Category Archives: 2020 elections

2020 elections, Benicia elections, Campaign finance, Steve Young, Valero Benicia Refinery, Valero PAC

Valero PAC spends another $17,000 for robo calls and live phone calls

By Roger Straw, October 9, 2020

2020 Campaign Finance Reports – Benicia Mayor

Reporting on forms required by Benicia ordinance, the Valero PAC that is attempting to buy the Benicia Mayor race detailed the expenditure of another $17,000 on  October 4.

Cumulative Valero PAC spending to date: $62,844.  (COMPARE: All candidates running for Benicia mayor and Council who pledge to run fair campaigns may not spend over $34,200 on their own campaigns.)

Details of new money spent for Christina Strawbridge to defeat Steve Young:

  • ROBO CALLS – Another $1,000
  • LIVE CALLS – Another $15,000
  • ROBO CALLS – Another $1,000

Both payments were made to WINNING CONNECTIONS, 317 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, 2ND FLOOR, WASHINGTON, DC.  Source: Benicia_Form_496_4.pdf and Benicia_Form_496_5.pdf.

I am tracking DETAILS of the Valero PAC’s 2020 campaign disclosure reports combined in a single Excel spreadsheet.  The sheet contains 2 tabs:

    • “VALERO PAC Form460 CpgnDisclosr” is a record of Valero’s SUMMARY reports, showing 2020 income, expenses and cash balance.
    • “Forms 465 & 496 IndExp” is a more interesting 2nd tab, showing in detail Valero’s individual expenditures.

REFERENCE: Valero PAC Financial Disclosures – City of Benicia website

Source: from the City of Benicia website, 2020 Campaign Finance Reports

2020 elections, Benicia City Council, Benicia elections, Benicia Mayor, Candidate forums

VIDEO: Benicia Candidate Forum, League of Women Voters of Solano County

Many thanks to the LWV Solano, AAUW and Carquinez Village for hosting this important event!

On October 8, 6-8 pm, the the League of Women Voters Solano County, AAUW, and Carquinez Village sponsored a 2020 Benicia Candidates’ Forum.  The forum was recorded and is viewable ONLY on Youtube. [Playback on other websites has been disabled by the video owner.]

LWVSolano Benicia Candidate Forum https://youtu.be/BAgnHON8DU4
Click on this image to go to the LWVSolano Youtube channel
2020 elections, Air Quality, Bay Area Refineries, Benicia City Council, Benicia elections, Benicia Mayor, Candidate forums, Good Neighbor Steering Committee, Keeping Watch on Earth News, Valero Benicia Refinery

VIDEO: Benicia candidate forum on Air Quality and Refinery Issues

Many thanks to Benicia’s Good Neighbor Steering Committee for hosting this important event!

Video by Constance Beutel for the Good Neighbor Steering Committee

The Benicia Good Neighbor Steering Committee wants to thank all the participating Mayoral and City Council candidates and those who attended the Educational Forum on Air Quality and Refinery issues on October 5, 2020.

The Zoom webinar was recorded, and is now available on Youtube (and viewable below). There are several viewing options, including the full video from start to finish, as well as individual candidate videos highlighting each candidate and their responses to the Good Neighbor Steering Committee questions.

While watching, you may want to view or download a copy of the 9 questions asked each candidate, including excellent background material.

Below are the videos and Youtube links.

[BenIndy editor: Note that each video begins after a 20-second “title screen” followed by an 8 minute introduction by Marilyn Bardet.  After watching those sections once, you may want to jump ahead to the first question at 8:00 or the candidate response, beginning around 8:45. – R.S.]

Full video, start to finish:   Good Neighbor Steering Committee City Council and Mayoral 2020 Candidates Forum: October 5, 2020  
Christina Strawbridge, Mayoral Candidate: https://youtu.be/zy6CH3sgU-w
Steve Young, Mayoral Candidate:  https://youtu.be/DW0pl3MgLP4
Tom Campbell, City Council Candidate:  https://youtu.be/26cNpMEqqb0
Trevor Macenski, City Council Candidate: https://youtu.be/j7gtD4XqV1Q
Terry Scott, City Council Candidate:  https://youtu.be/pHaONqUlL6I
2020 elections, Benicia City Council, Benicia elections, Benicia Mayor, Valero Benicia Refinery, Valero PAC

Valero PAC spending heavily in Benicia Mayor race – details

As of Sept. 24, Valero and friends had spent nearly $30,000 against Steve Young, owing another $30,000 in unpaid bills

A Sept. 29 report suggests Valero has spent nearly $70,000
By Roger Straw, October 2, 2020

After reviewing campaign finance documents on the City of Benicia website today, it is apparent that Valero is going to do everything it can once again to buy its way onto Benicia’s City Council.

This time around, they are smarter than they were in 2018, when the NAME of their political action committee was a mile long, naming two candidates they favored and coming right out and naming a single candidate they opposed.  This year, they claim only that they FAVOR one candidate for Mayor.  They kept the ludicrous “Working Families” moniker – as if we’re not ALL working families.  But this time  around, they’ve avoided reference to their real objective: to disparage and malign Steve Young so that he doesn’t become Mayor and hold Valero’s feet to the fire as he has in the past.

The details of Valero’s spending as of September 29 are combined in a single Excel spreadsheet here.  The spreadsheet contains 2 tabs:

    • “VALERO PAC Form460 CpgnDisclosr” is a record of Valero’s 3 SUMMARY reports, showing 2020 income, expenses and cash balance.
    • “Forms 465 & 496 IndExp” is a more interesting 2nd tab, showing in detail Valero’s individual expenditures so far, including…
      • Live Calls & Data: $27,000
      • Voter Data & Call Lists: $1,031
      • Call Center: $21,468
      • Digital Ads: $10,000
      • and Mailers: $9,844

Direct links to Valero’s documents as they appear on the City of Benicia website follow at the end of this article.

Sample Photocopies?

I recall that when Valero reported in 2018, they were required to included photocopies of the dirty and misleading ads they distributed (right).  I believe Benicia’s campaign finance ordinances required this.  Those ordinances have been strengthened since 2018, but no such photo samples have been included in Valero’s reporting as yet.  Residents have been seeing Valero’s negative ads on social media this week.  (Out of respect, I will not reprint them here.)

Valero Financial Disclosures – combined in one document

Again – our spreadsheet is viewable on Google Docs at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IYHmTbaw8IIyIPbB97FdjyiFmvU-3vvY/view?usp=sharing

Valero PAC Financial Disclosures – City of Benicia website