The campaign in favor a ballot measure that would allow oil drilling in Hermosa Beach received nearly 10 times more in new contributions than opponents during the first filing period of this year, according to financial disclosure statements filed last week.
Last Friday was the deadline for the year’s first pre-election campaign statements, covering January 1 through 17, for the March 3 Measure O election. Voters will be asked whether or not to lift Hermosa Beach’s ban on oil drilling and allow E & B Natural Resources to drill in the city’s maintenance yard.
Stop Hermosa Beach Oil (Committee Against Measure O) declared $16,579 in new contributions, most of which came from donations of $200 or less from local residents.
Hermosa Beach Residents for a Better Tomorrow (Yes on Measure O) declared $160,208 in new contributions for the same period. All of the campaign money was contributed by E & B.
Stop Hermosa Beach Oil treasurer George Schmeltzer said he was pleased with his group’s fundraising efforts, but added, “Since Moses’ time, I don’t think there has ever been a political campaign that thought it had raised enough money.”
“We’ve been gratified by the way people have responded. We’ve received contributions from across the city, from the north end to the south end, east and west of the highway and from young people and retired people.”
Contributors include former councilmen J.R. Revicszky and Michael Keegan (via his business, Manhattan Bread & Bagel), Surfrider Foundation chair Craig Cadwallader, and Dennis Jarvis, owner of Spyder Surf.
Though opponents have framed the campaign as grassroots versus Goliath, E&B spokesperson Eric Rose said the company’s campaign was simply making an investment in order to provide voters with a factual basis with which to cast their vote.
“We are proud of our campaign and of the investment we are making to educate Hermosa residents about the facts about measure O,” Rose said.
Rose also suggested that opponents have not been scrupulous about disclosing campaign spending but did not make specific allegations.
“E&B has always fully disclosed our spending on this campaign, unlike the opponents of O, who seem to not be able to send a mailer or post a sign with a proper disclaimer,” Rose said.
Schmeltzer said drilling opponents have gone beyond what is required by the campaign disclosure laws, including listing contributions for auction items and T-shirt and hat sales.
Stop Hermosa Beach Oil’s largest expenditure was $20,000 paid during the first two weeks of January to Stephen Sammarco, owner of the Sammarco political consulting group and a Redondo Beach City councilman. Sammarco recused himself two weeks ago from a Redondo council discussion on whether or not to take a position on Measure O. The council declined to take a position.
Schmeltzer said that his group pays Tony Hale, who works for Sammarco, a $1,000 a month retainer and that the balance paid to Sammarco was for printing, postage and design.
Hermosa Beach Residents for a Better Tomorrow spent the majority of its funds on media expenses and campaign consultation. It accrued a total of $184,245 in costs amongst five different political and environmental consultants.The group reported a total of $606,495 in expenditures this year, an amount that includes $450,461 in debt from a backlog of expenses carried over from last year.
Among the vendors listed for E & B is Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce Board President Ken Hartley. Hatley received two payments of $2,500 each. The computer consultant said he assisted E & B with computer issues and that the chamber does not take positions on ballot measures.
According to the documents, Stop Hermosa Beach Oil had an ending cash balance of $53,150 while the Yes on O group ened with $5,832.
