Monterey Herald - Panetta Out-raises Lucius 3-to-1 In Race For Congress

News Article

By Jim Johnson

In less than a month and a half, Monterey County Deputy District Attorney Jimmy Panetta more than tripled Republican Casey Lucius in campaign contributions in the race to replace Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, in the 20th Congressional District, according to the most recent campaign finance reports covering the last six months of 2015.

As his campaign flexed its fundraising muscle, Panetta, a Democrat, collected $251,086 from more than 200 donors both inside and outside the district in the six weeks after declaring his candidacy Nov. 17.

By contrast, Lucius, the Pacific Grove city councilwoman who announced she would run for the congressional seat in June, raised $83,560 last year, including the six-month reporting period from July 1 to Dec. 31, though she said she has since surpassed the $100,000 figure.

Panetta said in a statement he was "truly honored by the show of support."

"We have been overwhelmed by the large and diverse group of people wanting to volunteer, walk, call, donate and support the campaign in any way that they can," he said.

In response, Lucius pointed out her campaign contributions came from 276 donors, suggesting this reflected broader financial support.

"In any case, I hope this race won't be about who knows the most rich people but who can best represent the people of this district," she said.

In the race for the 30th Assembly District, Watsonville City Councilwoman Karina Cervantez Alejo out-raised former state cabinet secretary and Salinas mayor Anna Caballero by nearly 10-to-1 last year.

Cervantez Alejo, the wife of incumbent Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Watsonville, amassed more than $116,300 during the final six months of last year, including $4,000 from her husband's 2018 State Senate campaign account. She also received contributions from various Assembly candidates -- including Speaker Anthony Rendon -- powerful political action committees and labor unions. She has more than $238,370 in her campaign war chest.

Caballero, who announced in mid-November she would run for the office, raised $24,273.

In the three races for the Monterey County Board of Supervisors:

* Alejo reported transferring $100,000 from his 2014 Assembly campaign account to his campaign for District 1 supervisor, while incumbent Supervisor Fernando Armenta reported raising $38,792 during the last six months of last year and has $50,855 in cash. Salinas City Councilman Tony Barrera reported raising $2,500.

* Incumbent District 4 Supervisor Jane Parker reported adding $34,962 -- mostly in smaller individual contributions -- to her already substantial campaign account, and now has about $122,796 after spending about $20,451 in the last six months of the year.

Challenger Dennis Donohue, the former Salinas mayor and agri-businessman, reported raising more than $100,670 during the same six-month period -- mostly in larger, five-figure contributions from agricultural business interests such as Fresh Foods Inc., along with $20,000 from the Salinas Valley Leadership Group. He now has $81,055 in campaign cash on hand after spending $86,420 during the same period.

* District 5 incumbent Supervisor Dave Potter reported collecting about $33,216 in the last six months of the year, and spending slightly more than that, leaving him with about $35,825 in his campaign coffers.

Campaign reports for challenger Mary Adams, the former United Way CEO, were still being filed Monday night, according to her campaign. She reported raising $96,603 during the reporting period and spending $12,735, leaving her with $88,868 in her campaign account and some debt.

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