Ryan Coonerty, candidate for Santa Cruz mayor, outspent opponent Ami Chen Mills more than five-fold in the June primary. (Amay Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/CatchLight Local)

Coonerty’s donors in the general election include many of those from the June primary, such as:

• Current and former elected officials, including a personal donation of $450 from Mayor Fred Keeley, and a $450 contribution from Councilmember Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson’s campaign fund.
• Developers and associated businesses, including Nielsen Studios principal and Santa Cruz Planning Commissioner Timerie Gordon, and land use consultant Owen Lawlor. 
• Local businesses, including heads of Pacific Cookie Company, Pacific Wave, Zoccoli’s Deli and the Santa Cruz Seaside Company, which owns the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

Coonerty has professional connections to developers and family connections to Downtown businesses, including Bookshop Santa Cruz. Neither, he has said, will compromise his decision-making process as an elected official. 

Coonerty’s new donors include an Alamo-based executive for artificial intelligence company OpenAI.

Since July 1, his campaign has spent $22,496, including $5,000 on social media marketing.

During the June primary election, Political Action Committee Santa Cruz Together raised $15,000 to mail voting guides in support of Coonerty and incumbent candidates for Santa Cruz City Council Scott Newsome and Renee Golder. After the June primary the committee has raised another $10,000 from San José-based Green Valley Corp. and S.C. Beach Partners Hotel, LLC, but has not yet filed disclosures related to spending that money. 

Chen Mills has raised $28,721 since July 1, bringing her total for the year to $43,380. Her donors include two of her opponents from the June primary, Joy Schendledecker and former Santa Cruz City Councilmember Chris Krohn. Other donors include former supervisorial candidate Lani Faulkner and former Santa Cruz City Councilmember Micah Posner. 

Chen Mills’ campaign has spent $13,399. A $370 payment to herself was a reimbursement for campaign clothes, she said. No independent expenditures on behalf of Chen Mills’ campaign have been disclosed.

Measure E buoyed by nonprofit, hospital, Keeley

Measure E is a proposed countywide half-cent sales tax hike proponents say would curb the drastic effects of the federal budget bill H.R. 1 on local safety net systems.

Watsonville Community Hospital’s finances are at a breaking point. Hospital leaders said they may have to shutter the maternity ward to avoid closing the hospital. (Nik Altenberg — Santa Cruz Local file)

A committee to support the measure raised $3,438 in individual donations as of Sept. 19. The Yes on E Emergency Care for All committee has since reported two major institutional donations: 

• $25,000 from the Medical Staff of Watsonville Community Hospital, a self-governing group of hospital staff independent of the hospital or the Pajaro Valley Health Care District.
• $10,000 from local nonprofit Community Bridges.

The campaign has raised a total of at least $39,438.

Both the hospital and Community Bridges are anticipating major funding shortfalls from the effects from H.R. 1 that could lead them to cut services. Watsonville Community Hospital is already in severe financial distress, as leaders are considering shuttering their maternity ward to avoid closure.

If Measure E passes, the organizations could receive tax money to help address that shortfall and preserve health care access and social services. 

Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley created a separate campaign committee to support Measure E, and has contributed $14,000.

Opponents of Measure E have not formed a formal campaign committee, and are staying below spending limits that require financial disclosure, said Measure E opponent Becky Steinbruner.

PVUSD races backed by teachers union

The Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers, or PVFT, has buoyed their three favored candidates for trustee, spending a total of $21,999. For each candidate, the money makes up more than half of their total funds. 

Unlike city council or county supervisor races, most school board races do not have campaign contribution limits. Multiple candidates have received donations of $1,000 or more.

Trustee Area 1

• Andrew Goldenkranz raised $14,282 as of Sept. 19. On Oct. 9, Goldenkranz reported a $2,500 donation from the Monterey-Santa Cruz Building and Construction Trades Council, bringing his total to at least $16,792. About 30% of his donors are outside of Monterey or Santa Cruz counties, the largest share of any trustee candidate.
• Meilin Obinata has raised a total of $8,975 including $7,000 from PVFT.
• Robin Sukow has pledged to not spend more than $2,000 on his campaign, and is not required to submit contribution records. 

Trustee Area 4

• Daniel Dodge Jr. raised $5,000, from the Laborers Local Union 270 PAC as of Sep. 19. On Oct. 6, he reported an additional $5,000 donation from the North Coast States Regional Council of Carpenters Power PAC, bringing his total to at least $10,000.
• Eriberto Estrada has raised $10,755, including $7,000 from PVFT.

Trustee Area 5

• Alicia Jimenez has raised $1,982 as of Oct. 19 including $999 from PVFT. On Oct. 13, she reported an additional $1,000 donation from an individual, bringing her total to at least $2,982.
• Jennifer Schacher and Curt Wilcox have not filed campaign finance paperwork. Schacher withdrew from the race in August, endorsing Jimenez. Wilcox was arrested in September and faces felony charges related to his campaign filings. 

Trustee Area 7

• Incumbent Misty Navarro raised $7,050 as of Sept. 19, including four $1,000 donations from individuals. On Oct. 4, Navarro reported a $2,500 donation from the Monterey-Santa Cruz Building and Construction Trades Council, bringing her total to at least $9,550.
• Mads Realmuto raised $14,517, including $7,000 from PVFT. Realmuto also had the largest individual donor in the trustee races, who gave $1,500. 

Corvin, Del Favero lead in Capitola

Tory Del Favero has significantly outpaced her competitors for Capitola City Council, raising $10,880. She received $200 from Sheet Metal Workers 104, the only union donation in the race. Del Favero and four other candidates are vying for three seats. 

• Cami Corvin raised about $5,735. She shares about half of her donors with Del Favero.
• TJ Welch started fundraising in August, months after Corvin and Del Favero. He has raised $5,300. About 70% of his donors reported living in Capitola, the highest share of any candidate.
• Incumbent Joe Clarke has raised $850 and loaned himself $2,000.
• Peter Wilk has not filed campaign contribution paperwork. 

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