Yes trumps No early in Measure I contribution race

By Tom Sakash
From page A1 | January 27, 2013 | Leave Comment

The Yes on Measure I committee has far outgained its counterpart in Measure I election campaign contributions so far, loading up a $32,937 war chest compared to the $8,953 raised by the No on Measure I group.

The first campaign statement filing period ended Thursday and covers all contributions made until Jan. 19.

Measure I, an all-mail special election scheduled for March 5, with ballots to be mailed out the week of Feb. 4, will ask voters whether they approve of the City Council moving forward with the Woodland-Davis Clean Water Agency surface water project.

The $113 million project, which will pump treated water from the Sacramento River to Davis and Woodland to largely replace each city’s reliance on deteriorating well water supplies, needs a majority endorsement from the voting public in order for the measure to pass.

Of the $32,937 that the Yes group has compiled, $7,885 came as cash contributions. The pro-water project group also received a $10,000 loan from Yes on Measure I committee co-chair Alan Pryor and $15,052 in non-monetary contributions.

Cash contributors to the Yes on Measure I campaign for this period include: Brian and Louanne Horsfield, $500; the Saylor for Supervisor group, $1,000; Jerry Adler, $100; Thomas Cross, $500; the Lois Wolk for Senate 2012 group, $2,500; Sylvia Cass and Craig Reynolds, $100; Christine Granger and John Johnston, $100; Stephen Greenfield, $100 and Redwood Barn Nursery, $100.

The Yes committee already has spent about $25,915 of its money on various expenditures such as $2,500 to pay Will Arnold for campaign management; $184 to the city of Davis for use of the Davis Senior Center, 646 A St., and other administrative costs, leaving the group with $7,022 left in its coffers.

For Citizens for Clean, Reliable and Affordable Water, or No on Measure I, $5,384 of the $9,000 it has received were cash contributions and $3,569 came in the form of loans from Pam Nieberg, who lent $2,000 and Nancy and Don Price, $1,569.

Contributors to the No on Measure I campaign include: Sandy Beck, $100; Daniel Cornford, $100; Shneor Sherman, $50; F. Paul Brady, $1,000; James Leonard, $100; Ernest Head, $3,000; Don and Nancy Price, $100; Richard Entrikin, $100; Matthew Bishop, $100; Bill Kopper, $300; Bobby Davidson, $125; Gregory Link, $25; Richard and Diana Hagle, $25; and Danyal Kasapligil, $100.

No on Measure I has spent $5,270 of its raised money on signs, ads and other administrative costs, leaving the group with an ending balance statement of $3,683.

In addition to a successful election, in order for the city and the City Council to forge ahead with the Woodland-Davis surface water project, the city must also pass the higher water rates it needs to begin financing of the capital infrastructure costs.

Proposition 218 notices — that the state requires public agencies to send property owners to inform them of the rate increases — will be sent out next week. If more than half of the roughly 16,000 property owners in Davis file written protest, the rates are thrown out.

The cost of the surface water project has been estimated to triple the average water bill in Davis over the next five years from about $34 to $102. The city also has recently released that revenue requirement costs for the city’s water utility without the surface water project would double the average bill.

Previously, the city had projected only a 50 percent increase over the next five years without the surface water project.

Arguments and rebuttals for and against Measure I, which also will be sent out with ballot pamphlets the week of Feb. 4, can be found on the city’s website at www.cityofdavis.org under the elections page.

For more information on Yes on Measure I, visit daviswater.org. For more information on No on Measure I, visit noonmeasurei.net.

— Reach Tom Sakash at tsakash@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8057. Follow him on Twitter @TomSakash