Newport-Mesa school board election shows tight fundraising race
As the candidates for three available seats on the Newport-Mesa Unified School District board count up the contributions to their campaigns, incumbent Vicki Snell and candidate Leslie Bubb have recorded the most so far this year, with more than $25,000 each.
Snell, a Costa Mesa resident who is seeking reelection Tuesday as the trustee for Area 1, had raised $25,272 as of Oct. 22, the end of the most recent filing period for contribution disclosures. The money includes a $21,000 loan from her husband, Richard.
“I want to be independent when making decisions that affect our children and independent of any special-interest group,” Snell said of being funded mostly from within her family.
Snell’s other donors include members of the Costa Mesa Sanitary District and Jackson Tidus Law Corp. in Irvine.
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FOR THE RECORD
11/5, 10:16 a.m.: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Snell received a contribution from the Harbor Council PTA. The Harbor Council PTA, in fact, does not give political donations to candidates.
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Snell is being challenged in Area 1 by Michael Schwarzmann, a Costa Mesa resident who directs an accounting and technology firm.
Campaign contribution reports show Schwarzmann has garnered a total of $17,758, including $3,000 from the Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers.
Bubb, a Newport Beach resident and teacher trainer who is challenging board President Dana Black for the Area 6 seat, is a close second to Snell in overall contributions.
Bubb’s $25,256 total includes $3,000 from the California Federation of Teachers, along with donations from lawyers, homemakers and leaders of various companies.
“It’s a beautiful thing when you have dedicated a portion of your life to a cause that’s important and then see your community stand alongside you in an effort to help you succeed,” Bubb said.
Black’s campaign war chest totals $23,587, including $16,500 in loans.
Many contributors in Black’s latest filing were retired Newport Beach residents who gave amounts as large as $1,000.
Competing for the Area 3 seat are incumbent Martha Fluor and Newport Beach businesswoman Amy Peters.
Peters has collected $23,226 for her campaign, including recent contributions mainly from individuals in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. She also has received $3,000 from the California Federation of Teachers.
Fluor has raised $18,732, with $16,000 of that from loans.
The bulk of her most recent contributions were from individual donors, including William Buck Johns, president of Newport Beach-based Inland Group Inc., and an almond grower in Fresno.
Twitter: @AlexandraChan10
