Earth Day in Oakland: Boycott Valero

A coalition of community advocates were out in force this morning calling for a boycott of Valero Energy. The Texas oil and gas company with the familiar light blue signs has contributed nearly $1 million to a deceptive initiative campaign to over turn California's greenhouse-gas emissions law (AB32).


Along with the usual suspects -- I encountered folks from Credo Action (formerly Working Assets phone company) and NRDC -- many participants seemed to have been organized by Oakland's own Ella Baker Center.


Organizers point out that

Every dollar spent at a Valero or Tesoro gas stations is another dollar Texas oil barons can use to buy this election.

They urge voters not to sign any confusing initiative that claims to be about energy. The thing hasn't qualified yet so has no official title or number. If all that money fails to buy enough confused signatures, environmental advocates won't have to spend their limited money and energy fighting it next fall.

This morning the New York Times trumpets the headline: At 40, Earth Day Is Now Big Business. Well, maybe not, in Oakland.