Challenger Denise Lite leads the pack of nine candidates running for Santa Clarita City Council this year, having outraised her next closest competitor by more than $15,000.
According to filings listed online, Lite has raised roughly $66,089 in her race to win one of the three seats up for grabs in this year’s Santa Clarita City Council race.
Mayor Laurene Weste is the next closest with approximately $50,000 raised, Councilman Bill Miranda has had $49,383 in campaign contributions and Councilwoman Marsha McLean has generated $34,145.
Selina Thomas, another challenger who previously ran in 2020, has received $27,774 in contributions, David Barlavi has reported receiving $14,111 and Jeffrey Malick’s filings indicate he has raised $3,529.
Neither Kody Amour nor Douglas Fraser, the final two challengers in the race, have reported receiving any contributions as of Tuesday afternoon.
As of the latest filings available on the city’s website, Weste has declared having the most cash on hand, having only spent approximately $3,000 of her roughly $50,000 war chest. Lite has spent the most in the race, having reported nearly $30,000 in expenditures as of Tuesday.
This year’s election is set to determine who will hold three of the five seats on the council.
Following the November 2022 election, the City Council will transition from at-large voting — or voting for City Council members as a whole across the city of Santa Clarita — to by-district voting, meaning voters will decide on candidates who live in their specific district and will represent their immediate community.
Council members will continue to serve staggered four-year terms, and the three district seats will be up for election once again in November 2026 and in a by-district fashion.
According to the agreement that was reached earlier this year between the city and the group of litigants who sued to force the change in voting system, the five districts’ boundaries will be determined before the 2024 election.
The nine candidates are set to debate live during Wednesday evening’s 2022 City Council Forum hosted by The Signal. The forum is scheduled to take place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Grace Baptist Church, located at 22833 Copper Hill Drive.
The event is free to attend and no pre-registration is required. It will also be livestreamed on The Signal’s Facebook page at bit.ly/3xbI7EG.
