve our Vallejo community.”
Vallejo Mayor Bob Sampayan said it would be irresponsible to not be ready.
“We want to be prepared just in case there’s going to be civil unrest,” he said late Wednesday. “The extreme right and the extreme left have been saying on social media that they are going to protest the election. We, as a city, need to be prepared for that. We have been the victims of looting and civil unrest in the past and we need to be ready just in case something like that should occur.”
Sampayan said he “absolutely” expects Vallejo agencies to be ready if they are called as mutual aid to surrounding communities.
“I’m confident our police and fire are well prepared for whatever occurs after the election,” Sampayan said.
In Benicia, “Like everyone else, we are watching this election and the days following it closely,” said Irma Widjojo, public information officer for the Benicia Police Dept.
“While we don’t anticipate any issues in our community, we are prepared to have extra staffing available if needed. We are also working cooperatively with other area agencies for any mutual call needs,” Widjojo said.
There is “no special preparations at this time” by the Napa County Sheriff’s Office, spokesman Henry Wofford said. “Everything is normal.”
Valero-Funded PAC Pours More Than $250,000 Into Benicia Mayor’s Race
KQED News, By Ted Goldberg, Oct 28, 2020
Valero’s oil refinery in the Solano County city of Benicia. (Craig Miller/KQED)
A political action committee funded mainly by the Valero Energy company has raised more than a quarter million dollars to convince Benicia residents to vote for its preferred candidate in the city’s mayoral race.
The San Antonio-based oil giant runs the Benicia refinery, one of California’s largest, which is located in the small Solano County city.
Contributions to the Working Families for a Strong Benicia PAC represent four times the total combined amount raised from individual donations by the city’s three mayoral candidates.
In the mayor’s race, Valero and one of its allied unions are supporting Councilwoman and Vice Mayor Christina Strawbridge against Councilman Steve Young — both Democrats — funding phone polls, digital ads and mailers, and reigniting a debate over the city’s future.
Since 2019, Valero has donated $240,000 to the committee. The donations come two years after the Valero-funded PAC spent thousands to help Strawbridge and Lionel Largaespada win seats on the Benicia City Council and defeat Kari Birdseye, an environmentalist candidate who was outspoken about efforts to increase regulations for the refinery.
The PAC also received a $25,000 contribution from the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Lodge 549, in what the union calls an effort to stop “coastal politicians” from killing manufacturing jobs.
“Steve Young wants Benicia to be a town where tech professionals buy a latte and telecommute. Christina Strawbridge wants it to be a place where our members who live in Benicia, who come home from work dirty and tired, can continue to raise their families too,” said Timothy Jefferies, the union’s business manager.
Elizabeth Patterson, Benicia’s current mayor, and one of Valero’s leading critics, is leaving office after serving in that position for 13 years and on the City Council for 17 years prior to that.
The election arrives as Valero and other oil companies that produce and process petroleum in California face a cutback in profits brought on by the coronavirus pandemic and increasing calls for the state to move away from fossil fuels as it battles climate change-driven wildfires.
With gasoline demand dropping, two of the Bay Area’s refineries, the Marathon plant in Martinez and Phillips 66 in Rodeo, are shifting to producing cleaner sources of energy.
The two worst refinery accidents in the Bay Area in the last three years took place at Valero’s Benicia refinery. A May 2017 power outage at the refinery led to a major release of toxic sulfur, prompting city leaders to call for an industrial safety ordinance. In March 2019, the plant had a series of malfunctions that led to another significant pollution release.
Patterson and Young have since pushed for the city to have more regulatory control over the refinery. Attacks from the Valero PAC followed.
“Steve Young doesn’t need a job because he is supported by the taxpayers of California. He has no reason to protect Benicia’s jobs and tax base,” states one of the recent mailers from the Valero PAC that was widely distributed to Benicia voters.
“Christina is a local business owner and knows how important it is to keep Benicia working. Now, more than ever, we need leaders like Christina Strawbridge,” it states.
Benicia residents have also received several rounds of calls paid for by the Valero-funded PAC, aimed at convincing voters to back Strawbridge.
Young: ‘Leave it to Benicia Voters’
Young says he’s not against the refinery, noting that it’s a major part of Benicia’s economy and that Valero frequently contributes to “worthy local causes.”
