As bad as election night was for Democrats across the country, it was arguably worse for Chevron.
As the editorial board of the Contra Costa Times put it, “Chevron not only lost its horribly misguided attempt to buy the Richmond City Council and mayoral races, it lost its credibility with the community -- again.”
The company spent more than $3 million in an effort to elect members to the Richmond City Council that it believed would be sympathetic to the company. Chevron operates an oil refinery in the city that is among the largest in the Western United States.
In 2012, there was a fire at the facility that sent billows of smoke into the air that set off health concerns from residents. The aftermath of that fire showed strained relations between the city’s residents and its largest employer.
Apparently, some healing with the editorial board of the hometown newspaper is also in order. As the Times wrote this week, “Chevron spent more than $3 million this year trying to elect a horrible slate of candidates who would support its agenda.
“To be sure, the races for mayor and four council seats generally lacked strong candidates. But Chevron seemed to go out of its way to pick some of the worst.
“It wasn't just whom the company backed that offended so many; it was how it tried to demonize the others on billboards, in mailers that stuffed residents' mailboxes and through frequent television commercials.”
The company could have more big fights on its hands in the near future. Billionaire Tom Steyer has said he would like to see California pass an oil-severance tax, and spent money on legislative candidates sympathetic to his cause. Steyer also has the resources to take a statewide ballot measure on the issue to state voters in 2016.