My recent guest column warning about the dangers of the proposed Seeno Industrial project prompted an angry Councilmember Schwartzman to burst into Cafe Voltaire and accuse me of not getting my facts straight.



Schwartzman took issue with my revelation that Seeno developers sneaked large, last-minute campaign donations to council candidates in the last election to secure passage of their project. Of course, he knew I was referring to him and Mark Hughes.  I will let the public record speak for itself.



The "Recipient Committee Campaign Statement & Late/Supplemental Expenditure Report" (filed 11/03/05 in accordance with  the FPPC), discloses campaign contributions from the following political action committee (PAC):



COALITION FOR RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT SPONSORED BY PLUMBERS AND STEAMFITTERS LOCAL 343 AND THE VALERO REFINING COMPANY IN SUPPORT OF ALAN SCHWARTZMAN/MARK HUGHES ID# 1280947



10/27/2005      Valero                                             $35,000

11/03/05         West Coast Homebuilders (Seeno)    $15,000     

TOTAL                                                                  $50,000



These huge corporate campaign contributions are unprecedented in our local council elections; they make a mockery of our democratic election process. Worse, the public was unaware of them until AFTER the election was over.  This is BUYING council seats, plain and simple.



Schwartzman claims that because he was supposedly ignorant of Valero and Seeno's PAC money and because it did not go DIRECTLY to him, that he is somehow off the hook.  After all, he can't control what Seeno and Valero do. 



Really?  Playing ignorant and innocent is convenient. 



But as a councilmember, Schwarztman has a lot of control over development proposals, fees and expansion projects put forward by Seeno and Valero.  Favorable council votes could be very profitable for them.  Of course, Schwartzman is supposed to be making decisions on behalf of the PUBLIC interest.



Why would Valero and Seeno spend so much money backing these two candidates unless they were reasonably certain that they would receive favorable consideration from them?



Should Schwartzman and Hughes recuse themselves from council votes that would benefit Valero and Seeno, based on moral grounds, and to protect the public interest? I believe so. I also believe that if Schwarztman deplores this practice as much as he says he does, he will use his power as an elected official and take immediate steps to ensure that it doesn't happen again. 



Here's the bottom line: council candidates who turn a blind eye to Valero and Seeno's sleezy campaign contributions are not honest enough to be our councilmembers.  Council candidates that can't control what these PACs are doing on their behalf are not competent enough to be our councilmembers.  People are watching closely now, and political candidates will NOT be able to play this game.



If Schwartzman and Hughes, or anyone else who runs for public office, want to take money from Valero or Seeno or any other corporate interest, that's fine.   Let them.  But let the public know BEFORE the election where your money is coming from --it's important for us to know who is buying our council seats. It makes our decision a lot easier.



Schwartzman would do well to redirect his anger at Valero and Seeno's underhanded campaign practices instead of the people who point them out.  The $50,000 campaign contributions from Seeno and Valero have tainted his council tenure and cast a shadow on every vote he takes in regards to these wealthy and powerful special interests.



I stand by my statements--- I do not make them lightly and I will not be intimidated or silenced by an angry councilmember whose corporate backers have been exposed. 



Jan Cox Golovich

179 Harbor Vista Ct.

Benicia, CA 94510