Category Archives: Valero Benicia Refinery

Benicia City Council, Local elections, Negative ads, Negative campaigning, Organized labor, Valero Benicia Refinery, Valero Services Inc.

Anti-Birdseye PAC receives another $25,000, total now $180,000

By Roger Straw, October 30, 2018

Another Southern California labor PAC for Largaespada and Strawbridge, against Birdseye

The Anti-Birdseye political action committee (PAC) filed a new contribution report yesterday.  This report shows another receipt of $25,000 on October 26.  The contributor is listed as “Building California Together PAC.”  This raises the total fund to $180,000 in stated opposition to Birdseye and in support of two of her opponents.

So who is this new outside California PAC?

The CA Secretary of State identifies Building California Together PAC as a relatively new entity, with no contributions received earlier than May of this year.  $30,000 was received in July from the Electrical Workers #11 in Pasadena and another $25,000 was received in October from California Resources Corporation of Los Angeles.  Note that California Resources Corporation is “an independent company and leading producer of oil and natural gas focused exclusively on California.”

The CA Secretary of State shows that Building California Together PAC made small contributions in Southern California races and only the one large contribution to our Anti-Birdseye PAC.

DATE PAYEE CONTEST POSITION AMOUNT
10/25/2018 WORKING FAMILIES FOR A STRONG BENICIA OTHER SUPPORT $25,000.00
10/11/2018 IBARRA FOR SCHOOL BOARD 2018, LEANNE OTHER SUPPORT $1,500.00
10/11/2018 LARA FOR ERUSD SCHOOL BOARD 2018, JOSE OTHER SUPPORT $1,500.00
10/11/2018 DINO FOR PALMDALE WATER DISTRICT 2018, VINCENT OTHER SUPPORT $1,000.00
10/11/2018 HOFBAUER PALMDALE MAYOR 2018, COMMITTEE TO ELECT STEVE MAYOR SUPPORT $1,000.00
10/11/2018 SMITH FOR PSD BOARD 2018, NANCY OTHER SUPPORT $1,000.00
10/11/2018 VELADOR FOR PALMDALE SCHOOL BOARD 2018, COMMITTEE TO ELECT RALPH OTHER SUPPORT $1,000.00
10/11/2018 WILSON FOR PALMDALE WATER BOARD 2018, DON OTHER SUPPORT $1,000.00

For previous reports of contributions and expenditures of the Anti-Birdseye PAC, see Anti-Birdseye outside money – 3 new expenditure reports.

Benicia City Council, Kari Birdseye, Lionel Largaespada, Local elections, November election, Organized labor, Valero Benicia Refinery, Valero Services Inc.

New totals for $ spent by Valero/labor’s Anti-Birdseye PAC

By Roger Straw, October 27, 2018

Reports reveal cumulative totals for Largaespada and Strawbridge, and against Birdseye

The Anti-Birdseye committee filed three separate reports with the City of Benicia on October 25, showing its expenditures through October 20, 2018.

TOTAL OF $58,857

Seems the PAC favors Largaespada as its top priority.  Buying a seat, placating Strawbridge, dumping on Birdseye.

Most interesting: all three reports show expenditures of $4,733.33 (or $4,733.34) for “USE OF POLL, Received from Valero Services, Inc. and its affiliated entities, 3400 East Second St., Benicia.”  The total of the three is $14,200 – the exact amount previously reported donated by Valero Services.  The BIG QUESTION: is this referring to data gathered in the secret and possibly illegal “push poll” conducted by EMC and Research America?  Background, see benindy.wpengine.com/benicia-will-file-push-poll-complaint-with-fair-political-practices-commission/

Benicia City Council, Christina Strawbridge, Kari Birdseye, Lionel Largaespada, Local elections, Negative ads, Negative campaigning, Organized labor, Valero Benicia Refinery, Valero Services Inc.

Anti-Birdseye spending increases again today…

By Roger Straw, October 25, 2018

Yet more anti-Birdseye expenditures

News gets old fast around here… Just yesterday, the City of Benicia posted on its website, three new Valero/labor PAC Expenditure Reports.

Today we learned that Valero/labor submitted three MORE expenditure reports in their bid to buy a seat on Council! The PAC is up to 17 expenditure reports now (and the original 5 income reports).

