BY NORAH SHEPPARD-HUTCHINS
Daily Post Staff Writer
As election day approaches, large donations are pouring into campaigns for and against Menlo Park’s Measure P, an initiative to halt the city’s plans to build public housing on downtown parking lots.
The campaign against Measure P, Menlo Park Neighbors and Small Business Owners for Affordable Homes, has raised $374,201 in money from over 200 donations and an additional $22,349 in nonmonetary contributions, according to finance forms.
Notable individual donors include co-founder of the “No on P” campaign Karen Frances Grove ($50,085), Director of Product Management at Meta Michael Levinson ($25,000), data analyst Andrew Baratz Ehrich ($10,100), Tesla software engineer Phillip Weitershau-sen ($9,999), Elizabeth Burr ($6,000), online safety specialist Charlotte Willner ($5,235), Planning Commissioner Jennifer Schindler ($5,023.87), Software Engineer Joseph Daniel Fantuzzi ($5,000) and San Francisco resident Elizabeth Simons ($5,000). All besides Simons are listed as Menlo Park residents.
Political campaigns for Congressman Sam Liccardo, D-San Jose, and Assemblyman Marc Berman, D-Menlo Park, also donated $2,500 and $5,000, respectively.
Large donations also came from nonprofits such as Karen Frances Grove’s Action Fund ($20,000), Non-Profit Housing Association Action Fund Political Issues Committee ($10,000), and MidPen Housing Corporation ($5,000), a housing developer in the Bay Area.
The campaign in favor of Measure P, Save Downtown Menlo, has received $129,524 in money from over 270 donations, an additional $7,3376 in nonmonetary donations and $87,000 in loans.
Notable individual donors include James Boettcher ($6,417), Nadine flueger ($6,139), Jon Woodruff (S5,000), Realtor Mary Gilles ($2,700), Kevin Kennedy ($2,000), Stanford physician Frederick Dirbas ($2,000), Lynne McClure ($1,125), Sally Morton ($1,070), Jeannete Ritchie ($1,000) and Mountain View resident Jennifer Couperus ($1,000). All besides Couperus are listed as Menlo Park residents.
Business consulting firm Bacciocco Enterprises and real estate agency Elf Realty Corporation donated $2,000 each. Alex Beltramo loaned $49,502 and Draeger’s Supermarkets loaned $45,033.
In the vote against Measure P, “All besides Simons are listed as Menlo Park residents.”
Come on, really? Are the homeowners of Menlo Park really going to let money and influence from OUTSIDE determine what our downtown looks like? I may disagree with my fellow homeowners on the direction of our city but this is just obscene. I hope the usually apathetic homeowners of Menlo stand up this election and tell the outside influences “We don’t need or want you.”