Just because June 3 is an off-year primary election doesn't mean it's cheap.
The candidates in the race for county supervisor for District 2 to fill retiring Supervisor Lou Calcagno's seat have spent upwards of $230,000—and that's counting just two of three candidates.
As of the most recent campaign finance reporting deadline, May 22, Maria Giuriato had filed no reports with the county Elections Department.
Retired Judge John Phillips, who founded Rancho Cielo, led the way in recent fundraising, with nearly $173,000.
His rival Ed Mitchell, a North County activist and retired Army officer, has raised only $35,000 this campaign cycle (most recently receiving a $5,000 gift from his campaign manager, Teri Short). But he's run unsuccessfully against Calcagno in the past, and in doing so, has built up a formidable war chest. He started with a balance of $135,000.
Mitchell's largest gift, $70,000 came last year from the North Salinas Valley Fund for Responsible Growth, a political action committee that formed with the cash from a settlement against a developer. (Until 2010, Mitchell served on the board of that group.) The SEIU Union 521 PAC has contributed $20,000 to Mitchell's campaign.
Phillips has collected largely from Salinas Valley ag companies, with donations of $2,500 or more from D'Arrigo Brothers, Tanimura & Antle CEO Rick Antle, Ocean Mist Farms CEO Ed Boutonnet, King City-based Mission Ranches, Uni-Kool and Jerry Rava, owner of Rava Ranches.
The California Real Estate PAC gave $1,500 and the conservative Lincoln Club of Northern California PAC gave $1,000. Don Chapin, who serves on the boards of Rancho Cielo and on the Salinas Valley Leadership Group PAC, gave $2,255.
Meanwhile, in the four-way sheriff's race, Steve Bernal has pulled ahead, raising $67,000—more than all three of his opponents combined. (He's spent $105,000, thanks to loaning money to his campaign account, as most candidates do.)
Bernal's cash comes mostly from South County farmers and ranchers, with his largest contribution of $53,000 from Margaret Duflock, a San Ardo rancher.
Sheriff Scott Miller has raised $19,000 (and with loans, bolstered his budget to $191,000). Contributors include Undersheriff Max Houser ($3,500), Salinas Mayor Joe Gunter ($100) and Monterey County Bank CEO Charles Chrietzberg ($250).
Mike Richards has pulled in $12,000, mostly in small contributions. Fred Garcia has raised $22,000, including multiple small gifts from sheriff's deputies.
Three open judicial seats on the Monterey County Superior Court bench have also become costly campaigns, with two contested races. (The three elections mark an unusual year for seats that can also be decided based on appointments by the governor.)
Administrative Law Judge Luma Serrano Williams has the biggest campaign fund of any judicial candidate, with nearly $160,000, but that comes almost entirely in the form of loans from herself and her husband, James Williams.
In cash, she’s raised $22,000; of that, $20,000 came from her husband.
Williams' donors include Salinas social justice activist MacGregor Eddy and Salinas City Councilwoman Glora De La Rosa, who each gave $100.
She's running against Monterey County Superior Court Commissioner Heidi Whilden, who's raised $48,000. Gifts include $1,000 from retiring Judge Kay Kingsley, who asked Whilden to run for her seat, $300 from Judge Mark Hood, and $500 from retired Judge Richard Silver.
Defense Attorney Andrew Liu and Deputy District Attorney Steve Somers are facing off for another open seat, in which Liu pulled far ahead in fundraising in recent weeks. He's raised $71,000 (and loaned himself an additional $25,000).
Somers trailed behind with $29,000 in contributions, plus another $16,000 in loans.
Liu raised money from a variety of attorneys, judges and law enforcement officials, as well as family members.
Somers, a prosecutor, counts contributions mostly from law enforcement officials (several police officers in Monterey, Salinas, and Seaside donated) and officials in the DA's office, including Chief Assistant DA Terry Spitz ($500), Deputy DA Berkeley Brannon ($250), and $100 from Todd Hornik, who's run unsuccessfully in the past for the Monterey County Superior Court bench.
Another Deputy DA, Hulsey, who is running unopposed, has raised a little over $21,000 in total. Of that, $17,000 was loaned to herself.