At the Weekly's last tally, Fort Ord open-space Measure M had racked up about $164,000 in contributions, and its rival, pro-development Measure K, had $141,000 through Oct. 3.
How those numbers have changed in two short weeks.
In the latest finance disclosure forms, covering through Oct. 19, the Measure K camp reports total contributions of almost $313,000 to date this year. Measure M is close behind at over $303,000.
Both figures reflect six-figure donations, along with lots of smaller ones, in the final days before the Nov. 5 election.
In Measure M's case, Monterey Bay Aquarium co-founder Nancy Burnett has made a second $50,000 donation to the Fort Ord Access Alliance, bringing her total to $100,000. LandWatch Monterey County added another $15,000.
That looks like chump change compared to what just landed in Measure K's piggy bank: From Sept. 27-Oct. 18 Monterey Downs LLC, the developer of the proposed horse racetrack that Measure M seeks to block, dropped in $249,000.
That’s on top of the roughly $90,000 Downs put toward Measure K signature-gathering last spring. (In August, a Measure K rep told the Weekly Monterey Downs' involvement with the campaign would end there.)
The Measure K finance committee, the “Yes on K, No on M Coalition to Secure the Veterans Cemetery, Open Space & Economic Recovery Committee," officially changed its name Oct. 24, adding the ending phrase, “with generous support from Monterey Downs.”
(3) comments
I hope locals realize that if Measure M and Measure I passes, we would have horse races with legalize gambling. I will be supporting YES ON MEASURE M and NO ON MEASURE K. We have to think about our kids, family, and our environment.
P.S. MEASURE M supports Veteran's Cemetery and does not dishonors Veterans! Developers should be focusing on the abandon military buildings instead of Fort Ord's forest for job growth.
Do we really want horse racing? Read this. http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/stories/horse-racing-an-industry-in-crisis
Within 5 years that track will be a ghost town.
I'm happy that Monterey Downs wants to invest in Monterey.
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