“Their ongoing attempts to influence the makeup of the City Council go far beyond normal corporate interest in local affairs,” Young said in an email. “Leave it to Benicia voters to elect their own representatives.”
Young says he wants the company to be more transparent about problems and accidents at the refinery and to send out immediate alerts to Benicia residents when accidents occur. He also says the city should have stronger air quality monitoring systems in place.
“The relationship between Valero and the community is strained,” Young said, adding that city officials and refinery executives can change that by holding monthly meetings.
Young says he’s a stronger candidate than Strawbridge because of his career working in local government and his better understanding of how to address problems facing the city.
Strawbridge: ‘Heal the Divide’
Strawbridge says that since she was elected to the City Council in 2018, relations between Benicia and the refinery have improved.
She notes that while the city did not put in place the more stringent regulations that Young and Patterson wanted, Benicia reached an agreement with Valero that includes the addition of portable air monitors, notifications during hazardous material incidents and increased disclosure on incident investigations.
But she also acknowledges that the campaign work by the company’s PAC is not helping the two sides get along.
“The relationship needs to improve and may have had a setback with this election cycle and Valero’s formation of a PAC,” Strawbridge said in an email.
“There is now a continued lack of trust within the community about the methods used during the election that were similar to 2018,” she added. “Once again, Valero has gone after my opponent with negative ads. That does not work in Benicia.”
Strawbridge believes the pushback from Valero’s critics has also gone too far.
“There has been a concerted effort to discredit me on social media and the local paper by supporters of my opponent,” Strawbridge said. “As mayor of Benicia, I plan to heal the divide our city has experienced for many years.”
Strawbridge touts her experience promoting nonprofits, preserving historic buildings and advocating for parks and local tourism. She says her background in small business will help guide the city through the pandemic.
A third mayoral candidate, Jason Diavatis, who has not been supported or opposed by the Valero PAC, did not respond to a request for comment.
Influence in California
Valero’s donations to the PAC represent just one place the oil company has poured campaign contributions to influence races in California.
The oil giant and its various political action committees have contributed at least $14.1 million to California groups and congressional candidates in the state since 2015, according to a review of state and federal campaign finance data by MapLight, a Berkeley-based nonprofit that follows money in politics.
Jason Kaune, the Benicia PAC’s treasurer and head of political law at Nielsen Merksamer, a Sacramento-based lobbying firm, declined to comment. A Valero spokeswoman also did not return a request for comment.
During that election, the city filed a complaint with state campaign finance regulators, alleging that Valero sponsored a so-called push poll intended to negatively characterize Birdseye, the environmental candidate. The state’s Fair Political Practices Commission, though, declined to investigate the calls.
The dispute led the City Council to approve stronger disclosure rules for political committees involved in local elections.
To: My fellow Benicians
From: Terry Scott, Candidate for City Council
Now that the campaign is coming to a close, I thought I’d share my perspective on the campaign and our future:
Change is coming to Benicia as we prepare for a new Council and a new Mayor. The process of running for office will be instantly changed to the business of running a city.
The challenges of talking about policy and acting on policy move from the philosophical and theoretical to the practical and implementable.
COVID-19 changed all the traditional ways of campaigning. Face to face became Zoom to Zoom. Social Media became extremely fractured and reflected narrower and narrower bases and voices.
Through this unique, and mostly virtual campaign, I have been so encouraged by the engagement, spirit, and commitment of our community in the political process—for the most part.
I’m sure my fellow candidates would agree, we heard what our citizens want; we all believe in a brighter future; and, we all share a commitment of making Benicia a better, safer, welcoming place for all.
Obviously, the paths to getting there may be different. But in reality, when you look at the big picture, the small town, core values of this community are our greatest strength as a City.
While we have very difficult and demanding challenges ahead of us, I believe our community will prosper and sustain itself during and after the pandemic because we are a community that shares the desire to be better.
Perhaps that’s naïve. But for me, the campaign reaffirmed my belief that our community is solid, strong and willing to meet the challenges ahead.
I’m proud to call Benicia my home. I’m honored and humbled by those who support me. I respect those that don’t.
Thanks, Benicia, for your engagement in the political process.
Perhaps the legendary author on urban development and change, Jane Jacobs, said it best:
“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”
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