Candidates vying for a seat on the Mountain View City Council cranked up campaign fundraising efforts, with hopefuls Lucas Ramirez and Ellen Kamei leading the pack with more than $25,000 in contributions, according to campaign finance documents released last week.
The documents, which detail fundraising and spending activity through Sept. 22, show that Ramirez received contributions totaling $26,053, followed closely behind by Kamei at $25,334. Former council member John Inks reported receiving $18,287, and incumbent Pat Showalter collected $15,015 in the same time period. Trailing at the back were Mayor Lenny Siegel, with $9,764 and Alison Hicks, with $8,150.
Although some of the candidates, notably Ramirez, began campaign fundraising early in the year, Inks raised the most of any candidate in the field since July 1, pulling in big donations from local residents, developers and apartment owners. His biggest contributions include $2,500 from Delmonico Apartments, a San Jose-based company; $1,400 from Washington Square; $1,000 from Calvano Development Inc., a San Francisco-based developer currently building Google offices and housing on Shoreline Boulevard; and $999 from the owners of 248 Pamela Drive, LLC.
Other major contributions include the local landlord group Mountain View Housing Council ($500), local landlord Jeff Zell ($500), property manager Peter Wang ($500) and retired Milpitas resident David Hufton ($500), according to campaign documents.
Kamei received significant non-monetary contributions of signs worth through $2,338 from the Mountain View Firefighters PAC, along with major donations from the local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers (IBEW) union ($1,000), the Young Asian Pacific Islanders (API) Democrats of California ($500) and state Assemblyman Kansen Chu's campaign fund ($500).
The latest filing period shows Showalter received several significant contributions including $1,000 from Merle Showalter, a retired resident of Mechanicsville, Virginia; $750 from IBEW; $250 from local developer Greystar; $250 from Mountain View Councilman Ken Rosenberg; and $250 from Cupertino City Council member Rod Sinks.
Siegel's top contributors also include IBEW, which gave $750, along with $500 from Mountain View resident and Google manager Deb Henigson, $500 from workers compensation attorney Donna Rivers, $500 from physician Mary Cooke and $500 from Michael and Bonnie Laster, Mountain View residents.
Hicks received large contributions from Stanford Associate Vice Provost Johanna Metzgar, who gave $1,000, and Los Altos resident Lori Robbins, who gave $900. She also received $600 from Mountain View resident Karen Steach and $500 each from Berkeley residents Sara Hicks-Kilday and Russell Kilday-Hicks.
Kamei leads the way on campaign spending so far, reporting expenditures of $11,647 as of Sept. 22, followed by Showalter at $10,404. Ramirez spent a total of $6,477 over the same period, followed by Hicks at $5,308, Siegel at $3,998 and Inks at $2,603. The vast majority of the funding was spent on flyers, campaign mailers, print ads and lawn signs, with Kamei paying $2,750 to a consultant firm for "campaign communication and messaging," according to the documents.
Comments
Shoreline West
on Oct 4, 2018 at 2:21 pm
on Oct 4, 2018 at 2:21 pm
So I guess vote for John Inks if you really support the landlord and developer agendas.
Registered user
Jackson Park
on Oct 4, 2018 at 2:24 pm
Registered user
on Oct 4, 2018 at 2:24 pm
So I guess vote for Showalter, Kamei, or Hicks if you really support the private and public employee Union agendas.
Another Mountain View Neighborhood
on Oct 4, 2018 at 2:42 pm
on Oct 4, 2018 at 2:42 pm
Beware the developer and landlord dollars; the donors will expect much in return!
Another Mountain View Neighborhood
on Oct 4, 2018 at 2:45 pm
on Oct 4, 2018 at 2:45 pm
We must get them off our public streets and into designated areas, ONLY!
Another Mountain View Neighborhood
on Oct 4, 2018 at 4:09 pm
on Oct 4, 2018 at 4:09 pm
Def not voting for Siegel, Showalter. They got us into this RV situation and they want to dig in deeper. Of course they both live in
Lovely neighborhood with no RVs.
Old Mountain View
on Oct 4, 2018 at 5:16 pm
on Oct 4, 2018 at 5:16 pm
Two BIG THINGS to remember before voting in this November election: #1. Pat Showalter assured us she was against the VTA comandeering two lanes of El Camino for their private designated use, but then after she was elected, she turned on the citizens of MV and voted FOR it. Luckily, this ridiculous plan was trashed, but it proves she cannot be trusted. #2. Lenny Siegel stated he "wants Mountain View to be the Berkeley of the Peninsula". Is that really what ANY of us would want for MV?
