|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
With about a month until Election Day, the Mountain View City Council race is starting to heat up as fundraising efforts are underway.
The crowded race has nine contenders competing to fill one of four seats that are up for grabs this November. Some candidates are breaking away from the pack and bringing in a lot of money to their campaign coffers.
But while the money is flowing in, expenditures have been relatively modest, as most candidates are only spending a fraction of what they have raised so far, according to the September filings. All nine candidates agreed when filing for candidacy to accept the city’s voluntary spending limit, which this year is capped at $30,495.
Emily Ann Ramos
Mountain View City Council member Emily Ann Ramos has raised about $31,600 this year, the largest haul of all the candidates. Since May, Ramos has received over 100 individual contributions, with notable support from trade unions and several state and local officials.
Prominent backers include state Sen. Josh Becker ($250) and Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Joe Simitian ($250) and Susan Ellenberg ($200). Ramos also picked up support from local officials like former Mountain View City Council members Mike Kasperzak ($100) and Lenny Siegel ($100), as well as Mountain View Los Altos School District trustee Thida Cornes ($250) and Lost Altos School District trustee Jessica Speiser ($250).
Ramos also received support from the Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley ($100) and Leora Ross, California director at YIMBY Action and YIMBY Law ($100).
While raising a lot of cash, Ramos has only spent about $5,400. Most of her expenditures have gone towards campaign literature, mailings and paraphernalia and polling and survey research.
Chris Clark and IdaRose Sylvester
Former Mountain View City Council member Chris Clark closely follows Ramos, bringing in about $28,400 for his campaign. Clark seeded his campaign with a $25,000 loan, the largest loan of all the candidates so far.
Clark has spent about $5,700, with the bulk going towards campaign literature, mailings and paraphernalia as well as information technology costs.
Mountain View Human Relations Commissioner IdaRose Sylvester has amassed about $23,800. A portion of her campaign is self-financed with a loan of about $6,600.
Sylvester has picked up support from several state and local officials. Notable backers include state Sen. Josh Becker ($125) and California State Board of Equalization member Sally Lieber ($250). Santa Clara County Board of Supervisor Susan Ellenberg ($100) and Santa Clara County Board of Education trustee Tara Sreekrishnan ($100) also have contributed to the campaign.
Sylvester has received support from East Palo Alto Mayor Lisa Gauthier ($100) and former Mountain View City Council member Lenny Siegel ($100). Mountain View Whisman School District trustee Bill Lambert ($1,000) and Mountain View Los Altos High School District trustee Thida Cornes ($250) have also donated to the campaign.
Sylvester’s has spent about $3,300, with the largest expense going towards signs and flyers.
Pat Showalter and Nicholas Hargis
Mountain View Mayor Pat Showalter and Nicholas Hargis, a congressional aide for U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, are neck-to-neck in the fundraising efforts, with both bringing in just over $21,740.
Showalter has picked up contributions from Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian ($250), as well as local officials like Los Altos School District trustee Jessica Speiser ($100) and former Mountain View Mayor Mike Kasperzak ($100). Showalter also has received support from the Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley ($100) and League of Conservation Voters ($100).
Showalter has spent about $5,600 on the campaign, with a wide range of expenditures that includes yard and window signs, campaign worker salaries, postcard mailers and campaign consultants.
Hargis has relied on individual donations, including a $250 contribution from Karen Chapman, district director for U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, and a $500 contribution from Mountain View Whisman School District trustee Bill Lambert.
Hargis has spent about $3,700 on the campaign, with some money going towards website design and information technology costs.
Erik Poicon and Devon Conley
Human Relations Commissioner Erik Poicon and Mountain View Whisman School District trustee Devon Conley are in the middle of the pack, bringing in about $16,900 and $12,700 to their campaigns, respectively.
Poicon has support from prominent state and local leaders, including state Sen. Josh Becker ($125) and state Assembly member Evan Low ($250). San Jose City Council member Peter Ortiz ($200) and Palo Alto School Board trustee Jennifer DiBrienza ($500) have contributed to the campaign as well.
Poicon is also backed by the Silicon Valley Young Democrats ($500) and several trade unions and service and healthcare unions that have contributed $3,500 in total.
Poicon has spent about $6,100 on the campaign, with a large amount of money going towards yard signs, postcards and campaign literature.
Conley has support from the education sector including Mountain View Whisman School District trustee Laura Blakely ($500), Mountain View Los Altos School District trustee Thida Cornes ($250) and Los Altos School District trustee Jessica Speiser ($100), as well as former trustee Fiona Walter ($100).
Conley also received contributions from Santa Clara County Board of Education trustee Maimona Afzal Berta ($100) and Foothill De-Anza Community College District trustee Laura Casas ($100). The Leadership for Educational Equity donated $975 to the campaign as well.
Conley has spent about $8,000 on the campaign, the most of all the candidates as of September. The bulk of the expenditures has gone towards campaign literature, yard signs and remit envelopes, photography and campaign consulting fees.
John McAlister and José Gutiérrez
Former Mountain View City Council member John McAlister and former Mountain View Whisman School District trustee José Gutiérrez have trailed behind on fundraising, bringing in about $9,000 and $6,800 to their respective coffers. Both candidates also seeded their campaigns with self-financed loans of $6,100 and $2,500 respectively.
Local officials supporting McAlister include Mountain View City Council member Lisa Matichak ($300) and former Mountain View Whisman School District trustee Steve Nelson ($100).
Gutiérrez has received support from Mountain View Whisman School District trustee Bill Lambert ($1,000) and Los Altos School District trustee Jessica Speiser ($500).
McAlister and Gutiérrez also have spent less than the other candidates, with McAlister shelling out about $2,500 on the campaign and Gutiérrez coming in just shy of that at about $2,400. McAlister’s main expense has been for lawn signs while Gutiérrez has largely been spending money on campaign literature and mailings.
It’s always good to see that all the candidates are adhering to the voluntary spending limit. My “campaign worker salaries” were stipends that went to two Mountain View High School Freestyle Academy students this summer. They were very helpful with graphics. It’s good to involve youth in our campaigns.
Pat Showalter