Of the six school districts in the Santa Clarita Valley, candidates running to sit on the governing board overseeing College of the Canyons raised the most funds of anyone, by far, according to candidate filing forms available on the L.A. County website.
The fundraising totals reported so far run through Sept. 27.
Leading the way is Scott Schauer, running for Trustee Area No. 2 for the Santa Clarita Community College District board of trustees, which oversees COC. Currently the president of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station Foundation board of directors, Schauer has raised more than $60,000, including $10,000 from L.A. North Studios and $7,500 from Landscape Development Inc., a Valencia-based landscaping service company.
Schauer’s opponent, Edel Alonso, is the current president of the COC board and has raised $28,717, including $19,222 in non-monetary donations. Much of that comes from the COC Faculty Association Political Action Committee, which has funded much of the campaigns for the four candidates it has endorsed.
Also endorsed by the faculty union’s PAC are Michelle Kampbell, running for Trustee Area No. 1; Andrew Taban, running for Trustee Area No. 3; and Jerry Danielsen, currently on the board after being appointed last year and running for Trustee Area No. 4.
Kampbell has raised nearly $32,400, with roughly a third of that coming from the COC faculty PAC.
Many of the contributions that the union has made have been non-monetary, used for things like yard signs, mailers and other campaign-related things.
Running against Kampbell is Darlene Trevino, who has raised nearly $31,000, all of it in cash.
Taban has raised more than $47,500, the most of any union-backed candidate. A little more than $21,500 has come from the COC faculty PAC.
Running against Taban are Fred Arnold and Tasha Hoggatt, the latter of whom has not reported any contributions.
Arnold has reported more than $17,000 in contributions, including $7,500 from Landscape Development Inc.
Danielsen has gotten more than $22,000 of the $25,000 he has reportedly received from the COC faculty PAC. His opponent, Sharlene Johnson, has reported more than $18,500 in contributions, including $5,000 from Landscape Development Inc.
In the race for two seats on the William S. Hart Union High School District governing board, there is a clear leader in the race for Trustee Area No. 1 based on campaign contributions.
Aakash Ahuja, a psychiatrist with two kids currently in the district, has reported more than $31,000 in contributions, most of it in cash. His opponents are Linda Storli, the current board president, and Gloria Mercado-Fortine, a former educator and Hart district board member for 16 years.
Storli has reported receiving nearly $6,000 in contributions, while Mercado-Fortine has reported $3,100 in contributions, more than half of that coming from herself.
The other race, for Trustee Area No. 4, pits incumbent Erin Wilson against challenger Eric Anderson. Wilson has reported receiving $13,450 in contributions, including $1,000 in non-monetary contributions, while Anderson has given himself more than half of the almost $5,000 he has received. Anderson received $500 from the COC faculty PAC.
Many of the other local school board races have either little or no money reported as being received.
Sue Solomon, president of the Newhall School District governing board, is running for reelection in Trustee Area No. 5 and has reported receiving about $5,500 in contributions. The other candidate in that race, Mayra Cuellar, has not reported any contributions.
Isaiah Talley is running for Trustee Area No. 4 in the Newhall district and has reported no contributions as he is running unopposed.
For the Castaic Union School District, incumbents Fred Malcomb, running for Trustee Area C, and Vince Titiriga, running for Trustee Area D, are both running unopposed and have reported receiving no contributions.
Both Erik Richardson and Steven Sansone, running for Trustee Area A in the Castaic district, have reported receiving no contributions.
The Saugus Union School District has three seats up for election, but only one is being contested. Incumbents Matt Watson, the current board president, and Patti Garibay are running unopposed in the races for Trustee Area Nos. 4 and 1, respectively.
The other race, for Trustee Area No. 3, has incumbent Katherine Cooper pitted against challenger Mark White. Cooper has reported raising $1,350, while White has reported $3,500 in contributions, including $1,000 from himself.
The Sulphur Springs Union School District does not have any contested races. Rochelle “Shelley” Weinstein and Denis Defigueiredo, both incumbents, have not reported receiving any contributions.
Vote-by-mail ballots for the Nov. 5 general election were sent out this week to voters who are already registered, according to the California Secretary of State. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 21, though you can vote “conditionally” by registering and voting using a provisional ballot at a voting center on Election Day.
To check your voter registration status, visit voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.