A look at Yuba County candidate finances

Candidates have spent just over $125,000 on campaigns

Candidates running for available seats in Yuba County in the upcoming primary election have spent just over $125,000 on their campaigns since January.

The elected positions up for grabs this year include three seats on the Yuba

County Board of Supervisors (District 2/3/4), one seat on the Yuba Water Agency Board of Directors and one judgeship at the Yuba County Superior Courthouse (Office 2).

“Things are really starting to get rolling,” said Yuba County Clerk-recorder Terry Hansen. “We have new voting equipment this year, so we are training our poll workers on that new system and spending a lot of time on poll worker training prep.”

Sample ballots and vote-by-mail ballots are in the mail and expected to arrive in voters’ mailboxes any day now.

Hansen said vote-by-mail ballots can also be dropped off at the entrance of the Yuba County Government Center where a drop box is located. As the election nears, her office will begin to count and process the ballots so those numbers can be included in the initial count released on election night. The primary election will be March 3. Candidate finances Local candidates recently submitted documents outlining their campaign fi

nances. The most recent deadline was for the period between Jan. 1-18. The following information also includes each candidates’ financials from 2019.

– Running for the Yuba Water Agency board seat are incumbent Charlie Mathews and challenger John Nicoletti.

Since the beginning of 2019, Mathews has raised $3,500. His largest contributors have been Adrienne Edmonston ($1,000), John Edmonston ($1,000), and himself ($1,500). His largest expenses have gone to the Yuba County Clerk ($917) for filing fees.

Nicoletti has raised $7,115 so far in 2020. His largest contributors include Antonio’s Quick Lunch ($1,500), Brown Cattle Company ($1,000), Tumber Real Estate ($500), Joseph Hale ($500), Hilbers, Inc. ($500), and Lawrence R. Booth ($500). His most notable expense went to Signworx ($1,593) for campaign signs.

– Running for a judge seat for Yuba County Superior Court are Melanie Bendorf and Terry Spies.

So far in 2020, Bendorf has raised $11,148. Her most notable contributors have been Angelo K. Tsakopoulos and Affiliated Entities ($5,000), Teichert, Inc. and Affiliates ($1,000), Kenneth M. Kamber ($1,000) and Rick Worrell ($1,000). In 2019, she raised $20,539 in contributions – her most notable donors being Gaynell Gleason ($10,000), Thiara Company ($1,000), and Sarbdeep S. Atwal ($750).

Her largest expenses since the beginning of 2019 include Smart

Marketing and Public Affairs ($20,398) for campaign consultants, campaign literature and information technology costs; Signworx ($11,310) for campaign literature; Appeal-democrat ($4,375) for print ads; Political Data Inc. ($2,500) for campaign literature; and Thomas Huth dba KMYC ($1,150) for print ads.

Spies has raised $10,559 in 2020 so far. Her largest contributors were James Casner ($2,240), Kristen R. Wild ($1,000), Shawn Searle ($500), Audi J. Murphy ($500), and Jeffery L. Pierce ($500). In the second half of 2019, she also raised $2,999 in contributions – her biggest donors included Team Casing Inc. ($1,000) and James Casner ($800).

Her largest expenses since July 2019 went to Trik Concepts ($5,595) for campaign signs; Krankin Hanks ($4,375) for a fundraiser dinner; and Printworx ($1,417) for campaign literature.

–Running for the District 2 seat on the Yuba County Board of Supervisors include incumbent Mike Leahy and challengers Don Blaser and Stephen Heter.

Leahy has only raised $210 in contributions so far in 2020. In the second half of 2019, he raised $5,561 in contributions – his largest donors being himself ($900) and Andrew Vasquez ($200), with the rest coming from unitemized monetary contributions of less than $100.

His largest expenses included Tracey’s Diner ($2,300) for facility rental and catering; the Yuba County Clerk/recorder ($1,071) for filing fees; and Ted Langdell ($800) for design/video and consulting services.

Blaser has raised $1,150 in monetary contributions this year, his largest donor being Recology ($1,000). The year prior he raised $2,843 – donors included Danna Properties LP ($500), Danna & Danna Inc ($250), Plumas Mutual Water ($250), Charley Mathews Jr. ($250), and District 10 Dryers LLC ($250).

Since the beginning of 2019, his largest expenses have gone to Smart Marketing ($3,888) for campaign consultants and the Yuba County Clerk ($1,059) for candidate filings.

Heter has not raised any monetary contributions or had any expenditures in 2020. He received a monetary contribution from Jim Nielsen for State Controller 2022 ($1,000) in December 2019.

–For the District 3 supervisor seat, incumbent Doug Lofton is running against challenger Seth Fuhrer.

Lofton has raised $1,100 so far in 2020, with donations coming from Teichert, Inc. ($1,000) and Clarence R. Weckman ($100). In the second half of 2019, Lofton raised $2,215 in monetary contributions – the largest donor was Recology Inc. ($1,500). Since the beginning of 2019, he has loaned his campaign $19,500.

Since the beginning of 2019, his largest expenses have included Smart Marketing and Public Affairs ($9,246) for campaign consulting and the US Postal Service ($741) for postage.

Fuhrer has raised $168 in monetary contributions in 2020 so far. In the second half of 2019, he gave his campaign a $20,000 loan.

His largest expenditures since July 2019 have gone to Sapphire

Marketing Group ($5,337) for campaign consultants; KMYC Talk Radio 1410 AM ($1,200) for radio airtime and production costs; Erma Jean’s Southern Cuisine ($1,272) for fundraising events; and the Yuba County Clerk/record ($1,004) for candidate filings.

–In the District 4 supervisor race is incumbent Gary Bradford and challenger Joe Henderson

Bradford has raised $11,200 in 2020 so far. His largest donors included Marysville Central Labor Council PAC ($1,000), Pipe Trades District Council #36 PAC ($3,000), and Enterprise Rancheria ($7,000). In the second half of 2019, he raised $17,043 – his largest contributors were Gerald Forsythe ($2,500), Recology, Inc. ($1,500), Teichert, Inc. ($1,500), UA Local Union 228 ($2,500), and Andi Crivello ($1,090).

His largest expenses since the start of 2019 include Smart Marketing ($10,039) for campaign consulting and the Yuba County Clerk ($1,065) for filing fees.

Henderson has raised $1,100 in 2020, with the largest donor being California Real Estate Political Action Committee ($1,000). In 2019, he raised $32,779 in monetary contributions. His largest donors that year included Frances J. Webb ($3,000), Frank Webb Construction Inc. ($2,500), Joe and Josina Conant Inc. ($1,100), and N & S Tractor ($2,500).

Since the beginning of 2019, his largest expenditures were Cedar Creek ($7,820) for campaign paraphernalia; Cliff Wagner Consulting ($6,251) for campaign consultants; and Bieber Communications ($1,729) for campaign paraphernalia.