HCDCC to AFSCME: Thank You for the 35 Large

One of the things I like to do in my spare time is review Cal-Online for the latest news on the Humboldt County Democrats.  [Read:  In no way was I tipped off to this as I entered this report myself as the (apparently dyslexic) HCDCC Treasurer.]  While perusing the HCDCC campaign finance inter-tubes I noticed this…

For those not familiar, that is in one check about what the HCDCC makes in revenues over the year by putting on two fundraising events.  Previously, we had received $25,000 from “Political Action for Classified Employees of California School Employees Small Contributor Committee”.  The latter was done a day before the 24 hr reporting period that begins 90 days before any state-wide election.

That makes a total of $60,200.  If past is prologue, after the 2016 election frenzy is over we can expect about 7% of that, (plus whatever else we manage to collect) to remain in our coffers.

I’ve written about this ad infinitum before.  All I’m asking HCDCC members to consider is to return or donate to local causes the entire amount we don’t independently chose to spend in one or two California legislative races this November.  Just don’t use the money for our own political interests or to pay the rent.  Please.  It is a nightmare to try to explain our own benefiting from this money as we are the party that needs to be fighting against the corrosive influence of money in politics.

I understand the other argument and have made it before.  There does have to be some way to employer money because dollar-for-dollar the system is rigged against workers and unions.  What I am saying is this is the wrong way to do it because it might be doing more harm than good.  Because this does cost us a great deal.  It costs us credibility.

I’m working on gathering statistics on our past results.  Here they are so far.

Table One:  HCDCC Donations Since 2008

DATE	RECIPIENT	CONTEST	POSITION	AMOUNT
10/28/08	JACKSON, HANNAH-BETH	STATE SENATOR 19	SUPPORT	$105,000.00
10/08/10	CABALLERO, ANNA	STATE SENATOR 12	SUPPORT	$25,000.00
10/21/10	BUCHANAN, JOAN	STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 15	SUPPORT	$15,000.00
10/21/10	HUBER, ALYSON	STATE ASSEMBLY PERSON 10	SUPPORT	$15,000.00
10/08/12	CATHLEEN, GALGIANI	STATE SENATOR 5	SUPPORT	$165,000.00
10/10/12	ROTH, RICHARD	STATE SENATOR 31	SUPPORT	$60,000.00
09/19/14	SOLORIO FOR SENATE 2014	STATE SENATOR 34	SUPPORT	$60,000.00
09/25/14	CHAVEZ FOR SENATE 2014	STATE SENATOR 14	SUPPORT	$120,000.00
10/16/08	FENNELL, ESTELLE	OTHER	SUPPORT	$500.00
10/28/08	BRINTON, SHANE	OTHER	SUPPORT	$170.00
10/28/08	WINKLER, MICHAEL	OTHER	SUPPORT	$170.00
10/15/10	LARRY, GLASS	OTHER	SUPPORT	$332.27
10/15/10	PETER, LAVALLEE	OTHER	SUPPORT	$332.27
10/15/10	RON, KUHNEL	OTHER	SUPPORT	$332.27
10/16/10	RON, KUHNEL	OTHER	SUPPORT	$414.69
10/16/10	GLASS, LARRY	OTHER	SUPPORT	$414.69
10/16/10	PETER, LAVALLEE	OTHER	SUPPORT	$414.69
10/27/10	PATRICK, CLEARY	OTHER	SUPPORT	$5,000.00
10/27/10	NEELY, BONNIE	OTHER	SUPPORT	$5,000.00
05/07/14	LATOUR, SHARON	OTHER	SUPPORT	$500.00
09/10/14	BERGEL FOR CITY COUNCIL 2014		SUPPORT	$500.00
09/11/14	ARROYO FOR CITY COUNCIL		SUPPORT	$500.00
09/11/14	SOFIA PEREIRA FOR ARCATA CITY		SUPPORT	$190.00
09/18/14	FAIR WAGE FOLKS		SUPPORT	$200.00
09/19/14	WHEETLEY, MARK	OTHER	SUPPORT	$190.00
11/01/14		Public Safety/Essential Services Measure Z	SUPPORT	$500.00
11/01/14		Genetic Contamination Prevention Ordinance P	SUPPORT	$500.00
11/01/14		Fair Wage Act R	SUPPORT	$300.00

Table Two:  HCDCC Funded Election Results

DATE	CONTEST	AMOUNT	DEM	REP	TOTAL	VOTER REGISTRATION
						DEM	REP
10/28/08	STATE SENATOR 19	$105,000.00	207,119	207,976	49.9%
10/08/10	STATE SENATOR 12	$25,000.00	86,963	92,270	48.5%
10/21/10	STATE ASSEMBLY 15	$15,000.00	104,441	91,378	53.3%
10/21/10	STATE ASSEMBLY 10	$15,000.00	83,177	68,395	54.9%
10/08/12	STATE SENATOR 5	$165,000.00	143,425	139,502	50.7%
10/10/12	STATE SENATOR 31	$60,000.00	133,882	108,320	55.3%
09/19/14	STATE SENATOR 34	$60,000.00	69,220	95,792	41.9%	39.0%	34.8%
09/25/14	STATE SENATOR 14	$120,000.00	46,035	54,251	45.9%	48.8%	29.6%

The ones in red are the races we lost, the ones in blue the ones we won.  So far it’s been a wash and no one will every argue that a $100,000 the HCDCC helped direct to a candidate won the election for them.

In the mean time, please consider what has happened to Democratic priorities in Humboldt County.  They have collapsed.  Outside of Arcata (forever) and Eureka (in 2014) we have seen Democratic values, including the most fundamental of all – the right to vote ones conscience, all but disappear.

I am not saying these are correlated by cause and effect.  What I am saying is that we at the HCDCC have to re-prioritize what it is we do and why.  I do think that this is a perfect example of the HCDCC focusing on that which is easy such as acting as a highly paid conduit for a preferred candidate in Southern California.  What we have failed miserably in doing is finding and then electing candidates that vote for Democratic values.

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Also, just noticed, the HCDCC Treasurer may have dyslexia. (It should be AFSCME not ASFCME on the first image.  Doh!)