Three committees have organized to either champion or defeat Measure M, the specific plan initiative on the Nov. 4 election ballot.
Measure M aims to amend the Menlo Park El Camino Real/downtown specific plan to set a cap on allowable office construction in the area. The provisions in the measure could be changed only by a city-wide vote.
Greenheart
Greenheart Land Co., which is proposing to build a 420,000-square-foot, mixed-use development on El Camino Real at Oak Grove Avenue in Menlo Park, has contributed $200,000 to a political committee it organized to defeat Measure M, according to its campaign finance filing.If passed, Measure M would reduce the allowable office space at the Greenheart site from the proposed 210,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet. Greenheart executives have said that if Measure M passes, they would have to go back to the drawing board on their proposal.
Greenheart’s political organization, named the “Committee for a Vibrant Downtown: No on Measure M,” reported spending $82,860 during the reporting period, from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30.
The money was spent to produce and distribute campaign materials not only against Measure M but also for Menlo Park City Council incumbents Rich Cline, Kirsten Keith and Peter Ohtaki, who are seeking re-election and are opposed to Measure M.
Money was also spent on newspaper ads and tech services.
The “nonmonetary” spending for the candidates was to help defray the costs of “slate cards” — mailers sent by larger organizations such as political parties — and delivering campaign literature door to door. The Greenheart committee calculates the value of the contributions at $992 for Mr. Cline, $867 for Ms. Keith, and $992 for Mr. Ohtaki, according to the filing, which was received by the Menlo Park city clerk on Tuesday, Oct. 7, a day after the deadline.
Save Menlo
Save Menlo, the Yes on M contingent, raised $17,305 from July 1 though Sept. 30. It also listed $213 in nonmonetary contributions, described as food and supplies for its campaign kick-off event.Major donors include downtown property owner Nancy Couperus ($1,000); Save Menlo co-founders Mike Lanza and Perla Ni ($2,500); Stanford University student Camille Townsend ($1,000); and registered nurse Catherine Wilson ($2,000).
All but one donor listed on the report listed a Menlo Park address, marking a change from fundraising during the first six months of the year, when Atherton resident and venture capitalist Gary Lauder donated $20,000 — 65 percent of Save Menlo’s funding as of June.
Another ‘No’ committee
“Menlo Park Deserves Better,” the other No on M committee, reported $5,705 in monetary donations and $1,845 in nonmonetary contributions, listed as beverages, event supplies, printing, website and logo design services.Major donors include several real estate agents, with Kimberly LeMieux giving $250; Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers venture capitalist Ted Schlein giving $1,000; and August Capital COO Jeffrey Bloom chipping in $250.
Menlo Park Deserves Better has its own Atherton representative: Peter Carpenter, a Menlo Park Fire Protection District board member, gave two donations in the form of nonmonetary website services that totaled $799 and also a $1,000 cash contribution
