Retired CEO Angel Martinez has raised more than $300,000 for his bid for mayor, as he and council member Cathy Murillo each have more than $50K in the bank to start the campaign’s home stretch, new finance filings show.
The latest contribution and expenditure reports electronically filed with the city, for the fundraising period Sept. 24-Oct. 21, show these campaign-to-date dollar figures for the candidates:
Candidate $'s Raised $'s Spent Cash on hand 10-21
Cathy Murillo 162,920 119,795 64,966*
Angel Martinez 304,940 251,662 53,278
Bendy White 107,615 62,572 45,819
Frank Hotchkiss 77,854 51,523 26,331
Hal Conklin 79,065 83,202 3,697**
A key number that political professionals look to is the amount of money a candidate has on to hand to spend in the final days of the race.
Although all the candidates will keep fundraising, the current cash balances for Murillo and Martinez mean that they are the two best positioned to sustain substantial paid TV advertising efforts between now and the election. Although White ranked last in the recent Newsmakers Poll, he also has significant available cash and already has paid for considerable advertising on local network affiliates, according to his report.
We’ll leave it to other local journalists, who actually get paid to report on this stuff, to provide more details. Meanwhile you can review all the reports by noodling around on the city's election page, starting with this portal.
*Cathy's cash on hand includes $21+K she raised in December, 2016.
**Seeking arithmetic clarification from Hal on why he doesn't show a negative balance. Will advise.
What's next. The new filings are the penultimate campaign finance reports for the mayoral campaign. The next report is due Nov. 4.
As every school child knows, the schedule leaves a rather gaping loophole in the campaign disclosure calendar:
Reports for the final three days of the campaign, Nov. 4-7, are not due until late December. This means that any last-minute donations from individuals or special interests that candidates feel like voters, you know, are better off not knowing about, will not be disclosed until long after the election is over.
Caveat emptor.
Latest vote update: Update Saturday Oct. 28, 12:06 p.m.
8240 mail ballots received by city. Of those:
4265 are from Democrats.
2131 are from Republicans.
1844 are from decline-to-state independents or third party voters.
Pick up previous:
The last Santa Barbara mayor’s race without an incumbent running was in 2009, when Helene Schneider beat Dale Francisco, with a major assist from Steve Cushman.
It was a wide-open affair that generated a lot of interest, and drew ballots from 23,167 voters, for a turnout of 49.59 percent. This year's five-way might surpass that turnout..
With 10 days left before the election, the city as of yesterday already had received 7,570 ballots – about one-third as the total cast eight years ago - according to Political Data, Inc.. Of these, 3,907 were Democrats, 1,977 Republicans and 1,686 decline-to-state independents or third parties.
Discuss.
Frank on Fox. Unless you’re a fan of the Fox News Channel on cable, chances are you haven’t seen a TV ad from mayor’s race front-runner Hotchkiss.
While Murillo, Martinez and White have purchased tens of thousands of dollars in advertising time among network affiliates with general interest audiences in Santa Barbara – KEYT, KCOY, KKFX and KSBY – Hotchkiss is limiting his TV advertising to cable. On Fox News, especially, he can narrowcast to his base of Republican voters, and avoid wasting money by sending his message more broadly, to many voters more likely to disagree with him.
A deconstruction of the cable ad he’s running shows how he packs a huge amount of information - visual, written, emotional - on issues of high interest to conservatives: taxes, immigration, crime, panhandlers and, wait for it... the war on Christmas..
For those who rarely venture outside the Friendly Confines of MSNBC (Hello Rachel and Chris!) to visit the home of Hannity and Tucker Carlson, here’s an annotated look at Frank’s ad, which you can find on his Facebook page here.
Words: Frank Hotchkiss is the right choice for Santa Barbara. (editor's note: don't miss that "right").
(Image: Frank in blue blazer shaking hands in front of Courthouse).
Words: Frank is the only mayoral candidate opposing Measure C, the largest tax increase in Santa Barbara history, which can be spent on anything and lasts forever.
(Images: Brief black and white aerial shot of the city, covered with all caps words:
OPPOSES MEASURE C
THE LARGEST TAX INCREASE IN SANTA BARBARA HISTORY
CAN BE SPENT ON ANYTHING
LASTS FOREVER).
Words: Frank is also the only candidate to oppose sanctuary city status for illegal immigrants who commit felonies here.
(Images: Frank stands in front of Mission speaking to a woman with dark hair.
Cut to all caps:
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT FELONS
Background: 1) police lights flashing at night and 2) handcuffed man from behind),
Words: As a council member Frank has been a leading voice for putting more cops on the street.
(Images: Frank strides down City Hall steps, cut to all caps:
MORE COPS ON THE STREET
background: more police lights at night).
Words: Plus, limiting aggressive panhandling downtown.
(Image: Unidentified male, no head nor legs showing, holds all-caps sign at chest:
LIMITING AGGRESSIVE PANHANDLING DOWNTOWN).
Words: And he even saved the State Street Christmas Tree.
(Image: Lights twinkling on holiday tree. Cut to Frank in polo shirt and jacket).
The End.
Lest we forget those brave Americans on Fox who battled against the War on Christmas.
Frank’s Book Club Update. Widely varying reactions to our publication of excerpts of the Hotchkiss potboiler, “Playing with Fire”
A high-profile older gent and local celebrity forwards this view: "You realize what you've done - you've elected a man of letters to be mayor!" An equally prominent, and considerably younger, woman, however, offered this one word review: "ewww."
Free prediction: more women than men will vote by Nov. 7.
JR
Images: A barrel of cash; Reminder note; Don't forget to vote!; Frank Hotchkiss as Kellog in TV series "Mission Impossible, 1971; Newsmakers fainting couch.
Email us news tips at newsmakerswithjr@gmail.com or comment on our stories on our Facebook page - SB City Desk. Thanks for reading.