What the official record establishes
The FPPC lists a $3,393,598 California Energy Commission grant to Viridis Fuels as a behested payment associated with Rob Bonta in its 2015 data, with a governmental purpose. It is a grant disclosure, not a campaign donation.
What happened to the project
The Chronicle reported in September 2024 that about $700,000 in state funds had been spent while the plant remained unbuilt. Its account describes a proposal promising renewable fuel and union jobs, and Bonta’s support for it.
The project and the 2014 decision
Viridis Fuels proposed a biodiesel plant on land leased from the East Bay Municipal Utility District next to its West Oakland wastewater plant, near the Bay Bridge toll plaza. The EBMUD board approved the lease in 2011, when the company described an $80 million project with 50 jobs. Trade press later described the funded plant as producing up to 20 million gallons a year of biodiesel from fats, oils and grease.
The California Energy Commission denied a Viridis application in 2014 and told co-founder Mario Juarez he needed to raise $50 million, the Chronicle reported. According to that reporting, it took a letter from then-Assemblymember Bonta later that year for the commission to approve the project. The commission took up the grant at its April 8, 2015 business meeting, where a staff member from Bonta’s Assembly office is listed among those offering public comment.
The $3.4 million award was, at the time, the largest behested payment reported by a California Assembly member since 2010, according to the Chronicle.
Mario Juarez and the Oakland investigation
Juarez was a major contributor to Bonta’s campaigns and had defaulted on payments to creditors before applying, the Chronicle reported. Co-founder Kathy Neal also gave to Bonta’s campaigns. SFist, summarizing the Chronicle, reported that Juarez was in bankruptcy during the project, that most of the grant was later relinquished and that the land was reportedly meant to store more than 100 Duong recycling trucks.
Juarez later became central to the federal corruption case in Oakland. In July 2026, he agreed to testify for prosecutors after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit bribery. The January 2025 indictment of former Mayor Sheng Thao, Andre Jones and David and Andy Duong does not mention Viridis or Bonta.
Bonta’s spokesman said his interest in the project came from his district benefiting from an alternative-fuels project, and Bonta told the Chronicle it promised jobs and environmental gains.
What the FPPC entry shows
The FPPC’s 2015 behested-payment data lists the $3,393,598 award with a governmental purpose. That is a different record from a campaign contribution schedule: the money went to Viridis, not to Bonta.
The grant entry records the award. The Chronicle’s reporting describes the spending and the unbuilt plant. Neither is a full project ledger.
Reconciling them takes the agreement and amendments, each payment, approved deliverables and any repayment or closeout decision. That would show what the state paid, what it got and what it recovered.
Why the two amounts matter
An award authorizes money under set terms. A disbursement is money actually paid. A project can fail before receiving its full award, and recoveries or returned funds change the final cost.
The reporting doesn’t show the full award was spent or lost, and the grant entry doesn’t show a corrupt exchange.
The explanation and its limits
The promised renewable fuel and union jobs explain why Bonta supported the project. They don’t show the award was properly vetted or that the state monitored it closely enough.
Open questions
The grant agreement, evaluation, payment ledger, monitoring reports and closeout records would show what was promised, paid, delivered and recovered.
An allegation about a shared campaign-office address has not been confirmed. Even if accurate, it would not by itself prove improper influence.
Questions and answers
How much was the Viridis grant?
The FPPC disclosure lists $3,393,598. That is the award amount; the record doesn’t show how much was actually paid out.
Link to this answerWas the entire award spent?
Not according to the Chronicle, which reported about $700,000 spent and most of the grant later relinquished. A full payment and closeout ledger would confirm the final figures.
Link to this answerDoes this page establish the project’s current status?
No. The outcome comes from 2024 reporting, not a current site inspection or corporate-status search.
Link to this answerDoes supporting a failed grant prove corruption?
No. A failed project, weak oversight and corruption are different things. A grant record alone can’t settle which applies.
Link to this answerWhat would resolve the financial questions?
The executed agreement, disbursement history, performance reports and closeout or recovery records would let readers reconcile the award with its outcome.
Link to this answerWas the $3.39 million Viridis Fuels grant a donation to Rob Bonta’s campaign?
No. The FPPC entry identifies a California Energy Commission grant to Viridis Fuels and classifies its purpose as governmental. It is not a record of that amount entering Bonta’s campaign account.
Link to this answerSources for this page
- Behested Payment Transparency Report
FPPC · 2015 transactions; report published 2022
Printed pages 20 and 27 identify the $3,393,598 Viridis grant. A reported award is not a disbursement ledger.
- The FBI’s corruption probe in Oakland raises questions about Rob Bonta and a $700,000 mistake
San Francisco Chronicle · September 25, 2024
Reporting on the failed project and expenditure. Original grant contract and payment ledger not independently inspected here. Subscription may be required.
- FBI probe in Oakland raises questions about Bonta’s involvement
GV Wire · September 25, 2024
Summary of the San Francisco Chronicle’s reporting.
- AG Rob Bonta finds himself possibly dragged into the Sheng Thao raid
SFist · September 25, 2024
Summary of the San Francisco Chronicle’s reporting.
- Biodiesel plant approved for West Oakland
Oakland North · November 10, 2011
The EBMUD lease and original project description.
- Biodiesel plant receives $3.4m grant
Biofuels International · April 9, 2015
Trade-press description of the funded plant.
- Business meeting transcript, April 8, 2015
California Energy Commission · Docket 15-BUSMTG-01
Item 8: Viridis Fuels, LLC.
- Key figure to testify for prosecutors at Oakland corruption trial
KALW · July 28, 2026
Mario Juarez’s plea and cooperation.
- Former Oakland mayor Sheng Thao and others indicted
U.S. Department of Justice · January 17, 2025
An indictment contains allegations, not findings.