FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2022
Contact: Daniel Barad, daniel.barad@sierraclub.org
Michael Blenner, michael.blenner@sierraclub.org
May Update to Tracking the Dirty Dollars Project Uncovers Polluter-Backed Campaign Contributions Ahead of Primary Elections
Sacramento, CA - Sierra Club California has released the May 2022 update to its Tracking the Dirty Dollars Project. This update leaves only 15 legislators who have not received campaign contributions from polluters and their allies since January 1, 2021. The report comes just as many Californians are beginning to fill out their ballots for the primary elections. This election season, polluting industries have already spent more than $1.8 million in contributions to candidates’ campaigns. You can read the full overview for this report here and the report spreadsheets here.
The number of legislators that report more than $10,000 in dirty donations has grown from 17 in our last edition to a whopping 58 in this edition. Thirty-one legislators have received more than $20,000, 10 have received more than $30,000, and 3 have received more than $40,000 in contributions from oil and gas interests.
“As Californians fill out their ballots in the coming weeks, it’s more important than ever that transparent resources like the Dirty Dollars project exist to help inform their voting decisions,” said Brandon Dawson, director of Sierra Club California. “This election will be crucial in determining if Sacramento has the leadership necessary to confront the climate crisis, and voters should take into account the contributions that candidates accept from polluting interests as they cast their votes.”
Democratic Senator Steve Glazer leads all legislators reporting $66,000 in contributions from dirty donors. It should be noted that a significant amount of these donations were made to Steve Glazer and also reported in previous years, but he did not spend them and instead, transferred them to his Controller campaign account. A large portion of these contributions came directly from the likes of Phillips 66, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, and Valero.
Republican Assemblymember Heath Flora placed second in total dirty donations with $53,000 dirty dollars. Asm. Flora is one of many Republicans who’ve accepted dirty donations this campaign cycle. So far, the California Republican Party Political Action Committee has accepted $1,245,175 in donations from polluting industries.
Unfortunately, many Democrats in the Assembly reported high dirty donation totals. Among the Assembly Democrats, Asm. Tom Daly leads with $44,100 dirty dollars. Asm. Jim Cooper, a Democratic favorite of the oil and gas industry, reported $36,350 in contributions from polluters and their friends. Other unsurprising names on the high-roller list include Asm. Tim Grayson ($32,900), Asm. Freddie Rodriguez ($31,000), Asm. Blanca Rubio ($31,000), Asm. Sharon Quirk Silva ($29,695), Asm. James Ramos ($28,000), Asm. Adam Gray ($27,200), Asm. Jose Medina ($26,700), Asm. Carlos Villapudua ($24,400), and Asm. Rudy Salas Jr. ($23,300). The California Democratic Party PAC accepted $60,000 in dirty dollars.
Sierra Club California launched the Tracking the Dirty Dollars Project in November 2020 to shed light on oil and gas contributions to legislators and other state-level elected officials. The project sorts through existing public databases to identify who receives contributions from oil and gas companies and their allies through direct campaign contributions, independent expenditure campaigns, and gifts. The project then presents the information in a clear format that makes it much easier for the general public and environmental activists to see what their elected leaders have received.
A cover report discussing the November installment and the data sheets comprising the three installments is available on Sierra Club California’s website. More information about the project is included in a November 2020 blog e-mailed to Sierra Club members and supporters around the state.
Sierra Club California is the legislative and regulatory arm of Sierra Club’s 13 local chapters in California, representing half a million members and supporters.