Many probably suspected that the oil industry would spend big to defeat Measure Z—if the measure passes, it will negatively impact the industry's profits.
But until today, one could only guess how much.
The No on Measure Z campaign filed campaign disclosure documents with the Monterey County Elections Department today, and they reveal that—from Jan. 1 to Sept. 24— $3,301,480 worth of contributions have been made to the campaign, $3,250,000 of which is cash.
All of cash contributions were made by Chevron and Aera, LLC, the county's two biggest oil operators. Chevron has given $1,812,480 to the campaign, while Aera has put in $1,464,000.
So far, the campaign has spent just over $2 million.
On the flipside, Protect Monterey County, statements show that the Yes on Z campaign, has received about $175,000 in contributions, about $143,000 which is cash. The campaign has spent $46,602.
Nearly all the contributions to the Yes campaign came from individuals, and are mostly less than $1,000. The campaign's largest contribution is from the nationally-based nonprofit Center For Biological Diversity, which gave $32,000.
When comparing the two campaigns to date, No on Z has outspent Yes on Z by more than a 40-1 ratio.