Measure J has prompted record campaign spending - who's behind the money?

Press Democrat reporter Phil Barber spoke with KRCB's Jacob Resneck about where the money for things like mailers and billboards is coming from.

photo credit: Kent Porter/The Press Democrat
Press Democrat investigative reporter Phil Barber.

Sonoma County's Measure J has seen record breaking campaign spending, around two million dollars, mostly in opposition to the local ballot measure.

The measure would ban intensive farms known as CAFO’s, that's an EPA term short for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations.

Multiple existing poultry farms and dairies in Sonoma County could meet the EPA standard for a CAFO.

In this first story in our Measure J fact checking series, The Press Democrat’s Phil Barber speaks with KRCB's Jacob Resneck on his findings analyzing the spending from both sides of the ballot measure that has pitted animal welfare groups against both local farmers and the wider agricultural sector.

“Phil, in your reporting with the Press Democrat, you've delved into the campaign finance reports, so who's bankrolling the support campaign for Measure J?” Resneck asked.

“[Yes on] Measure J is receiving a lot of small donations,” Barber said. “They are relying on a lot of 100 and $200 donations from individuals. But they have received a few larger contributions as well that I would say are bankrolling what they've been able to do.”

“If I had to lump those into one category, I would say that they are people and groups who have a history of involvement in vegan food, lifestyle and animal welfare issues,” Barber said. “So there's a group called Karuna Foundation, which is based in Colorado, that advocates for an end to animal cruelty and adoption of vegan diet; and then some individuals who have made donations in that area in the past [have donated to the Yes on J campaign].”

“Conversely, who's funding the opposition to Measure J?” Resneck asked.

“More so than on the ‘Yes’ side, the money is coming from within Sonoma County, but it's pretty evenly split between inside and outside the county,” Barber said. “I think it's safe to say the largest contributions are coming from large agricultural associations and in some cases individual companies, especially those in Sonoma County.”

“For example, Western United Dairies, which is an association of dairies based in Turlock, that's the largest donor on the no side with about $500,000,” Barber said. “Petaluma Poultry has donated a hundred thousand. California Farm Bureau, a lot of county farm bureaus, a lot of county Cattlemen's associations [have donated].”

“So more of a political question; when you're covering the different campaigns and the rhetoric that's going back and forth, how do the competing sides frame their opponents donor base?” Resneck asked.

“Well, I would say the ‘Yes’ side, they would like to position themselves as sort of the common man fighting for animal welfare,” Barber said. “They would prefer to frame the opposition as large agribusiness; big ag companies, big dairy associations, big players in agriculture with a lot of money. They're really not wrong about all of that.”

“I think on the ‘No’ side, their main point of emphasis is to note that they're the local players,” Barber said. “That a lot of their money is coming from in Sonoma County, somewhere close to half, whereas on the ‘Yes’ side, about 85% is coming from outside the county.”

“So the ‘No’ team, they emphasize the local roots,” Barber said. “And I think that they want to paint the ‘Yes’ donors as being outsiders who don't understand Sonoma County and perhaps have an extreme bent to what they find important, and to their causes.”

“...Not really advocating the fact or fiction of either one of those positions,” Barber said. “But I think that that's how each side would like to frame it.”

“So this Measure J seems to be shattering previous campaign finance records in Sonoma County, which you're reporting reveals,” Resneck said. “Agricultural interests, like for example, pork producers, have been bankrolling opposition, even though we don't have any large scale pig farms in the county. Why might ag industry groups apparently unaffected by a local measure, be bankrolling opposition to Measure J.”

“I believe, and it's only really confirmed through conversations with people on both sides that Measure J is seen as having the potential to set an important precedent,” Barber said. “So this a local measure, it would only affect Sonoma County, but everybody's watching it because if it were to pass here or if it even were to be a close race, I think that it would provide incentive for animal welfare activists to propose this sort of measure elsewhere.”

“I think there is hope on [the ‘Yes’] side that the movement could really take off and that there could be some sort of wide scale fight against larger poultry farms and dairies and other animal farms as well,” Barber said. “On the other side, just as clearly there's some concern that this could do the same thing, set that precedent, and that agricultural groups and farms all over California and maybe all over the country would be fighting a similar battle; and in their mind it's a battle for their own existence. A lot of people are watching this vote from outside Sonoma County waiting to see how close it is and wondering what the aftermath might be.”

“Phil, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to KRCB," Resneck said.

"Happy to do it Jacob," Barber said.