Several election campaigns across Sonoma County have received relatively large deposits of money as races enter the home stretch, campaign finance reports from Sept. 22 to Oct. 19 show.

While Measure J is the most important ballot question at the local level, with around $2 million raised between both partieshe Measure I The effort to establish a new quarter-cent sales tax to bring more child care to Sonoma County has raised $497,073 during the 2024 election cycle, according to reports filed by Our Kids Our Future PAC, the leading proponent of the tax program. Sonoma County Child Care and Child Health. Initiative.

Most of the funds raised by the PAC came in the early part of the election season, but the campaign added $56,847 in recent weeks, including $50,000 from the Children’s Funding Accelerator, a Nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC that supports children’s health. The campaign also received a $5,000 donation from Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1021, the county’s largest labor representative.

Our Kids Our Future PAC detailed $229,278 in recent expenses. These include $25,000 to Bay Area Digital Solutions for digital advertising; $4,684 to Breakaway Political for political consulting and Facebook advertising; $15,314 to Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County for voter outreach; $26,379 to Dennis Rosatti Consulting for consulting fees, plus digital and radio advertising from Sonoma Media Investments (the parent company of The Press Democrat), KZST and Wine County Radio; and $49,089 to Sonia Taylor Design for shipping, literature and campaign paraphernalia.

Measure W: Sonoma County Library

Sonoma County Library’s Bid to Renew a Sales Tax which comprises 40% of its budget has also obtained significant donations. Measure W, which would indefinitely renew the one-eighth-cent sales tax for the Sonoma County library system, raised an additional $36,279 last month, for a fundraising total of $146,325. Contributions were made by Friends of the Santa Rosa Library ($20,000), Friends of the Petaluma Library ($5,000), Friends of the Cloverdale Library ($2,500) and Friends of the Sonoma Library ($1,414).

In total, the campaign has spent $95,234 on campaign consultants, shipping costs and campaign materials. The bulk of those funds ($67,824) were spent in the last month, including $34,000 to Indie Politics and Daniel T. Mullen Consulting, $3,334 to Sally Tomatoes for fundraising, $27,547 to Sonia Taylor Design for promotional materials campaign and mailing, and $1,883 for five additional funds. suppliers for professional services, office expenses and additional consulting.

Garbage hauler spends big on Measure Q in Windsor

The battle over how the City of Windsor will hire its trash hauler has been the most expensive campaign in dollars for any municipal race throughout the county. Sonoma County Recovery Resources, the city’s current trash hauler, has invested $263,738 of its own money and resources into the Measure Q campaign. which seeks to eliminate the 10-year contract limit and required bidding process.

Of those funds, the campaign has spent a total of $206,000 on campaign consultants, campaign materials, mailing costs, surveys, attorney fees and accounting. The costs include a $66,000 bill for petition costs to the Newport Beach-based company. On the ground Inc.a political consulting firm that, among other things, provides voter registration, signature collection, and research services.

The financial records show the campaign for Healdsburg Measure O – which seeks to change how and where certain development can occur – nearly doubled donations last month.

While records show numerous small donations, the largest donations had the biggest impact on the Yes on O campaign coffers, including $2,500 from the Healdsburg Parks Foundation, $1,000 each from the Sonoma County Alliance PAC and the North Coast Citizens for a Better Economy PAC; and $500 each from the North Bay Labor Council and SEIU.

Last month, the Yes on O campaign spent $6,416 on digital advertising, billboards and its political consultant, Breakaway Political. In total, the campaign has spent $13,261 in its effort to convince residents to amend the city’s “growth management ordinance,” which currently allows an average of 30 market-rate homes and 50 townhouses to be built in the city. for sale or rent in the city every year. . Measure O would exempt multifamily housing such as duplexes, triplexes and apartments from the growth management ordinance in three areas of the city.

The union movement has also attempted to influence local sales tax measures in Sevastopol (U Measurement) and Sonoma (T Measurement). Both cities are pushing half-cent sales tax measures in an effort to shore up general fund coffers.

SEIU added $20,000 to the Sebastopol campaign and $10,000 to the Sonoma sales tax effort. The Sebastopol tax measures campaign, which has raised $30,953 in total, is also supported by the Sebastopol Police Officers Association, which added $2,500 last month. The Barlows also added $5,000 to the campaign in recent weeks.

During the course of the election season, the Measure U campaign has spent $16,425 on social media advertising, campaign literature and campaign consultants.

Amie Windsor is The Press Democrat’s community journalism team leader. She can be reached at [email protected] or 707-521-5218.