2/26/08
      Election Financing in Vallejo

Or, What does it cost to get elected to Vallejo's City Council

By Paul Norberg--Retired CFO (With Glitter Sprinkles from Katie Miessner--Aging Disco Queen)  

The November election was one the costliest in Vallejo’s history.  Erin Hannigan raised $75,758 and Mike Wilson raised $80,445.  In addition the United Workers For Local Government PAC spent over $26,000 each on Hannigan and Wilson plus another $34,675 on Pam Pitts.  These “Independent” expenditures by the PAC are not reported by the candidate and are in addition to the money raised by their campaign committees.  That brings the total income to over $100,000 each for Hannigan and Wilson. Contrast this to the $25,000 raised by Joanne Schivley.  In past elections Hermie Sunga and Tom Bartee were also supported by the unions who now, with Wilson and Hannigan, control a majority of the council.
 

Why would United Workers For Local Government spend this much money on a Vallejo city council election?  First we need to understand where United Workers For Local Government gets their money.  This PAC was established in 2007 with Vallejo firefighter Jon Riley as President.  They collected $195,441 from several unions including $79,500 from Firefighters Local 1186, $33,000 from Vallejo Police Officers Association, $21,000 from the California Teachers Association, $13,500 from IBEW Local 180 in Napa and the remainder from other local and national unions.

They spent the money on elections in Vallejo, Benicia, Fairfield and Solano County.  The largest amount was spent in Vallejo with $88,155 going to Hannigan, Wilson and Pitts.  In addition twenty two individual firefighters contributed close to $14,000 to the Hannigan, Wilson and Pitts campaign committees. 

We will see the results of all these contributions to the public safety union supported candidates when the votes are taken this week. Without fail, Sunga and Bartee have consistently voted in favor of the public safety unions.  We will see how Hannigan and Wilson vote on the revised budget including crucial votes related to these unions that will impact Vallejo for years to come:

• Will the council extend the Fire and Police Union contracts yet again; extensions on contracts the City couldn’t even afford back when they were first approved in 2000?
• Will the council decide to continue the effort to challenge "binding arbitration", a piece of legislation in our City Charter that basically completely weakens the city’s position when in negotiations with these unions?
• Will the council remove benefits given to the Fire and Police Unions that the City cannot afford, benefits what include retirement at 90% of top pay, and full health benefits for retirees for the remainder of their lives?
• Will the City stop the practice of “Union Business Leave Abuse”, a practice that among other things includes drinking so much alcohol that a Fire Union rep takes 24 hours off, paid by the City, and under which the Union President/Assistant Fire Chief Kurt Henke attends to other cities’ union business while on Vallejo’s payroll?

  And now the Numbers

  $1000 and over contributors