Marin political campaigns file latest financial reports

Campaign finance reports filed by local candidates and supporters of measures on the Nov. 3 ballot show you don’t need a massive war chest to mount a campaign in Marin.

In fact, the Marin candidate who has raised the most money so far, Paul Da Silva, a retired biology professor seeking a seat on the Marin Community College District board, reported raising about $49,000.

Compare that to the more than $800,000 spent in the November 2018 election by District Attorney Lori Frugoli and her opponent, Anna Pletcher. That was followed by the $2 million the opposing sides spent during the March 2020 election on the SMART sales tax extension, which failed.

The modest amount of campaign donations collected for local races in this election can’t be attributed to COVID-19, said Brian Sobel, a Petaluma-based political analyst.

“It is all about the type of election that is occurring,” Sobel said. “Typically you don’t get a lot of spending in races for school boards, sanitary districts and water districts relative to the marquee races.”

During the March election, supporters of a measure to increase and extend the Tamalpais Union High School District’s parcel tax raised more than $97,000. Despite the generous spending, Measure B failed to get the two-thirds majority needed to pass.

For November’s election, supporters of a scaled-back version of that measure, Measure M, have raised just over $38,000. Measure M would renew the school district’s current $469 per year parcel tax for the next nine years.

Marin’s Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers (COST) criticized the Yes on B campaign for getting the majority of its $97,000 in campaign contributions from nonprofit school foundations and parent teacher associations in the district.

This time around, the Yes on M committee has reported receiving $9,000 from the Tam High Foundation, $3,000 from the Reed Union School District PTA, $1,000 from the Larkspur Corte Madera Schools Foundation and $1,000 from the Foundation for Reed Schools. COST has not taken a position on Measure M.

Yes on M also received nearly $10,000 from Kenneth Broad, a portfolio manager with Jackson Square Partners.

“It’s a straight renewal,” Broad said. “That is one of the reasons I’m supporting it.”

In the community college district, Da Silva is competing with five other candidates for four seats. Only two of the others filed finance reports. Contributions of $2,000 or less aren’t required to be reported. Stuart Tanenberg has raised $2,200, including a $1,950 loan to his own campaign, and Phil Kranenburg has raised $5,000.

Felicia Agrelius, who is challenging incumbent Robert Goldman for his Area 4 seat on the Marin County Board of Education, reported raising $5,127; that included a loan of $1,330 to her own campaign. Goldman didn’t file a report.

In one of the Marin races with the highest spending, Marin Municipal Water District candidate Monty Schmitt reported $32,380 in contributions while his opponent for the Division 2 seat, Mark Lubamerksy, reported $11,750.

Larry Russell, the incumbent seeking to keep his Division 5 seat on the MMWD board, reported lending his own campaign $5,325 and no other contributions, while his opponent Chris Hobbs reported receiving no contributions.

In San Rafael, the largest of the five Marin municipalities with council races in November, Greg Knell has a commanding fundraising lead with $15,470 in contributions. That includes a $5,000 loan Knell made to his own campaign.

Knell is competing with Rachel Kertz, who reported raising $9,347, including a $3,500 donation she made to her own campaign, and Councilman John Gamblin, who reported raising $3,375, including a $1,000 loan to his own campaign.

San Rafael Councilwoman Kate Colin, who is running for mayor of San Rafael, has raised just over $8,000. Her opponent, Magmoud Shirazi, did not file a report.

Maika Gulati, who is seeking to fill San Rafael’s new District 1 seat on the City Council, reported $1,825 in contributions even though she is running without an opponent.

In San Anselmo, where five candidates are competing for three seats on the Town Council, candidates Eileen Burke and Ann Politzer have raised the most money so far. Burke holds the lead with $9,300; she has received $500 from Jeff Kroot, $600 from Paul Chignell and $500 from Matt Brown — all former San Anselmo councilmen.

Politzer is right behind with $9,100; she has received $500 from Kroot, $700 from Chignell and $500 from Brown. Councilwoman Alexis Fineman reported raising $3,351, including a $500 contribution from Brown and a $1,600 loan she made to her own campaign.

San Anselmo Councilman Brian Colbert raised just over $5,000, including a $250 contribution from former councilman Tom McInerney and $3,709 he lent his own campaign. Incumbent John Wright raised just over $3,000, including a $500 contribution from McInerney and $150 from Marin County Supervisor Katie Rice.

In Fairfax, where five candidates are competing for three seats on the own council, Chance Cutrano leads the fundraising race with $6,854 in contributions, including $1,155 that Cutrano donated to his own campaign. Councilwoman Barbara Coler raised $4,882, including a $1,085 loan to her own campaign. Incumbent John Reed reported $3,149 in contributions, including a loan of $2,900 to his own campaign. Joe McGarry raised $1,220, including at least $700 he donated to his own campaign. Bruce Ackerman did not file a report.

In Sausalito, where six candidates are competing for three seats on the City Council, Melissa Blaustein has raised $32,220. Her contributors include employees of prominent corporations such as Tesla, Estee Lauder, Lyft, Facebook, Google, Genetech and TikTok. Janelle Kellman reported raising $23,365, including a loan of $1,995 to her own campaign. Ian Sobieski raised a little over $10,000, including a loan of $7,500 to his own campaign. Aaron Singer raised $3,910, including a loan of $1,500 to his own campaign. Joan Cox reported raising $1,300, including a loan of $1,000 to her own campaign. Vicki Nichols raised $5,955, including a loan of $2,000 to her own campaign.

In Belvedere, where four candidates are competing for three seats on the City Council, Nancy Kemnitzer raised $2,593, Steve Block raised $2,448 and James Lynch reported a single donation of $180 from himself. Chelsea Schlunt did not file a report.

In the race for two seats on the Sausalito Marin City School District board, Lisa Bennett raised $14,207, including a loan of $2,932 to her own campaign. Candidates Alena Maunder and Jennifer Conway, who filed a joint finance report, raised $7,670. The fourth candidate in the race, Yasmine McGrane, did not file a report.

In the five-person race for two seats on the Tamalpais Union High School District board, Brandon Johnson raised $3,571 and Tiffany McElroy collected $3,146. The other three candidates did not file reports.

Only one of the four candidates in the race for two seats on the Mill Valley School District board filed a report. Michele Hodge raised $8,550, including a loan of $7,100 from Jeffrey Hodge.

In the two-person race for a seat on the Novato Unified School District board, Julie Jacobson raised $8,121, including a loan of $1,800 to her own campaign. Her opponent, Desmond Fambrini, did not file a report.

Finally, Cristine Soto DeBerry reported collecting over $11,000 in campaign contributions even though she won’t have to compete in the November election to win a seat on the Southern Marin Fire Protection District board. Since no one else filed for the seat, DeBerry will automatically be appointed to the position.

“Even though I don’t have an opponent,” DeBerry said, “I still want the residents of the district to know me and be able to connect with me and share ideas.”

The filing deadline for the latest round of finance reports was Sept. 24.