Money flows to Breed in mayor’s race

Mark Leno still leads in campaign cash, after candidacy’s early launch

Just 22 days after announcing her candidacy in the San Francisco mayor’s race, Board of Supervisors President London Breed has raised over $320,000 in campaign contributions, putting her within striking distance of Mark Leno, who leads the field of candidates in fundraising.

According to campaign finance documents filed late Wednesday with the city’s Ethics Commission, Leno raised more than $417,000 in 2017, and, after expenses, has $338,267.72 in cash. Leno, a former supervisor who also served in the Legislature, had a substantial head start in raising money because last May he was the first to announce his intent to run for mayor.

The Ethics Commission’s filings report money raised in 2017.

Erin Mundy, Leno’s campaign manager, said he has raised about $480,000, including money brought in since the beginning of the year, and the campaign expects to surpass $500,000 within a week.

Because Breed launched her campaign committee Jan. 9, she was not required to file campaign finance records, according to ethics rules. Her

campaign manager, Maggie Muir, distributed Breed’s fundraising totals.

Supervisor Jane Kim, another contender in the mayor’s race, brought in just over $51,000 after announcing her intent to run for mayor Dec. 20, according to ethics documents, with $48,753.04 left over after expenses. Julie Edwards, Kim’s campaign spokeswoman, said that the supervisor has raised “over $100,000” in total.

Angela Alioto’s mayoral campaign began fundraising in 2018 and has raised about $66,000 so far, said Alioto’s campaign manager, Mike Mallen.

According to their campaign records, Leno and Kim’s campaign contributions came from individual donors. Muir, Breed’s campaign manager, said her war chest was built by “more than 1,000 individual donors.” Mallen said the Alioto campaign had raised funds only through individual donors, “almost all of them after the candidate reached out through a phone call.”

The amounts raised by the four leading mayoral candidates so far also suggest that all of them will be able to access public financing provided by the city. Mayoral candidates who raise specific thresholds of money from individual San Francisco residents and meet several other requirements can receive up to $975,000 in public financing from the city. The first threshold candidates must reach is $50,000, at which point they’re eligible to receive $100,000 in matching funds.

Amy Farah Weiss, another mayoral candidate and a homelessness advocate, reported raising $7,589 through Dec. 31, including a $1,000 loan she made to the campaign herself.

Ellen Lee Zhou, a social worker running for mayor, brought in $6,300 in the last few days of December last year.

Republican candidate Richie Greenberg has just over $700 to spend after expenses. He’s also dealt himself two loans, totaling $560.

Michelle Bravo, a holistic health practitioner whose mayoral campaign has been nearly silent thus far, did not report raising any money. She declined to comment on how much she’s raised so far.

When San Francisco voters head to the polls to elect the city’s next mayor on June 5, District Eight residents also will choose their next supervisor. So far, incumbent Jeff Sheehy has $71,238 left over from the $181,363 he raised last year. Sheehy also has an outstanding loan of $5,585.70 to contend with, records show.

His chief rival, Rafael Mandelman, has $32,233.53 left to deploy, after bringing in over $165,000 in 2017.