The opponents of the SLO anti-fracking ballot initiative play their game on astroturf
By Andrew Christie, Chapter Director
On May 5, The Tribune reported on the submission of more than 20,000 signatures to the SLO County Clerk’s office to put a measure on the November ballot that will ban fracking in the county. The story quoted a leader of the grass-roots Coalition to Protect SLO County that is leading the initiative campaign, and then duly quoted an opponent – one Aaron Hanke, “spokesman” for the out-of-nowhere, grass roots-y sounding Committee to Stop the Oil and Gas Shutdown in San Luis Obispo County. Mr. Hanke’s sentiments were presented with no other context, just a local representative of a group of local dissenting voices.
Did the Trib bother to do a ten-second Google search on Mr. Hanke and his committee before handing him a megaphone?
Aside from a link to the Tribune article mentioning its name, the “Committee to Stop…” exists (as of this writing) nowhere on the web. Mr. Hanke’s existence, however, is well defined: He is a former Executive Vice President of Meridian Pacific, the national lobby shop founded by John Peschong, the county supervisor who has to recuse himself from every board vote involving oil because he’s marinated in the stuff.*
Meridian touts itself as a “full-service, strategic political consulting and public affairs firm...working in nearly every state to help our clients win at the ballot box and in the court of public opinion.”
In short, the Committee to Stop etc. shows every sign of being an astroturf group: an attempt to masquerade as the voice of the people in a show of fake grass-roots support or opposition, a strategy originally developed by the tobacco industry and now in wide corporate use whenever there is a need to manipulate public opinion.
Readers of the Santa Lucian may recall the last time we stumbled across a Meridian Pacific alum in a public debate over a major land use issue: That would be Amber Johnson, who opened a political consultancy in SLO “to assist companies with issue advocacy” after leaving Mr. Peschong’s shop. In December 2014, she wrote a letter to The Tribune in support of the Phillips 66 oil train terminal proposal, proclaiming:
“The only special interest I pay attention to is that of the health and prosperity of San Luis Obispo County by supporting responsible businesses such as Phillips who wish to continue to contribute to our local economy. This decision needs to be based on what is best for our county, not what outsiders think is best.”
A few weeks later, New Times noted that actually there did seem to be other special interests Johnson paid attention to, and she seemed to have no problem traveling to other counties to tell them what she thought was best: “Johnson is herself a political strategist who was a regional field director for the oil company-sponsored ‘No on P’ campaign in Santa Barbara County, a former campaign manager for newly-elected SLO County District 4 Supervisor Lynn Compton, and a former executive director of the Republican Party of SLO County.”
Ms. Johnson, who subsequently popped up at many public hearings on the Phillips 66 project wearing a “Protect SLO Jobs” t-shirt and unfailingly portrayed herself as just a concerned citizen who loved oil trains, went on to front for the Our Protected Coast Coalition, energetically opposing the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary despite -- or because of -- the fact that it will permanently protect the Central Coast from offshore drilling.
So come on down, Mr. Hanke. It feels like we already know you.
_____________________________________________________________
*UPDATE, 5/21, 3:52 p.m.: My original post stated that Aaron Hanke currently serves as Senior Advisor to Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham. Hanke left his staff position with the Assembly in April.