The last batch of campaign finance report statements came in this week to the Humboldt County Elections Office, with the county’s four supervisorial candidates reporting raising a total of more than $108,000 in the filing period, which ran March 18 through May 17.
That means an average of about $1,800 poured into local supes campaigns daily during the 60-day filing period, with incumbent 5th District Supervisor Ryan Sundberg leading the cash race, reporting donations totaling more than $41,000 for the period. If there was a surprise in the reporting period, it would have to be that 4th District challenger Chris Kerrigan outraised incumbent Virginia Bass for the period by more than $6,000. Kerrigan, who has made repeated mention on the campaign trail of being up against “big money” in the election, still trails Bass considerably in year-to-date contributions (Bass reports having raised $42,863 to Kerrigan’s $39,744) and year-to-date expenditures, with Bass having shelled out $81,439 on the 2014 campaign trail to Kerrigan’s $35,921.
Here’s a closer look at the reports in each race:
4th District
Virginia Bass reported receiving 69 individual donations totaling $24,937 for the filing period. About 78 percent of the money reported came from organizations, businesses and people with listed addresses inside the 4th District. Her largest reported contributions were: $2,500 from the Humboldt Deputy Sheriff’s Organization; $1,500 from the California Association of Realtors Political Action Committee; $1,500 from North Coast Fabricators and $1,000 each from Barnum Timber, Operating Engineers 3 Local 40, David Schneider, Maurice Shaw and Ernie Weston. She spent a total of $60,519 during the filing period, finishing with $26,377 in cash on hand.
Chris Kerrigan reported receiving a total of 127 individual donations totaling $30,131 for the filing period. About 77 percent of the money reported came from organizations, businesses and people with listed addresses inside the 4th District. His largest reported contributions were: $1,350 from Kenneth Miller; $1,000 each from William Pierson and the Central Labor Council of Humboldt and Del Norte counties; and $500 each from Darryle Story, Joy Thomas, Patricia Anne Winterson, Claire Perricelli, the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5 Political Action Committee. Kerrigan spent a total of $27,115.91 in the filing period, finishing with $6,131 in cash on hand.
5th District
Incumbent Ryan Sundberg reported receiving 54 individual donations totaling $41,024 for the filing period. About 78 percent of the money reported came from organizations, businesses and people with listed addresses inside the 5th District. His largest reported contributions were: $2,500 each from the Hoopa Valley Tribe and the Humboldt Deputy Sheriff’s Organization; $1,875 from Neal Ewald; $1,500 from the California Association of Realtors Political Action Committee; $1,280 from Hank Combs Jr.; $1,100 from Hooven and Co.; and $1,000 each from Humboldt Redwood Co., Operating Engineers Local No. 3 and Toby and Tammy Goucher. Sundberg reported spending a total of $29,702, finishing with $38,327 in cash on hand.
Challenger Sharon Latour reported receiving 29 donations totaling $12,131 for the filing period. About 62 percent of the money reported came from organizations, businesses and people with listed addresses inside the 5th District. Her largest reported contributions were: $1,500 from the California United Homecare Workers Political Action Committee; $1,00 each from the Central Labor Council of Humboldt and Del Norte counties, Peter Martin and Mark Youdall; and $500 each from Greg Blomstrom, David Young and Ken Miller. Latour reported spending a total of $8,359 in the filing period, finishing with $13,824 in cash on hand.
Check back with www.northcoastjournal.com soon to see the disclosure reports for the race to become Humboldt County’s next district attorney.
This article appears in The Slimmest of Margins.
