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Fall started a couple days ago, but with the falling leaves comes another, generally more noxious, time of year: election season. Yesterday brought with it another chance to learn more about the candidates vying for office, when the deadline to file financial disclosure forms passed late in the afternoon. They’re a window into local pols’ campaigns; how much have they raised? How many people have donated? Where did they buy their yard signs? Indeed, much to learn.

A few notes: donors don’t send their money to the candidate directly, but instead to a “recipient committee” formed by the candidate with its own bank account. For all donations made by a single individual that are more than $100 in a calendar year, the committees have to record the donor’s name, address, and, if they’re an individual, their job and employer. (No need to record their occupations if the donation is between $25 and $100. Anything under that is just totalled under a daily lump sum.) 

The candidate’s own personal funds they use for their campaign are recorded as loans and have to be deposited into their campaign coffers. If someone donates goods or services, something besides money, the candidate has to estimate its market value and include that too.

When a candidate uses the funds to buy something — buttons, advertisements, food for a fundraising dinner — if it’s more than $100, it also has to be logged. Same deal if they make multiple payments for a service that end up totalling more than that. There are plenty of rules governing how they can spend their campaign money. The big one is simple: it has to be for a “political, legislative, or governmental” purpose, per the Fair Political Practices Commission.

Not every candidate disclosed their contributions. If they don’t plan on raising or spending more than $2,000 in a calendar year (which includes their own personal funds), then it’s not required. If they blow through that limit, they’ll have to file a disclosure.

If you’re interested in learning about all of California’s financial disclosure rules, check out the manual here.

Ward One

Jason McCutcheon

The first half of this year, McCutcheon reported he earned $1,875 in donations that were more than $100 (four of them that averaged a bit less than $500 a pop.) However, he managed to make another $4,790 in sub-$100 donations. 

He spent $3,284 from January through June, mostly on campaign materials and fundraising costs.

From July 1 to September 19, he made $1,065 in disclosable donations, but only cleared $99 in the non-disclosable category. He spent $1,900, leaving McCutcheon with $1,900.

Victor Garcia

During the first half of this year, three entities donated $100 or more to Garcia, including Humboldt County Supervisor Natalie Arroyo’s recipient committee, which sent him $250. He made another $558 in sub-$100 donations. 

Things picked up for Garcia after June. He earned $5,050 in disclosable donations, plus another $1,154 of small donations. The Building & Construction Trades Council of Humboldt-Del Norte Counties gave him $500, as did a PAC for a chapter of a union for heavy equipment operators and the local chapter of the AFL-CIO.

He’s spent $2,965 since then. He sent a polling organization $250 and spent $423 on a plane ticket (categorized as a fundraising expense). Garcia has $4,145 left in the bank.

Audra Sisson

She didn’t expect to make more than $2,000 and hasn’t filed any disclosures.

Ward Three

G. Mario Fernandez

Fernandez disclosed $3,060 in contributions from July 1 to September 19, including ones under $100. He listed the occupation of almost every donor as “unknown.” He was also a beneficiary of $1,500 of union spending, earning $500 each from the Central Labor Council of Humboldt and Del Norte, the Building & Construction Trades Council, and the local chapter of the United Food and Commercial Workers. John Frahm, that chapter’s president, also personally donated $200.

Fernandez gave his campaign funding $3,000 out of his own pocket late last year.

He spent $400 on polling, and another $800 in other expenses, mostly food for volunteers and a kickoff event.

Fernandez’s campaign account has $4,813 left over.

Janelle Jackson

Jackson made a little less than $6,000 from July 1 to now, almost evenly split between donations larger than $100 ($2,850) and under ($3,100). Supervisor Rex Bohn donated $250 to her from his campaign funding. She spent $3,617; $967 of that was reimbursing herself for expenses, and the rest was for advertisements and “campaign paraphernalia.” 

Ward Five

Jeff Leonard

Leonard created a recipient committee, but didn’t file a disclosure form. He’s running as a Democrat, though the Eureka city councilmember position is non-partisan.

Kathleen Herrera

As of this morning, Herrera hasn’t filed anything except a form declaring her intention to run for office. She’s also running as a Democrat.

The Mayoral Race

Casey Dresser

Dresser formed a recipient committee, but didn’t file any financial disclosures.

Kim Bergel

Bergel’s donations are lopsided: since July, she’s earned $4,300 from 12 donations larger than $100, and $640 in small donations. The local AFL-CIO chapter also gave her $500, as did the law firm Janssen Malloy. 

She spent $1,652; $700 for signs, a $450 self-reimbursement, $200 for polling data, $286 for campaign literature. 

Anil Dwivedi

Dwivedi has fundraised $2,056 since July 1 and he’s spent more than half of it. He loaned himself $130 and received two $500 donations from individuals and two $250 contributions; one from a Magan Natha and another from an Alpesh Natha, who appear to own several hotels here. 

He listed three expenses for yard signs, mailers, and IT costs, totalling $1,049. 

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For more on local elections, be sure to check out LoCO Elections.