Follow the Money - Part II
October 18, 2024
The Davis Employee Unions are Filling the Yes on Measure Q Campaign Coffers
by the No on Measure Q Campaign Committee - – FPPC No. 1470874
Last week, we reported on the $22,482.20 that Davis firefighters and their union paid to or spent on behalf of 4 sitting Davis City Council member campaigns in the 2020 (Josh Chapman and Will Arnold) and 2022 (Gloria Partida and Bapu Vaitla) election cycles (see Follow the Money - Part I at https://www.davisite.org/2024/10/follow-the-money.html).
These direct contributions preceded huge, retroactive salary increases given to the Davis firefighters pushing their compensation well in excess of what neighboring, similar-sized cities are paying their firefighters.
As Davis Enterprise columnist Rich Rifken once wrote: "No segment of the Davis' labor force is gorging at the trough more voraciously than the Fire Department..."
Well, not to be outdone, other Davis city employee unions are joining the firefighters' union in rapidly filling the coffers of the Yes on Measure Q campaign committee. Following are their campaign contributions to the Yes on Measure Q campaign committee reported thus far:
- Davis Firefighters Local 3494 - $5,000 - August 26
- Davis City Employee Association - $5,000 - September 19
- Davis Police Officers Association - $5,000 - October 4
- Davis Firefighters Local 3494 - $5,000 - October 9 (2nd contribution)
- Davis City Employee Association - $2,000 - October 10 (2nd contribution)
Total = $22,000 (so far!) - And this does not even include any independent expenditures made by each of the unions on behalf of the Yes on Measure Q campaign.
Do you honestly think that the unions are doing this because of their overwhelming love for the City of Davis? (Hint - Less than 25% of the firefighters even live in Davis!)
Face it! - These Davis employee unions are buying future payroll increases with these contributions. They know exactly how the employee salary bread gets buttered in this town.
Please Vote No on Measure Q – Quit Wasting Our Taxes!
I really appreciate the Davisite (and Vanguard) as open forum--- but I think one of most important things about opinion piece is who the author is. Everyone has right (write?) to an opinion, but ALL opinions are not created equal.
I myself read/trust based on who wrote it.
I suggest a "By Line" should be required at very top of all pieces.
Posted by: Alan Lorax Hirsch | October 18, 2024 at 04:25 PM
The author *is* identified: it's the No on Measure Q campaign. Campaign materials are typically written by more than one person. Anyone curious about some of the people on the campaign need only look to the ballot statements on their ballots. Beyond that, no one is owed an accounting of who is part of the campaign, despite some people thinking that others should be "outed" for being part of the campaign, and despite some people actually "outing" others who are part of a campaign.
A person might, by reason of their job, not be able to publicly identify themselves as part of a campaign. I'm not saying that's true here, but it's a situation that I know of from past campaigns. There might be other reasons. A person's job should not prevent them from full participation in our democracy.
But I will state, as I have stated before and just to clarify, that I am not a part of this campaign.
Posted by: Roberta L. Millstein | October 18, 2024 at 04:32 PM
Who makes an argument is not nearly as important as the merits of the argument and the accuracy of the underlying information.
Posted by: Colin Walsh | October 18, 2024 at 10:16 PM
I'd agree with Roberta and Colin on this. On the Vanguard, I spent as much time fighting off "who" I am, as I did debating the actual issues. And I think most of you know my name anyway. (Though the Davisite usually doesn't allow as many personal attacks.)
No one would mistake participating on the Vanguard as an exercise in "toxic positivity".
Posted by: Ron O | October 19, 2024 at 08:56 AM
I agree with AH that who the author is, is important. Damn important. Despite what some think because they are so sure reality is 'their truth', truth is a mixture of reality and perspective. (See: Israel/Gaza/West-Bank . . . or . . . . Davis!)
However, I agree with RM that if it's written by a campaign group, that's the author -- and no further identifying information is needed.
Posted by: Alan C. Miller | October 19, 2024 at 11:06 AM