These two have NOT represented the citizens of Mountain View and need to be replaced in this election.
Martens-Carmelita
on Oct 4, 2018 at 5:29 pm
on Oct 4, 2018 at 5:29 pm
[Post removed due to disrespectful comment or offensive language]
Old Mountain View
on Oct 4, 2018 at 5:40 pm
on Oct 4, 2018 at 5:40 pm
You can post your attempt to nullify what Pat Showalter said during the campaign four years ago, but you are wrong. She said this directly to me, during her door-to-door campaign, then voted FOR the VTA to take two lanes on El Camino after being elected. She cannot deny this - too many people know it to be true and heard her say this directly.
And many were at the Council Meeting where Ken Rosenberg, when Lenny became Mayor, stated publicly from the dais that Lenny had stated he wanted Mountain View to be the Berkeley of the Peninsula... while Lenny sat there smiling in agreement.
So.... even though you would like these two statements not to be true - they are. Now - care to give us your name and which of these two candidates you're working for, instead of making insulting comments?
Registered user
Old Mountain View
on Oct 4, 2018 at 5:41 pm
Registered user
on Oct 4, 2018 at 5:41 pm
I never ever said I want Mountain View to become like Berkeley. That was someone's joke. Please stop circulating that. However, I have had some nice things to say about Paris.
North Whisman
on Oct 4, 2018 at 5:50 pm
on Oct 4, 2018 at 5:50 pm
Where is all the outrage about the HUGE amount of money given to John Inks by landlords and apartment owners/corporations???
People on this site adore Inks. They think his libertarian beliefs are just what this city needs. He votes YES for any corporation who wants to build here but NO on anything that helps save the planet or might make our world more just.
Yeah...crickets. You all vilify council members for adding an apartment complex here or a condo complex there...but you're silent on the guy who can ONLY say yes to more more more.
Old Mountain View
on Oct 4, 2018 at 8:37 pm
on Oct 4, 2018 at 8:37 pm
if you think any single council member (siegel or showwalter) is responsible for all the rv's in mv then consider why this is a problem in our entire county and the bay area and california and the us - wages to low, rents too high, not enough affordable housing -------alternatively siegel and showwalter have more influence than i thought
Registered user
Another Mountain View Neighborhood
on Oct 5, 2018 at 10:30 am
Registered user
on Oct 5, 2018 at 10:30 am
As indicated in the new article John Insk is only in the race to be a paid representative of private interests if you read:
Former council member John Inks reported receiving $18,287, …
Although some of the candidates, notably Ramirez, began campaign fundraising early in the year, Inks raised the most of any candidate in the field since July 1, pulling in big donations from local residents, developers and apartment owners. HIS BIGGEST CONTRIBUTIONS INCLUDE $2,500 FROM DELMONICO APARTMENTS, A SAN JOSE-BASED COMPANY; $1,400 FROM WASHINGTON SQUARE; $1,000 FROM CALVANO DEVELOPMENT INC., A SAN FRANCISCO-BASED DEVELOPER CURRENTLY BUILDING GOOGLE OFFICES AND HOUSING ON SHORELINE BOULEVARD; AND $999 FROM THE OWNERS OF 248 PAMELA DRIVE, LLC.
OTHER MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS INCLUDE THE LOCAL LANDLORD GROUP MOUNTAIN VIEW HOUSING COUNCIL ($500), LOCAL LANDLORD JEFF ZELL ($500), PROPERTY MANAGER PETER WANG ($500) AND RETIRED MILPITAS RESIDENT DAVID HUFTON ($500), ACCORDING TO CAMPAIGN DOCUMENTS.”
From what I see all the other sources regarding other candidates do not have a DIRECT CONFLICT OF INTEREST REGARDING FUND RAISING AND THE POSITION. 43% of his funds are from sources with a direct conflict of interest in the City of Mountain View. THIS CANNOT BE A COINCIDENCE
Unless someone out there can provide otherwise.
Simply put, who will John Inks represent in the City Council? The citizens, or his benefactors?
In fact, he refuses to provide complete disclosure of income, when the California laws require all income disclosed except for governmental retirement benefits from what I have read. Private pensions are not excluded. And any “gifts” in kind are also not excluded.
The Citizens should consider this in making their vote, that’s all.
Registered user
Sylvan Park
on Oct 12, 2018 at 9:57 am
Registered user
on Oct 12, 2018 at 9:57 am
@Lenny Siegel, OK so the Berkeley comment is 'fake news' we take that back, however it is true that you want to establish a 'sanctioned encampment' possibly at Shoreline, great optics from the Googleplex.