Candidate spends over $500K on water district seat

The newest Santa Clara Valley Water District board member, Gary Kremen, won the seat with a slim 50.8 percent of the vote and spent well over half a million dollars on his mostly self-funded campaign.

According to campaign finance disclosures for the period from Oct. 19 to Dec. 31, Kremen spent an unprecedented total of $534,902 on the election to oust Brian Schmidt from his seat on the board representing residents in Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos and Los Gatos. About $133,000 of that total was spent in the final two weeks leading up to election day — mostly on campaign consulting services.

The final report for the year shows that Kremen’s campaign was almost entirely financed through his own pocketbook. Of the $534,902, over $500,000 came from loans to his own campaign. But he did get some campaign contributions, including a last-minute contribution of $1,500 from the DLA Piper PAC, a political action committee representing lawyers and law firms.

Kremen’s spending dwarfed that of Schmidt, who spent a little less than $22,000 on his campaign. While Schmidt’s war chest was substantially smaller than Kremen’s, it was still higher than other water board candidates running for a seat representing the South County, who spent between $6,000 and $10,000 during the same election. Throughout the election, Schmidt spent most of his funds on campaign literature and postage, but after Oct. 19 he spent most of his money on member communications, as well as civic donations to the Sierra Club, the California League of Conservation Voters and the League of Women Voters.

In an email to the Voice Schmidt said the finance reports show a “glaring” need for more campaign finance reform at every level of governance. He said Kremen didn’t break any campaign rules spending more than half a million dollars on his campaign, so it might be time to look at re-assessing those rules for future elections.

Schmidt said he told his supporters the election results remained a “moral victory” despite the loss. He said it’s important for people to support Kremen as the new board when he promotes good policies, and voice opposition when they disagree.

Kremen was not available to comment by the Voice’ Wednesday press deadline.

Curing the campaign, the candidates agreed on a range of issues. Both believe flooding is a serious issue, including the looming threat that the San Francisquito Creek dividing Menlo Park and Palo Alto could spill over into nearby communities, and both vowed to support strong water conservation policies during the severe California drought.

Despite the common ground, the election wasn’t cordial. Kremen accused Schmidt of having a conflict of interest because he used to work as an environmental lawyer for the Committee for Green Foothills, which he said could have benefited from district board decisions. Schmidt, likewise, said Kremen’s role as a board member for a “smart” water meter company could just as easily pose a conflict of interest.

The Neighborhood Empowerment Coalition, an organization that funded mailers supporting candidates during the election, also spent $30,500 on attack ads against Brian Schmidt. The ad included a prerecorded message that likened the use of “potable,” or drinkable recycled water to drinking toilet water. Schmidt has been an outspoken supporter of using recycled water for potable reuse, and the ad encouraged voters to “say no to toilet water; say no to Brian Schmidt.” Kremen made a Facebook post saying he “disavowed” the mailing, which he said mis-characterized his position on recycled water use.