Huge sums raised by many over short time period
With Election day seven days away, city council candidates continue to rapidly raise large sums of money.
However, recent campaign disclosure statements reveal that two of the more conservative city council candidates have raised more money than those with endorsement backings.
Councilman Bob Holbrook has raised more money than any other candidate running for the city council. Since Oct. 1 his campaign raised $23,477 — bringing the total for the year to $55,382 — and he has $22,970.16 remaining, according to campaign disclosures.
First-time candidate Matteo “Matt” Dinolfo raised $19,960 during the same time period, bringing his total for the campaign to $40,880, with $22,001 on hand.
Mayor Pro Tem Kevin McKeown, Councilwoman Pam O’Connor and Abby Arnold are supported by Santa Monicans for Renters Rights, an organization that has long dominated local politics. None of them have raised as much money as Holbrook and Dinolfo.
But in some cases, the margin is slim and SMRR’s financial and volunteer support could make the difference, officials said.
While SMRR reported $6,172 in contributions since Oct. 1, the group has raised more than $143,000 this year. The political organization has $42,033 on hand, according to campaign disclosures.
“We always raise our money door to door or by direct mail,” said SMRR co-chair Denny Zane. “Our fundraising has been steady and effective for years now.”
That could go a long way for McKeown, who is only a few thousand dollars shy of the amounts raised by Dinolfo. During the past two weeks McKeown has raised $10,324 bringing his total for the year to $38,342 with more than $18,000 remaining.
Arnold’s campaign raised $7,013 over the past three weeks, bringing her total for the year to $30,411 with nearly $16,000 still remaining. O’Connor raised $13,885 during the same time period, bringing her campaign total to $15,960, and she has more than $9,000 left over.
Zane said he is not overly concerned that Holbrook and Dinolfo lead in fundraising over the SMRR-backed candidates.
“It certainly would be an advantage for (SMRR-backed candidates) if they raised more money but the SMRR campaign support has historically been significant in elections and I expect it will be this year as well,” he said.
“It certainly would be an advantage for (SMRR-backed candidates) if they raised more money but the SMRR campaign support has historically been significant in elections and I expect it will be this year as well.” — — DENNY ZANE SMRR co-chair
Green Party candidate Josefina Santiago Aranda raised $3,374.52 since Oct. 1 bringing her total for the year to $8,282.16 with more than $4,500 still on hand.
To combat those candidates with greater financial resources, Aranda said her campaign has depended less on the traditional approach of direct mail. She has focused on walking door-to-door and reaching out to those who don’t traditionally get involved politically.
79B,“We are doing a lot of grassroots organizing,” Aranda said. “It’s really been about getting to know the people you want to represent.”
Council candidate Chuck Allord did not declare any new funds leaving his total at $2,050. City council candidates Pro Se and Jerry Rubin have declared they will spend less than a $1,000 on their campaigns, making filing campaign disclosures unnecessary, officials said.
In the race for the three openings up for election on the Santa Monica-Mailbu Unified school board, Emily Bloomfield has raised the most money of the six candidates. Since Oct. 1, her campaign has raised $2,425, bringing her total for the year to $14,315. She has nearly $4,000 remaining, according to disclosure forms.
School board president Julia Brownley raised $2,100 during the same period, raising her total to $6,193 with more than $2,500 remaining.
Oscar de la Torre added $1,015 in donations, bringing his total to $7,951 for the year. He has nearly $2,000 still on hand.
Bloomfield, Brownley and de la Torre have all been endorsed by SMRR and they will received added support from the group.
Shane McLoud raised $5,075 during the past few weeks, bringing his total to $11,669.99, with more than $5,000 on hand.
School board member Brenda Gottfried, who is largely financing her own campaign with a $10,000 self-loan, raised $350. Gottfried said she asked her supporters to give their donations to a group trying to convince residents to vote for raising the parcel tax to fund local education programs
Anne Cochran has declared she will spend less than $1,000 on her campaign, obviating the need for campaign disclosures.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 29, 2002. Read the original PDF.