The Best City

Council 

Special Interest Money Can Buy!

By Paul Norberg, Retired CFO

3/24/14

The 2013 City Council election was controlled by the newly formed Political Action Committee, Jump Start Vallejo. As of 12/31/13 they had raised $126,472 and will raise another $16,412 to pay accrued expenses bringing their total to 142,884. Jump Start reported spending $24,561 each supporting Pippin Dew, Jess Malgapo, Tony Summers and Rozzana Verder-Aliga ($98,244 total) and $5,971 each opposing Katy Miessner, Liat Meitzenheimer and Joanne Schivley ($17,913 total). All of the Jump Start backed candidates won except for Tony Summers who was actively opposed by the LGBT community.

Jump Start received most of their money from labor unions:

• Vallejo Police Officers PAC $25,000

• Vallejo Firefighters PAC 19,500

• Callahan Property Co 10,625

• Napa/Solano Central Labor PAC 10,510

• California Real Estate PAC 8,000

• IBEW PAC Education Fund 6,500

• Sheet Metal Workers Local 104 5,000

• D.R.I.V.E. Teamsters PAC 5,000

• Peace officers Assn of CA 5,000

• SF Firefighters PAC 5,000

• San Mateo Firefighters PAC 5,000

In addition the following organizations contributed directly to the Jump Start backed candidates:

• National Assn of Realtors $32,482 (to Dew and Malgapo only)

• California Real Estate PAC 4,000

• Vallejo Chamber of Commerce 6,000

• IBEW Local 180 PAC 4,000

• Buck Kamphausen 5,500

The only non Jump Start backed candidate winning a seat on the Council was Katy Miessner who had previously run for County Supervisor. Her campaign raised $43,479. Liat Meitzenheimer raised $21,705 and Joanne Schivley raised $17,369 and were significantly out spent by the Jump Start slate. Chris Platzer raised $101,723 and campaigned on bringing a port to Vallejo. His campaign was supported by Randolph Peterson, President of Mare Island Railway.

Why are labor unions spending so much money on Vallejo’s City Council election?

• First they want to restore Binding Interest Arbitration to the city charter. This was one of the questions asked of all the candidates when Jump Start held their candidate interviews. Binding Interest Arbitration was one of the key reasons Vallejo was unable to make significant changes to labor contracts and led to the bankruptcy filing.

• Second they want to restore the pay and benefits that were given up during the bankruptcy process.

Mayor Osby Davis was also one of the Jump Start supporters, and now with three Jump Start candidates elected plus the Mayor, they have a four person-controlling vote on Vallejo issues.

Details on the election campaign financing and the major donors are shown on the following pages: