Marin Assembly candidates see late surge in donations

Sara Aminzadeh and Damon Connolly, who are running in the Nov. 8 election to succeed Assemblyman Marc Levine, have dwarfed most other local candidates and measures in fundraising this year.

The two candidates running for Marin’s seat in the state Assembly have collected more than $300,000 in campaign donations in recent weeks, according to new financial disclosure reports.

Marin County Supervisor Damon Connolly of San Rafael received $178,691 in contributions between Sept. 25 and Oct. 22, while Kentfield resident Sara Aminzadeh, a member of the California Coastal Commission, pulled in $155,405.

The figures, reported in the latest batch of campaign disclosures on Thursday, put Aminzadeh at $775,516 in donations since the beginning of the year, and Connolly at $709,480.

Aminzadeh and Connolly, who are running in the Nov. 8 election to succeed Assemblyman Marc Levine, have dwarfed most other local candidates and measures in fundraising this year.

In Marin’s other state legislative race, Sen. Mike McGuire, a Democrat who lives in Sonoma County, received $519,332 in contributions between the beginning of the year and Oct. 22, according to the latest reports. His Republican opponent, Gene Yoon, a former computer gaming executive who lives in Lake County, raised $54,411 during the same period.

In the race for Marin’s congressional seat, Rep. Jared Huffman, a Democrat who lives in San Rafael, received $828,978 in contributions between Jan. 1 and the end of September. His Republican challenger, Douglas Brower of Humboldt County, reported raising $10,552 through Oct. 19.

Nine of Marin’s 11 municipal councils have incumbents whose terms are ending, and all nine have competitive races in the general election. For the most part, the sums raised in these races have been modest.

In Larkspur, none of the four candidates running for office in Larkspur was required to file a campaign finance report because they all pledged to receive and spend less than $2,000.

In Belvedere, four candidates — Brian Davis, Jane Cooper, Richard Snyder and Peter Mark — are vying for two four-year seats on the City Council. Sally Wilkinson and Carolyn Lund are competing for one seat with a two-year term.

On Thursday, Davis reported receiving no contributions, but he lent his campaign $25,000. Mark reported raising $4,906; Wilkinson, $3,589; Cooper, $2,526; Lund, $1,826; and Snyder, less than $2,000.

In Sausalito, candidate Jill Hoffman reported raising just over $25,000. She is competing with Joan Cox, Jeffrey Chase and Timothy McCloud for two openings on the City Council. Cox reported $13,923 in contributions, including a $2,100 loan to her own campaign. McCloud has raised $1,547. Chase’s report had not been received by Friday, and he might have collected less than $2,000.

In Novato, longtime incumbent councilwoman Pat Eklund has raised substantially more than Nicole Gardner and Chris Carpiniello, who are also vying for the city’s District 4 seat. Eklund has raised $15,964, while Carpiniello has raised $2,675, including a $2,000 loan to his campaign, and Gardner has collected $1,175.

In the race for Novato’s District 2 seat, Rachel Farac has raised $11,852 and Andy Podshadley has collected $5,607. Farac received a $500 contribution from Supervisor Dennis Rodoni and $175 from Supervisor Judy Arnold. Podshadley received $500 from Tom Montgomery, a former chairman of the Marin Republican Party.

In San Rafael, Gerrod Herndon is challenging incumbent Eli Hill for his District 2 seat on the City Council. San Rafael Councilwoman Maribeth Bushey, who is seeking reelection to her District 3 seat, is being challenged by political activist Jonathan Frieman.

Frieman reported $8,969 in contributions, including a $8,000 loan he made to his campaign. Bushey reported collecting $8,535 and spending more than $12,000.

Hill reported receiving $7,715 and contributing $500 of it to the campaigns of Connolly and McGuire. Herndon collected less than $2,000.

In Fairfax, five candidates are competing for two seats on the Town Council. Medical marijuana pioneer Lynnette Shaw reported raising $15,180, including $750 from the Marin Professional Firefighters union and a $7,433 loan from her to her campaign. Cindy Swift reported $13,950, including her own loan of $5,000 to her campaign.

Stephanie Hellman has raised $9,413, including a $500 contribution from Aminzadeh; $500 from the North Bay Labor Council; and $250 from Marin Democrats. Lisel Blash reported $8,218 in contributions, including $750 from the Marin Professional Firefighters; $250 from the Democratic Central Committee of Marin; $200 from the North Bay Labor Council; and $200 from former town councilman David Weinsoff. Holly Baade raised $1,200, including a $1,000 contribution from her to her campaign.

In San Anselmo, Guy Meyer, Tarrell Kullaway and incumbents Ford Greene and Steve Burdo are competing for two openings on the Town Council. Burdo has raised $7,264. Greene reported contributions of $6,850, including a $3,000 loan from him to the campaign, and contributions of $200 from former councilmen Paul Chignell and Matthew Brown. Kullaway reported $6,410, including a $250 contribution from former town councilman Tom McInerney. Meyer reported raising less than $2,000.

In Corte Madera, Pat Ravasio, Rosa Thomas, Robert Lucarini, James Andrews and incumbent Eli Beckman are competing for three seats on the Town Council. Beckman raised $10,122, including a $1,000 loan from himself; $500 from McGuire’s reelection committee; $250 from the Democratic Central Committee of Marin; and $250 from Supervisor Katie Rice. Ravasio raised $1,900, including a $1,500 contribution from her to her campaign. Lucarini, Thomas and Andrews all reported raising less than $2,000.

In Tiburon, Isaac Nikfar and incumbents Alice Fredericks, Jon Welner and Jack Ryan are vying for three seats on the Town Council. Nikfar reported one contribution of $4,444 from Sam’s Main Street LLC. Fredericks raised $3,885. Welner reported $3,275, including a $3,000 loan from himself. Ryan reported raising less than $2,000.

In the race for three seats on the Marin Municipal Water District board, Jed Smith, a candidate for the Division 4 seat, raised $50,200, while opponent Shanta Katzman reported less than $2,000. For the Division 3 seat,  incumbent Larry Bragman reported $30,611 in contributions, including his $7,000 loan to his campaign, while challenger Ranjiv Khush raised $38,275. For the Division 1 seat, incumbent Jack Gibson reported $14,375 in contributions, including a $5,000 loan to his own campaign, while challenger Matthew Samson raised $23,832, including a $1,790 loan to his own campaign.

Among the school board races on the Nov. 8 ballot, several candidates have received more than the $2,000 reporting limit.

Tief Jensen, who is competing with Abbey Picus for the Area 4 seat on the Novato Unified School District board, raised $24,020, including a $10,000 contribution from Giti Underhill. The law places no limits on the amount individuals may contribute to school board candidates.

Picus reported receiving $8,385 by Sept. 24, including $3,500 from the Novato Federation of Teachers. On Oct. 17, Picus reported receiving an additional $8,301 from the California Federation of Teachers.

In San Rafael, Carolina Martin, who is seeking reelection to her Area 4 seat on the school board, raised $25,064 while her challenger Faye Bourret reported $11,815 in contributions, including the candidate’s loan of $4,100 to her own campaign. Lucia Martel-Dow, the Area 2 incumbent on the board, raised $4,874, while challenger Lisa Longnecker reported less than $2,000.

In the Ross Valley School District, Valeri Hood, Chris Landles-Cobb and Ryan O’Neil are competing for two openings on the board. Landles-Cobb reported $3,365, including her own loan of $1,740. Hood and O’Neill raised less than $2,000.

In the Tamalpais Union High School District, six candidates — Damian Morgan, Emily Uhlhorn, Barbara McVeigh, Renee Marcelle, and incumbents Kevin Saavedra and Cynthia Roenisch — are competing for three seats on the board. Uhlhorn raised $9,618, and Marcelle reported $13,712. The other candidates reported less than $2,000.

In Mill Valley, Carol Morganstern, Sharon Nakatani, Yunhee Yoo, Natalie Katz and George Rosenfield are competing for three open seats on school district board. Nakatani reported $9,514, including her loan of $2,550 to her campaign. Yoo raised $2,380, including a loan of $1,950 she made to her campaign. The other candidates reported less than $2,000.

In the Southern Marin Fire Protection District, six candidates are vying for four seats on the board, but only one candidate has raised more than $2,000. Cristine Soto DeBerry reported $13,410 in contributions, including $4,900 from the Marin Professional Firefighters, $200 from the Marin Women’s Political Action Committee; and $150 from Supervisor Stephanie Moulton-Peters. The other candidates are incumbent Kurt Chun, incumbent Peter Fleming, incumbent Thomas Perazzo, Sandra Bushmaker and Amber Isakson.

Committees supporting several of the 15 local measures on the Nov. 8 ballot filed campaign finance reports.

Supporters of Measure M, which asks voters in Belvedere and a section of Tiburon to approve a parcel tax to fund the purchase of the Martha Co. property for open space, reported receiving $61,069 from the California Trust for Public Land Action Fund. The Martha Co., which owns the property, contributed $100,000 to the fund.

Measure M faces no organized opposition. It might face some competition, however, from Measure D, which asks Belvedere voters to approve a real estate property transfer tax of $8 per $1,000 to be paid by buyers or sellers. The tax would be used to strengthen sea walls, levees and utility lines against the threat of natural catastrophe.

Neighbors for Keeping Belvedere Safe reported collecting $21,032 to back Measure D. A committee formed to oppose Measure D, Accountable Belvedere, raised $26,561. Brian Davis, who is running for a seat on the Belvedere City Council, contributed $500 to Accountable Belvedere, and real estate agent Olivia Sue Decker gave the committee $1,000.

A committee supporting Measure B, which would renew and increase the parcel tax supporting the Marin County Free Library, reported receiving $31,350 in contributions, including $17,000 from Friends of the Marin County Free Library and $11,000 from the Marin County Library Foundation.

Keep San Anselmo Moving Forward, a committee supporting Measure J, raised $4,900, including a $3,000 loan from Marie Henrio, chief business official of the Miller Creek School District. Measure J would increase the town’s sales tax from a half-cent to 1 cent and extend the tax for nine years.