Council candidates disclose campaign finances as voters cast early ballots
As La Cañada voters began making picks for the March 3 election — taking advantage of a new county system that allows residents to vote early — the campaign finances of three City Council candidates were recently made public.
Documents for incumbent Councilwoman Terry Walker and challengers Public Works and Traffic Commissioner Keith Eich and former Planning Commissioner Rick Gunter were provided by City Clerk Tania Moreno following the Feb. 20 closing of the latest filing period.
Although Mayor Len Pieroni‘s name remains an option on the ballot, the incumbent suspended all campaign activity in January following a health scare and, consequently, provided no paperwork to the clerk’s office.
As of the Feb. 20 closing of the latest filing period, Walker’s campaign had an ending balance of $10,371, while Eich maintained an $18,368 balance. Gunter’s campaign showed the candidate had $9,886.
Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 20, Eich reportedly raised $18,125 in monetary contributions and spent $2,977, most of which remains an unpaid debt to wife Lisa.
In the same period, Gunter raised $6,650 in donations, loaned himself $2,000 and received an additional $2,586 in “mail production” from campaign manager Jeff McConnell for a cumulative 2020 total of $11,236.
His campaign has spent $11,506 on voter data, lawn signs and a mail campaign and as of the end of the filing period showed pending campaign bills in the amount of $10,342.
Walker reported receiving $13,594 in monetary contributions in 2020, after kick-starting her campaign with a $1,500 loan from her family’s trust. Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 20, she spent a total of $5,723, including $1,480 to reimburse campaign manager Wes Seastrom for lawn signs, and maintains an outstanding debt of $1,500.
In the documents for the three council candidates, some notable contributors stand out.
Among those who supported the “Gunter for City Council 2020” campaign are Walker herself and current Councilman Mike Davitt, along with former council members Laura Olhasso and Don Voss, who each contributed $100.
Gunter accepted a $1,000 donation from Rob Fuelling, senior vice president of IDS Real Estate Group, property manager for the city’s Town Center plaza, and a $3,000 contribution from Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. John Moulin.
Supporters of the “Committee to Elect Terry Walker” campaign include former City Councilman and attorney Steve Del Guercio, who contributed $2,241, and legal analyst and radio commentator and attorney Royal Oakes, who gave $1,000.
Among the nearly 90 contributors who supported Walker with donations under $500 are Gunter, who gave $100, La Cañada Unified School Board President Joe Radabaugh ($250), Voss ($200) and Olhasso ($100), and La Cañada Flintridge Sister Cities Assn. President Vicki Schwartz ($250 with husband Brad).
Other donors include several current and former city commissioners, as well as Davitt, who donated $100 to the campaign.
Eich submitted a donor list with 23 backers, including homemaker Sarina Stogel and Peter Chen, managing principal of Stonemark Wealth Management, who each gave $2,000. Morgan Stanley Vice President Kevin Danni donated $1,450 to Eich’s campaign, while Phil Pailey, a senior vice president at A&E Networks, contributed $1,250.
Matt Weber, a principal at Cove Street Capital and co-chair of the citizens campaign supporting passage of La Cañada Unified’s Measure LC parcel tax renewal in the March 3 election, donated $300 in support of Eich.
La Cañada is home to 20,227 residents, according to a 2018 U.S. Census estimate, 14,655 of whom were registered to vote in the Nov. 2018 general election.
As part of a new countywide voting system, citizens no longer tied to residential polling places were able to cast votes in any designated “voting center” in Los Angeles County from Feb. 22 to the March 3 Election Day.
La Cañada voters may cast ballots locally at the La Cañada Unified School District Board Room (4490 Cornishon Ave.) Feb. 29 to March 2, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
A flex voting center at City Hall accepted ballots on Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Moreno said 17 voters took advantage of that option the first day it was available. Despite the need for a brief reboot of the system, operations went smoothly.
“A few individuals stopped by yesterday, just to take a look,” Moreno said Tuesday. “We had one person waiting for the doors to open at 9 a.m. He was really excited.”
Resident Nila Barkley, 84, was banking at Citizens Business Bank inside City Hall on Tuesday morning when she decided to visit the temporary voting booth to cast her ballot. After decades of voting at the La Cañada Flintridge Country Club by her home, the migration to a more central location was relatively easy.
“They were very helpful to get you started,” Barkley said of the digital ballot. “I think [the technology] might be harder for some older people — but I can pump my own gas.”
