Chevron backs Moving Forward coalition
on October 8, 2012
The Chevron-funded campaign committee Moving Forward spent more than $100,000 in support of council candidates Gary Bell, Nat Bates and Bea Roberson between Aug. 9 and Sept. 28, campaign disclosures filed with the City Clerk show. Moving Forward’s money comes solely from a $1.2 million contribution from Chevron.
The committee, which was formed on July 6, spent $90,000 on billboards and campaign literature supporting the reelection of Bates. Bates received only $1,420 in direct campaign contributions between July 1 and Sept. 30, which he disclosed in his own filing last Friday. Moving Forward spent more than $12,000 in support of Bell and Roberson.
The Moving Forward filings also reveal that the organization has spent more than $37,000 in websites and campaign literature in opposition to Richmond Progressive Alliance candidates Marilyn Langlois and Eduardo Martinez, including an anti-Langlois website that made waves last week.
The committee still has more than $1 million in available funds.
9 Comments
Richmond Confidential welcomes comments from our readers, but we ask users to keep all discussion civil and on-topic. Comments post automatically without review from our staff, but we reserve the right to delete material that is libelous, a personal attack, or spam. We request that commenters consistently use the same login name. Comments from the same user posted under multiple aliases may be deleted. Richmond Confidential assumes no liability for comments posted to the site and no endorsement is implied; commenters are solely responsible for their own content.
Richmond Confidential
Richmond Confidential is an online news service produced by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism for, and about, the people of Richmond, California. Our goal is to produce professional and engaging journalism that is useful for the citizens of the city.
Please send news tips to richconstaff@gmail.com.
Thank you, Stephen and Rachel, for reporting on this. It is important for Richmond voters to know what special interests are trying to buy the election. The people of Richmond deserve a future determined by the community (not by corporations).
The election could not be any clearer. We can either have People’s Democracy or we can have Corporate Domination in Richmond. Voters will decide on November 6.
Let’s Beat Big Oil and Big Soda in Richmond and make history.
Vote for Marilyn Langlois, Eduardo Martinez and Tom Butt for City Council and Vote Yes on N
Less Soda More Sports = Healthy Kids
How can we have “People’s Democracy” when the “People’s” representatives refuse to listen to all of the people? If you read the many comments to these articles recently you can easily see that the “People’s” representative wants many of the “people” to either go away or to just shut up and do what they’re told.
Seriously Ritterman, Less Soda More Sports? You show how the Soda Tax Income is going to be spent on creating more sporting opportunity’s and I, and a lot of other people, will consider voting for it. As we all know, the money is earmarked for the General Fund coffers and from there to who knows where?
As you know unless we want to have a 2/3 vote, the money goes into the General Fund. That is correct. But many of us who will decide on how the money is to be used have already said publicly that we will support spending the money on programs and projects which reverse the obesity epidemic. it’s foolish to do otherwise as prevention is much less costly than anything else. I spent my life as a cardiologist, believe me I know. For $86,000 we can teach every third grader in Richmond how to swim at The Plunge. That seems like a wise investment to me. For $800,000 we can put a nutrition teacher in each of our 10 elementary schools. That seems like a good idea too. I can guarantee that while I am on the council I will vote for the money to be used to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic and I trust that Richmond voters will insist that it be used that way. Vote for Marilyn Langlois, Eduardo Martinez and Tom Butt and Yes on N and you can bet that the Soda tax revenue will be invested in reversing childhood obesity.
But in the remaining time that you’ll be on the Council after the election, exactly how much of this newfound money do you think the City will see? But whatever money there is, you’ll vote for it to go for the kids? But what if the voters reject the advisory vote advising the Council where it should go? WIll the People’s Representative go against the People?
Don Gosney has worked for every Chevron backed candidate ever emerging in Richmond. He collaborated with the infamous Darryl Reese in producing hit pieces that attacked you, Jeff, Mayor Gayle and Jovanka Beckles. Deny it, Donald? Big OIL and BIG SODA have in him their number one volunteer. Deny it Donald?!
Lamentable…
As part of my photography business I have provided photos to a lot of candidates and have sold art work.
If Mr. Reese used my work you decry it as being a sin but when YOUR candidates use my photos is it still a sin? Check their work over the years.
By the way, one of YOUR candidates uses one of my photos on his mailers even today. Can I expect you to cast him out of your embrace for this sin?
And, like much of what you write, your facts are incorrect. Like your pal Romney, though, why should you let the facts get in the way of your campaign?
[…] disclosure statements filed by the Chevron-funded committee Moving Forward show Bates also benefited from $90,000 on campaign mailings and billboards spent by the committee […]