Downstroke

Meat with vegetables
The ballots have been tallied, the board has spoken, and co-op members know the outcome: Chico Natural Foods will start selling meat. CNF’s board voted unanimously Monday night (Oct. 9) to ratify the 427-188 vote of the membership and asked store management to present a plan at the Oct. 23 board meeting.

“The most important part of the board’s decision is looking for sensitivity on how to introduce meat into the store,” General Manager RachelOriana Schraeder said. “The store has no intention of introducing a large array of products or monopolizing a lot of space.” The change should happen just before Thanksgiving.

Follow the money
Sept. 30 marked the end of the latest political campaign disclosure period. Here’s a rundown of the money trail in the District 3 county supervisor and Chico City Council races.

For supervisor, Steve Bertagna is ahead of Maureen Kirk, having raised $66,949. Kirk raised $62,951, including a $1,000 loan to herself and $10,938 in in-kind contributions. Bertagna has spent $59,339, leaving him a balance of $7,610 as of Oct. 1. Kirk has spent $54,930, leaving her with a balance of $11,714.

Kirk’s biggest contributor has been the Chico Greenline Coalition, which is basically Tovey Giezentanner, owner of a public-relations firm that donated the in-kind advertising work during Kirk’s primary campaign. Otherwise, Kirk’s financial supporters are an eclectic mix of teachers, attorneys, administrators and other professionals, as well as retirees.

Bertagna comes from a longtime farming family, so it’s no surprise that many of his donations came from that community. He also received support from a number of developers and associated businesses, including Steve Schuster ($2,500), Patrick Conroy of Conroy Construction ($2,500) and Tony Symmes ($2,000).

In the City Council race, Mary Flynn is the top fundraiser, having garnered a total of $21,361, including $1,500 she lent her campaign. She’s spent nearly all of it, $20,760, with the largest chunk, $9,370 going to Advertising Associates for television ads.

Dan Herbert has raised the next-largest amount, $13,688, of which he has spent $6,667. Scott Gruendl is third, with $13,219 (he’s spent $9,775), followed by Tom Nickell, who’s generated $11,358 ($9,871 spent). Mark Sorensen has raised $9,024 and spent $6,427, while Michael Dailey has come up with $8,845 and spent $7,392.

The breakdown of contributors follows the usual pattern, with the so-called liberals (Flynn, Gruendl and Nickell) receiving mostly small contributions of $100 or less and the “conservatives” hauling in a number of larger contributions from developers and other business people.

Gruendl’s largest contribution, $500, came from the SEIU, the union whose demonstration in front of Enloe Hospital last summer he joined. Flynn received $500 from her campaign manager, Tami Ritter, and $500 from anti-Wal-Mart activist Heather Schlaff. Nickell had no contributions larger than $200.

Sorensen got $500 each from developer Pete Giampaoli and his wife, Elizabeth, as did Dailey. Herbert and Sorensen each received $500 from both Tom and Sue Dauterman, and Herbert and Dailey each got $500 from Western Electrical Contractors.