Several candidates intensified fundraising efforts in the final
weeks before the June primary, while at least two residents running
for office in the open seats locally had not turned in campaign
finance disclosure statements by the deadline last week, according
to records.
Several candidates intensified fundraising efforts in the final weeks before the June primary, while at least two residents running for office in the open seats locally had not turned in campaign finance disclosure statements by the deadline last week, according to records.
The nine local residents running for the two open supervisor seats and the sheriff’s office had until 5 p.m. Thursday to submit their latest disclosure documents. Those cover the filing period from March 18 through May 22 and act as the final submission before the June 8 primary. The documents – called Form 460s – include totals on funds that were raised and spent, along with itemized listings of donors who gave at least $100.
The two candidates who did not have their disclosure statements filed as of Friday afternoon were Marshal Robert Scattini in the sheriff’s race and Robert Rivas, who is challenging incumbent Pat Loe for District 3 supervisor.
Scattini said his treasurer “screwed up” – being busy with a wedding – and that the statement will be submitted Tuesday, as Monday is a holiday. Rivas noted how his documents had been mailed either Thursday or Friday and that the elections office should get them by Tuesday.
It is unclear how County Clerk Joe Paul Gonzalez plans to handle the late submissions, and he could not be reached before publication.
Those submissions – and the amounts of money raised – potentially can indicate a candidate’s level of support. Sometimes, however, that is not necessarily the case. For the public, the benefit of the disclosures often comes in having the ability to scrutinize who is donating to whose campaigns.
In perhaps the most contentious race, to succeed Sheriff Curtis Hill, Undersheriff Pat Turturici continued to lead the way in fundraising.
Turturici had raised a total of $27,245 during the period, including $15,277 in cash and $10,000 in loans. That brought his total for the year to about $63,000 while his ending cash balance was $10,420, according to records.
Watsonville police Lt. Darren Thompson raised the second most in the period, with $12,280. His total for the year was $14,508 and he had a balance of $445 at the period’s end.
Hollister police Sgt. Ray Wood raised $10,723 during the latest period. His total raised for the year was $14,873 and he had an ending balance in his campaign account of $1,674, according to documents.
Though Scattini’s latest documents were not submitted, he had raised $10,420 as of the prior disclosure period ending March 17, according to records.
Between the two supervisorial races – barring Rivas in District 3 did not make an unusually large jump in contributions – District 4 incumbent Reb Monaco took in the most money and experienced a relatively large increase in contributions during the latest disclosure period.
Monaco – who took in a mere $198 as of the March filing deadline and had $5,200 in his account at the time – garnered $19,436 in contributions during the latest filing period. That included $5,000 in loans and another $539 in non-monetary help. Monaco for the year had raised $24,898 and had $507 left in his account, according to his documents.
Leading fundraiser and opponent Phil Fortino raised $18,448 in the latest period – though more than $8,000 was for an office rental. In total, Fortino had raised about $56,000 for the year and had $5,954 as a cash balance.
Also in that race, Jerry Muenzer raised $7,139 during this last disclosure period. He had raised $23,848 for the year and had $4,182 as an ending cash balance, according to the documents.
In the District 3 supervisor race, incumbent Pat Loe had raised $4,031 in the period, including $1,997 in non-monetary contributions. In total for the year, she had raised $5,554 and had $699 as a cash balance.
As of the March 18 filing period, Rivas had raised nearly $7,000.
For a breakdown of top donors in the latest period, see the Free Lance on Tuesday.
