With more than $20,000 cash on hand, Kate Ford is leading the fundraising race in the campaign for SB school board, according to new campaign documents that show ally Mark Alvarado also in double digits and Democrat Party picks Ismael Ulloa and Rose Munoz lagging.
Ford, a career educator and former longtime principal of Peabody Charter School, reported raising $33,694 and spending $12,449 to date in filings last week.
This leaves her $21,259.64 in the bank, which political professionals view as the key fundraising number; the balance does not include $3,500 in additional contributions she declared after closing the books for the reporting period that ended Sept. 22.
Alvarado, a longtime Latino activist who now works for the city of Oxnard, reported $24,179 in contributions and $14,061 in expenses to date, leaving him with $10,134 in the bank.
Appointed incumbent board member Ulloa reported only $14,639 in contributions, surprising for a candidate who has vowed to raise $50,000. With $9,585 in expenditures, he ended the period with $6,653 in the bank, plus $1,600 listed in unpaid debts.
Fellow endorsed Democrat Munoz, a social caseworker, raised $6,210 although she also personally loaned $2,000 to her campaign. With $1,565 in expenses, she reported $6,824.53 cash on hand.
Ford reported $5000 contributions from Matt and Sheri Fay, among the leaders of the Save Our Schools coalition that has endorsed her and Alvarado; from health care executive Katina Etsell and from Julie Ladner, who is listed as “retired.” Ford’s filing also confirmed that she returned a $2,500 contribution to Barry and Lori Cappello (as we reported previously, Ford said when she accepted the money, she did not know that Barry’s law firm represents former San Marcos High School Principal Ed Behrens in a suit against the school district; Ford said she wanted to avoid any perception of a conflict, or legal complexities if she is elected).
Alvarado received $5,000 each from SOS allies Jon and Marcy Wimbish and from Michael and Nancy Sheldon. Like Ford, and for the same stated reasons, Alvarado also returned a $2,500 contribution to the Cappellos. (Mark may have the single most intriguing expenditure among all the reports: a $215.25 payment to New Balance for “wardrobe.” Dad Shoes?).
Ulloa has received a sizeable chunk of his total from school board colleagues, including Jackie Reid ($900), plus Kate Parker and Laura Capps ($250 each). Supervisor Janet Wolf donated $250, Mayor Cathy Murillo kicked in $500, while her protégé, Oscar Gutierrez, gave $100, as did his fellow council member Eric Friedman.
Munoz has made several personal investments to her campaign, including $2,500 in total contributions, in addition to the $2,000 loan, while friend and ally Mayor Cathy has donated $1,500 from her campaign committee, with apprentice Gutierrez giving another $500.
None of the other four candidates in the race – Ricardo Cota, Jim Gribble, Bonnie Raisin, and Jill Rivera – reported raising or spending any campaign funds.
Images: Kate Ford; Mark Alvarado; Ismael Ulloa; Rose Munoz;