Time for a little math
Campaign finance math, to be specific
The Recall of Joel Engardio has become an extremely important political story in San Francisco and beyond.
To avoid anyone prattling on about my bias after I have finished this analysis, let me first say that I support the recall. I have volunteered my time, knocked on hundreds upon hundreds of doors to gather signatures on the recall petition. I have made hundreds upon hundreds of phone calls, mostly to volunteers to help them stay in the fight and continue signature gathering. I have done whatever task has been asked of me if I was at all able. It was quite a few tasks. I have donated to the cause, a few hundred dollars in cash and a few hundred more to buy coffee, donuts and a big stack of pizzas for the potluck volunteers’ celebration we had in Golden Gate Park after the recall petition was certified.
I think I’m at about $600 contributed to the Recall Engardio Campaign, with cash donations as well as in-kind contributions. I am proud to support the recall. And I’m proud of the volunteer work that I have done as well. Recall Engardio!
I am a small donor, like most of the approximately 600 donors that have given to the Recall Engardio Campaign. Together we’ve contributed $161,796 over the entire timeline of the campaign — Phase I (signature gathering) and Phase II (recall special election campaign). That means the average donor has given the campaign just shy of $270.
Hold on a minute though, the Recall Engardio top three donors have given a total just shy of $62,000. This fact leads us to a lower, more accurate average total per donor of almost $167. Do not worry, I will give the other side the same consideration when calculating the average donor amount for the other side.
Joel Engardio’s anti-recall campaign, euphemistically called — Stand with Joel — has fewer than 200 donors — 188 by my most recent calculation. And he has raised $661,000 from those donors. The average donor to Engardio’s campaign is approximately $3,316, which is just a little, tiny bit more than $167.
Since I said I would be fair, the top four donors to Engardio’s anti-recall campaign have contributed $525,000 in total. The average given by these largest donors is $131,250. The three largest donors to Engardio’s recall defense are tech-bro billionaires and only one of them lives in San Francisco, but he does not live in The Sunset (or District 4, Engardio’s Supervisor district). Setting aside those largest donors, the remaining $141,000 raised by the Stand with Joel (Engardio) Campaign came from 185 donors for an average of giving from “smaller” Engardio donors of $762. That’s also just a little bit more than $167.
What these three largest donors to the campaign to save Engardio from recall all have in common is that they are massive funders of every YIMBY, tear it all down and build it back the way the tech-bros want — politician, coalition and non-profit group anywhere near San Francisco.
If, perchance, you do not believe me, check out their giving habits yourself —sfethics.org.
Chris Larsen, co-founder of Ripple Labs (Ripple software) — $200,000 (Engardio)
Jeremy Stoppelman, CEO of Yelp — $175,000 (Engardio)
John Wolthius, co-founder of Twilio — $100,000 (Engardio)
At least 70% of the money donated to the Recall Engardio Campaign comes from within District 4, the location where the Recall of Joel Engardio is taking place. As for Engardio’s support, less than 10% of it comes from District 4.
This story is as much like David and Goliath as it is possible to imagine in American politics today. Gird your loins folks, it is going to be a hell of a journey.