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Dark money donations fund opposition to Morro Bay measure

September 30, 2024

From a flier on the no on Measure A-24 campaign

By KAREN VELIE

The committee opposed to Morro Bay Measure A-24 recently received three large dark-money donations in less than a week. Measure A-24 is focused on stopping the industrialization of the Morro Bay waterfront by requiring voter approval for certain land use designations.

The Committee against Morro Bay Initiative Measure A-24 accepted two large donations – one for $26,000 on Sept. 22 and the other for $22,800 on Sept. 25 – from a Delaware-based political nonprofit that is not required to disclose its donors. The Local Jobs and Economic Development Fund out of Dover, Delaware primarily donated to groups focused on training and supporting issue campaigns in 2022, the year it was founded.

Another out of state group, Green Light America, donated $7,000 on Sept. 28 to the Committee against Morro Bay Initiative Measure A-24. Green Light America is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that “exists to support local groups and volunteers who want to get utility-scale clean energy projects built in their communities.” It donated through Green Light Action, a political action committee.

In an interesting twist, the no on Measure A-24 campaign has mailed multiple fliers claiming that voting no on the measure secures local control of the waterfront. Currently, the five-member Morro Bay City Council is tasked with making land-use decisions regarding the waterfront.

If passed, however, Measure A-24 would require a public vote to change certain land use designations along the waterfront.

Citizens for Estero Bay Preservation, a group of Morro Bay residents focused on preserving the city’s coastline for the community and tourists, collected the signatures required to put Measure A-24 on the ballot.

In its last 460  financial disclosure filing for donations through Sept. 21, the Committee against Morro Bay Initiative Measure A-24 reported $19,646 in donations. Since receiving the three large dark money donations, the no campaign has collected $75,445 in donations.

The group supporting Measure A-24, Citizens For Estero Bay Preservation Measure A-24, has collected $10,222 in donations, according to its 460 filing for donations through Sept. 1.

Vistra, a Texas-based energy company, has plans to construct and operate a 600-megawatt battery storage facility on approximately 24 acres of a roughly 70-acre property that used to house the Morro Bay Power Plant. Multiple local residents have voiced concerns the facility will endanger the public while negatively impacting tourism and the fishing industry,

Last year, the federal government auctioned off three offshore wind energy sites located between 20 and 30 miles off the coast near Morro Bay.

While the wind farm components will be manufactured out of area, multiple agencies are working to identify the best ports to assemble the parts, after which the windmills will be towed out to sea. Dock sizes at the proposed ports range from 30 to 400 acres.

While many residents are not opposed to the planned off-shore wind farms northwest of Morro Bay, they are concerned that on-shore support systems could negatively impact the community and tourism. The passage of Measure A-24 would also likely delay or curtail any plans to build an industrial wharf in Morro Bay.

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I like the idea of local control and direct democracy.

I’m afraid the money mentioned here is the tip of the iceberg. Pledged support for officials is probably part of the mix. Can you imagine being a state level politician and being against these projects? Good luck!

From a distance it almost looks like legalized bribery. I salute the brave local folks who stand against these corporations and the tidal wave of money that is coming to make these projects a reality. One can dispute social and environmental impacts, but the real one will be fiscal. We , the people will never get a practical return on these investments. Nor will we get measurable ‘climate change’ effects. Most probably a well connected, organized group will reap untold profits in the billions. That’s the big effect we’ll see.

And no, we aren’t setting a ‘example for the rest of the Nation’ . That old trope is getting moldy.

We’ll have $800 plus power bills that will make living here even harder for our children and the work class that make life possible here.

It’s going to happen slowly so as not to rile anybody. But sadly… I think it’s going to happen….whether we want it or not as a community.


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Well said. We need to transition to green, our future depends upon it. But there are as many crooks and opportunists going after that money as there are in the fossil fuel and nuke industries. Solar has been wildly successful so far. Our only current problem is storage, which is soon to be solved as battery tech quickly evolves. So why are we even contemplating such a ridiculous project, that would require we industrialize most of our coastline? Kill two of our most profitable industries? I speak of tourism and fishing.


Seriously, everyone needs to get off their duffs and let them know we are not having it. I realize there are those who are convinced that this is “green” (it is not), and that it is an “important part” of our energy profile, but there ae far better and newer wind technologies that would be much more appropriate to our area and cost a fortune less to build and maintain. Affordability is a genuine issue. And once they destroy our delicate ecosystem, it is not coming back. We, who are living in a genuine paradise, have a responsibility to protect it.


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