The three new reports today show additional expenses for robo calls (with script by former police Lieutenant Scott Przekurat) and new digital ads (LL & CS smiling-faces alongside an unfounded put-down of Kari Birdseye.

One expenditure report also shows new income of $800 from Alfred Conhagen Inc., a Benicia hydraulic repair service that I assume must do a huge business with Valero.

The reports show cumulative totals for LL $28,874, CS $20,586, and Anti-Birdseye $18,836. Lots of money left – they have amassed a total of $155,000 now, more than five times what an individual candidate is allowed to spend on a campaign.

Christina Strawbridge, Kari Birdseye, Lionel Largaespada, Local elections, Organized labor, Valero Benicia Refinery, Valero Services Inc.

Outside labor PAC spending in Benicia – AND Vallejo

Repost from the Vallejo Times-Herald
[Editor: See update on total of $154,200 amassed by this giant outsider PAC which is anything but “Working Families.”  – RS]

Sacramento trades council donates $40,000 to local contests in Vallejo, Benicia

By JOHN GLIDDEN, October 24, 2018 at 3:52 pm

A Sacramento-based trades council has gotten involved with local politics by contributing a combined $40,000 to supporting various candidates for the Vallejo and Benicia city councils.

The State Building and Construction Trades Council of California Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee (PAC) gave $30,000 to a separate committee called Working Families for a Strong Benicia which supports Lionel Largaespada and Christina Strawbridge for the Benicia City Council.

The financial information was submitted to the Benicia City Clerk’s Office on Oct. 11.

The Trades Council of California PAC donated $10,000 this week to JumpStart Vallejo, similar records to the Vallejo Clerk’s Office show. JumpStart is supporting Pippin Dew, Hakeem Brown, and Jess Malgapo for the Vallejo City Council.

Working Families is supporting the two Benicia council candidates while also opposing fellow candidate Kari Birdseye.

The committee, known by a lengthy name, Working Families for a Strong Benicia, a Coalition of Labor, Industrial Services Companies, Public Safety and Local Leaders Supporting Christina Strawbridge and Lionel Largaespada and Opposing Kari Birdseye for Benicia City Council 2018, has raised $154,200 since Oct. 11.

Working Families is backed by the Valero Benicia Refinery, which has sunk $14,200 into the committee.

The committee, through political calls to Benicia residents over the past two weeks, has accused Birdseye of being a “yes man for the mayor.”

Don Wilson, vice president and general manager for refinery, in letter to the editor published by this newspaper on Oct. 16 argued Patterson has targeted the refinery and its operations. Wilson said if elected, Birdseye would join Patterson and Vice Mayor Steve Young on the five-person council to oppose the refinery.

Birdseye has previously denied the accusation regarding herself and Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson.

“I’m a critical, strategic thinker with years of experience in management, finances and leadership,” Birdseye previously said in an email to the Times-Herald. “I’m the last person who wants to give oxygen to the lie being spread about the Mayor and Vice Mayor building their shadow government, but if you look at the Vice Mayor’s voting record, he also is an independent thinker.”

Additional cash contributions have come from the Heat & Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local Union 16 Political Action Committee which gave $20,000 to the group, while $30,000 came from the International Brotherhood of Boilmaker, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers & Helpers Local 549 PAC, according to 497 forms posted to the city’s website.

Additional contributions of $30,000 each were contributed to the committee recently from the District Council of Iron Workers Political Action League, and the California State Pipe Trades Council PAC.

The Working Families committee has spent that money on the calls and political ads.

Birdseye, Largaespada, Strawbridge, and Will Emes are all running for two open seats on the five-person Benicia City Council this fall. The two incumbents, Alan Schwartzman and Mark Hughes, have both declined to seek re-election to the council.

Meanwhile in Vallejo, five candidates are running for three seats up for grabs in the election. Malgapo, Dew, and Katy Miessner are seeking re-election, while being challenged by Brown, and Vincent May.

JumpStart, which is an independent expenditure committee, is also supporting John Fox, Tony Ubalde and Tony Gross for the Vallejo City Unified School District Board of Education. Ubalde, Ruscal Cayangyang, and Burky Worel are seeking re-election to the five-person board. Gross, Fox, Allan Yeap, Ryan Messano, and Christy Gardner are challenging for a seat.

The election is Nov. 6.