Fundraising for Pleasanton candidates holds steady during final election days

In the final weeks leading up to the Nov. 3 general election, most Pleasanton candidates aspiring for local public office positions in several races either held steady or made up for lost time when it came to fundraising, according to campaign finance disclosure forms recently filed with the city clerk’s office.

In the primarily three-candidate race for Pleasanton mayor, current council members Jerry Pentin and Karla Brown finished far ahead of newcomer Monith Ilavarasan in terms of campaign contributions — both during the most recently reported period from Sept. 20 to Oct. 17, and for the entire year.

Pentin generated a current total of $43,429 in both monetary and non-monetary contributions for his campaign. A recent additional influx of $5,141 in donations included $1,000 from the Lincoln Club of Northern California PAC and $250 each from the Cigar Parlor and owner Joe Haddad.

The Alameda County GOP gave $300, and former Zone 7 board director Dick Quigley donated $100 to Pentin. Chris Beratlis, owner of Beratlis Bikes, also granted temporary use of his business location to serve as Pentin’s campaign headquarters — a monthly rent value listing $500, for a total of $1,500 during the election season.

Karla Brown finished the reporting period with $33,550, and recently raised another $6,551. The Livermore-Pleasanton Firefighters and an organization called “Tri-Valley Real Estate Group” each gave $1,000 to Brown during the most recent reporting period, while Pleasanton Garbage Service operations manager Anthony Macchiano donated $750 and PGS owners Gina Cardera and Robert Molinaro donated $500 and $750, respectively.

Ilavarasan, a tech product manager and Amador Valley High School alumni, raised the bulk of his $7,835 in total campaign funds, most recently — $5,905 — from residents throughout the Bay Area.

Tom Turpel, who is also on the mayoral ballot, had paperwork filed on the city website stating his intention to not expend any funds.

Planning Commissioner Jack Balch topped the field of seven candidates for most funds raised so far during the campaign for two seats on the Pleasanton City Council. Balch recently received another $2,395 in the most recent filing period — including $1,000 from a San Francisco banker and $200 from Vice Mayor Kathy Narum — for a current total of $37,770 in contributions.

Narum also gave $125 to Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Randy Brown’s campaign, which raised a current amount of $22,093. The Lincoln Club of Northern California PAC donated $750 towards Brown’s council bid as well.

Several labor groups contributed to the council campaign of Valerie Arkin, who currently serves on the Pleasanton school board, and raised a total $7,716 since entering the race this summer. Arkin reported $3,648 in recent campaign donations on her Form 460.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 595 PAC in Dublin gave $500 to Arkin, while Operating Engineers Local Union #3 in Alameda and the Oakland-based Northern California Carpenters Regional Council gave $700 and $300, respectively. Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local #3 in San Leandro also gave $150.

The ACT NOW PAC in Dublin donated $100 to Arkin’s campaign, and both Karla Brown and school board candidate Kelly Mokashi gave $50 each.

Planning Commissioner Nancy Allen finished the election raising $450 in community donations, for a current campaign tally of $14,210. First-time candidate Chiman Lee raised $650 in the last fundraising period, bringing his current campaign total to $7,000.

Housing Commissioner Zarina Kiziloglu had papers on the city’s website declaring her intent to not receive any contributions or have any expenditures for the election.

Attorney Jarod Buna did not list any donors or received contributions from anyone but did spend $6,104 campaigning so far this year. Buna most recently spent $3,604 — the majority was for signs and materials, and the remaining $220 for Facebook ads.

Donations for candidates seeking one of three open seats on the Pleasanton Unified School District Board of Trustees election remained modest comparatively. First-time candidate Chong Wang finished with more than $15,500 in total contributions for the year, though all but $300 was raised before the most recent reporting period.

Former PUSD teacher Mary Jo Carreon recently raised $3,725, standing currently with a total of $11,245. The Association of Pleasanton Teachers and California Teachers Association contributed most of those recent funds — $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.

Board President Steve Maher did not have financial disclosure forms from this year readily available on the Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ Office website. Incumbent Jamie Yee and newcomer Mokashi did not have anything available from the most recent reporting period.

The Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce Business and Community PAC, which donated to all three races, has raised $10,250 throughout the year. Most recently, the PAC received $5,934 in contributions, including $500 from Pleasanton Garbage Service, and $100 from Chabot-Las Positas Community College District Trustee Tim Sbranti.

Overall, the Chamber’s BACPAC spent $8,646 during the election, and spent roughly $1,000 each this year on the Maher, Yee, Wang, Balch, Pentin and Randy Brown campaigns in independent expenditures.

To look up more detailed information about each candidate, click here. PUSD candidate information is available from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters.