Tag Archives: Benicia elections

Benicia elections, Progress for Benicia PAC, Valero PAC

Benicia to Protest Valero Election Meddling This Wednesday 5pm

From an email, October 31, 2022

Join concerned citizens
for a protest of Valero’s deceptive meddling in our City Council election!

Wednesday, November 2nd at 5:00pm
Corner of First St. & Military St.,
below the gazebo

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Benicia elections, Kari Birdseye, karibirdseyeforbenicia.com, Valero PAC

Valero is spending big money to promote their preferred candidates ….. Again.

By Kari Birdseye, October 28, 2022

Mailers with misinformation

Greetings Benicians,

We were really hoping for a clean election this year. However, two weeks before election day, the glossy mailers started arriving in every mailbox (except mine) in Benicia.

First, they paid for the “First Responders” to weigh in on their favored candidate, with the subtle indication that not all of the candidates support our brothers and sisters in public safety. WRONG.

No one is trying to defund any departments in Benicia, especially those who protect us. I come from a family of firefighter folks and grew up with a police and fire scanner in my house, so just don’t.

Even worse was the mailer Benicians received today, depicting Lionel Largaespada and Christina Strawbridge next to pictures of Mayor Young and Vice Mayor Campbell, both of whom have endorsed me and Terry Scott.

This piece is so deceiving that I’m hoping the City of Benicia will utilize the Fair Election ordinances we have on the books and, at the very least, issue a violation.

There have been a number of misinformation pieces sent this election cycle. Benicians who aren’t politically active may easily believe the misinformation, fueled by big oil money. A campaign that is energized by volunteers and less than $30,000 can’t compete. Knowing that makes me want to work even harder to get out the vote and show why I deserve the support of the majority of our local voters.

Moving Forward…

We continue to get the vote out, which this week included an online forum, held by the Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) Solano Napa Chapter, in collaboration with Vallejo Alumnae Chapter and Solano Valley Alumnae Chapters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. The 2022 Solano Countywide Virtual Candidates Forum can be viewed here and if you want to fast forward to our talk, go to 1:45:15. I was one of only two of the five candidates who showed up.

Thanks for your support!

I will continue to connect with Benicians and focus on the solutions we can create together. If you want to help me hit the maximum donations allowed under Benicia’s local ordinances, please visit this page and your support in other ways is always appreciated here.

In Service,

Kari

[BenIndy Editor: see more letters on Valero’s sham endorsement on Kari’s website at Valero’s misleading mailers.  – RS]

Benicia elections, Phone polling, Progress for Benicia PAC, Valero PAC

UPDATE: Valero PAC spent $35,000 for phone polling, total now at $46,700

By Roger Straw, October 28, 2022

Roger Straw, The Benicia Independent

Late today, Benicia City Clerk Lisa Wolfe posted two more campaign finance reports previously submitted by the Valero PAC.  These reports shed light on the expenditure of $37,000 seemingly missing from earlier reports.

In addition to the $8,698 spent for their misleading campaign mailers (reported here earlier today), these reports also disclose expenditures of $17,500 for each of their chosen candidates for telephone polling.

Benicia residents reported receiving unsolicited telephone polling calls near the end of August. Now we know who was paying the big bucks to find out what Benicians think, and just so to fashion their political messages in a bought election.

The PAC paid EMC Research, Inc. of Columbus OH for the polling.

The two new campaign finance reports also show $2,000 paid to Trusted Messenger Marketing of Los Alamos for “Consulting.” This is the same firm the PAC paid to produce and mail their misleading mailer.

The new total of known spending by the PAC for Largaespada and Strawbridge as of today is $45,698.61.

The PAC will be soon be required to file a report disclosing both expenditures AND contributions through 10/30/22. This form will be due in the Benicia City Clerk office on 11/2/22.

It will be most interesting to get further information on Valero’s effort to buy two City Council seats again in 2022.

Note that others in Benicia are keeping an eye on Valero’s meddling in our elections – check out Benicians For Clean Elections at https://www.beniciansforcleanelections.org/

See also my page of support for candidate Kari Birdseye here on the BenIndy.

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

Roger Straw
The Benicia Independent

Previously on the BenIndy…
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…