School district, SMC candidates rally funds
(Editor’s note: This is the fourth article in a series this week covering election fundraising.) CITY HALL — Tens of thousands of dollars have been raised in the race to fill three open seats on both the local school and college boards this November, according to reports filed this week.
Leading the pack is Malibu resident and parent Kathy Wisnicki, who is running for a board seat on the joint Santa Monica-Malibu district. She reported raising $28,000 so far this year and spending $10,000.
Santa Monica College trustee Margaret Quinones was next, declaring $13,551 in cash raised for her re-election bid, followed by attorney Rob Rader, who reported raising $8,510 in his quest to unseat an SMC trustee. After Rader were incumbent SMMUSD board members Maria Leon-Vazquez and Jose Escarce.
The size of the other school candidates’ war chests were dramatically smaller, with none of the candidates reporting contributions of more than $700. Candidates and political groups are required by local law to regularly report their fundraising activity. They also can only accept individual donations of $250 or less.
Wisnicki called upon dozens of local education activists to amass her campaign pot. In the last three months alone, she called upon Committee for Excellent Public Schools leaders Shari Davis and Ralph Mechur; school district union organizer Harry Keiley; and current SMMUSD board member Julia Brownley. Also contributing to her campaign were the campaign to re-elect Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, 2002 City Council candidate Abby Arnold and Le Merigot Hotel, according to disclosure documents filed at City Hall.
Like many of her competitors, Wisnicki has spent her money so far on a series of slate mailers, lawn signs, and election information and literature. She reported still having $17,500 in the bank.
SMC trustee Quinones declared the second highest amount in funds raised. She called upon donations from leading SMC officials Piedad F. Robertson, Tom Donner, Don Girard, Dorothy Ehrhart- Morrison and Herb Roney, among others, to build up a campaign war chest totaling $13,500. The $8,000 she reported having spent so far went mostly towards 15 slate mailers and a $2,500 consultant tab.
Trailing Quinones was Rader, a local attorney and board member of the nonprofit organization that runs downtown Santa Monica. Rader pulled in $8,500 in contributions, mostly from fellow lawyers, college professors and Hollywood industry players, and spent $5,500, according to his report. Like the others, the money Rader spent went almost exclusively to a consultant and slate mailers — 16 of them.
SMMUSD board member Jose Escarce raised the fourth largest amount of money, with $5,500 in contributions from a variety of donors, including fellow candidate Wisnicki, CEPS member Mechur and City Council candidate Matt Dinolfo. Escarce reported spending his money on 11 slate mailers, along with a campaign consultant, lawn signs, and various expenses for postage, letterhead and printing.
Leon-Vazquez reported $2,200 in campaign contributions and $3,000 in expenditures, including bills for eight slate mailers and a small consulting fee. School board candidate Ana M. Jara reported $629 in contributions, and SMC hopefuls Doug Willis and Charles Donaldson declared $609 and $525, respectively.
Susan Aminoff and Tonja McCoy, both running for seats on the SMC board of trustees, turned in papers indicating they didn’t plan to raise more than $1,000 and, therefore, didn’t need to file disclosure reports. Only SMC candidate Susanne Trimbath failed to turn in the required paperwork.
In addition to spending their own money, the candidates rely on endorsements from key political groups to aid them in their campaigns. Viewed as especially important is the backing of Santa Monicans for Renters Rights, a political group formed 26 years ago that spends tens of thousands of dollars each election cycle.
SMRR this year is backing Aminoff, Rader and Willis for the SMC board of trustees — all challengers — and Escarce, Jara and Leon-Vazquez for the local school board.
It’s unclear how much weight a political action committee set up by the chamber of commerce to endorse candidates will have in this upcoming election. The chamber, which is backing candidates for the first time this campaign season, decided to support Quinones, Rader and Willis in their bids for seats on the SMC board of trustees.
For the SMMUSD board, the chamber tapped Escarce, Leon-Vazquez and Wisnicki.
CEPS, which hasn’t yet spent any money campaigning, also has weighed in on the school board race. They too chose to throw their support behind Escarce, Leon-Vazquez and Wisnicki.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 9, 2004. Read the original PDF.