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The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors race is in its final stretch as Mountain View City Council member Margaret Abe-Koga and state Board of Equalization member Sally Lieber are competing for the chance to fill the District 5 seat.
The two contenders are headed to the Nov. 5 finish line with Abe-Koga outraising and outspending Lieber by a wide margin, with a big boost in expenditures over the last month, according to campaign finance filings.
Abe-Koga has raised about $338,300 and spent about $462,200 this year, according to filings submitted on Oct. 24. This brings her total campaign fundraising to about $564,600, partially self-financed with a $85,000 loan.
Lieber has raised about $171,500 and spent about $110,700 this year, bringing her total fundraising to about $196,200. Lieber seeded her campaign with a $135,000 loan.
The past month has seen a slowdown in fundraising but a large uptick in spending. Since Sept. 22, Abe-Koga has received about $34,700 in contributions and spent almost $118,000, much higher than the last filing period.
Over the same period, Lieber received about $3,000 in contributions and spent about $37,500, also showing a ramp-up in spending.
Campaign contributions
Since Sept. 22, Abe-Koga has received contributions from A Better Bay Area ($1,000), Silicon Valley Investment ($1,000), Woodmont Real Estate Services ($1,000), the Korean American Political Alliance Silicon ($500), Unite Here Tip State and Local Fund ($500) and Evandale Holdings ($200).
Abe-Koga also picked up support from Stockton Professional Firefighters PAC ($1,000), SEIU United Healthcare Workers West PAC ($1,000) and SEIU Local 521 ($500).
Other notable backers include Alameda County Assessor Phong La ($1,000), Los Gatos Mayor Rob Rennie ($200), and Santa Clara County Prosecutor Charlie Huang ($500).
Over the same period, Lieber picked up support from SEIU Local 521 ($500), Mountain View Rental Housing Committee member Edie Keating ($500) and California State Board of Equalization member Douglas Winslow ($100).
Campaign expenditures
The past month has seen some of the biggest spending in the race. Since Sept. 22, Abe-Koga has spent about $118,000 in total, with approximately $102,400 going towards campaign literature and mailings. Abe-Koga also spent $10,000 on campaign consulting, $1,300 on social media and about $2,700 on phone banks.
Lieber has ramped up her spending as well, funneling about $37,500 into the race. Lieber spent about $21,700 on print ads, about $14,700 on campaign literature and mailings, and $1,000 on professional legal and accounting services.
Independent expenditures
The Board of Supervisors’ race also has pulled in a lot of independent expenditures in support of Abe-Koga. Earlier this year, the California Apartment Association injected $150,000 into the race. Since then, several other committees have thrown their weight behind Abe-Koga too.
The Santa Clara County Government Attorneys’ Association PAC has spent about $65,000 on Abe-Koga’s campaign, according to an Oct. 25 filing.
Abe-Koga also has picked up support from the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council Committee on Political Education, which has spent about $19,500 on walk cards and mailers, according to an Oct. 24 filing.
United Today, an organization sponsored by law enforcement, nurses, firefighters and labor organizations, has contributed close to $37,700 for consulting, digital ads, mailers, video production, texting and data and streaming TV costs, according to an Oct. 24 filing.
The Registered Nurses Professional Association PAC also has backed Abe-Koga and shelled out $7,950 for social media ads, according to an Oct. 23 filing.
