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Santa Cruz City Council Campaign Contributions List Shows Where the Big Money is Going

by Santa Cruz Progressives
The official list of campaign donors confirms what has been no secret in this year's Santa Cruz City Council election: it's a battle between four big money conservative candidates and four grass roots progressives. All four of the conservative candidates have each raised about twice the amount of money the progressives have and they are funded by wealthy contributors.
cc2016campaigncontributions.pdf_600_.jpg
Progressive candidates Chris Krohn, Drew Glover, Steve Schnaar and Sandy Brown, also known as the "Brand New Council" slate, show moderately funded campaigns (except for Sandy Brown, who is not on the list).

On the other side, wealthy conservative Democrats have been spending large amounts of money on a slate of their own: Martine Watkins, J.M. Brown, Cynthia Mathews, and Robert Singleton. These four candidates have stated platforms that advocate for a considerably more conservative city council than the "Brand New Council".

The progressive wing of the Democrat party in Santa Cruz is called the People's Democratic Club of Santa Cruz County. They have endorsed Chris Krohn, Drew Glover, Steve Schnaar and Sandy Brown.

The conservative wing of the Democrat party in Santa Cruz has endorsed Martine Watkins, J.M. Brown, Cynthia Mathews, and Robert Singleton, and has contributed a large sum of money to the conservative slate.

Martine Watkins is getting the big Boardwalk money. The notorious anti-union conservative Charles Canfield, the CEO of Seaside Co., donated $350 to her, and so did Tom Canfield, the Vice President of Seaside Co.

Robert Singleton is the candidate most supported by Republicans, Santa Cruz right wingers, and conservative business interests. Old school conservative Louis Rittenhouse is funding him and so is Analicia Cube.

The contributions list shows Take Back Santa Cruz founder Analicia Cube is using her maiden name Analicia Lesnowicz. With her husband's history of defrauding financial clients, it is understandable she would be walking back the Cube name. In 2002 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) found Emmanuel P. Cube, aka "Dexter" Cube, defrauded customers when he worked as a securities trader for J.W. Barclay & Co.

Lesnowicz/Cube is on record as donating $350 to Robert Singleton.

Anti-homeless businessman and attorney Caleb Baskin, the child of a very wealthy local family, has thrown his big money at Cynthia Mathews. In the past Baskin has made some very offensive remarks about the homeless population and he has literally called for a suspension of civil rights in downtown Santa Cruz to eradicate the homeless, which makes his endorsement of Mathews particularly interesting.

Outgoing Santa Cruz City Council member Pamela Comstock has thrown the maximum contributions to the conservative slate. Comstock is also one of the founders of Take Back Santa Cruz and as a council member she voted for virtually every discriminatory, anti-homeless measure that came before her, even wanting to completely ban recreational vehicles from being able to park in Santa Cruz.

Conservative Democrats Ryan Coonerty and Zach Friend, who are both county supervisors, have donated considerable funds to the conservative slate. As elected county officials they each earn more than $100,000 per year, paid by taxpayers of course.

Conservative Santa Cruz City Council member David Terrazas, who was re-elected in 2014 and will be serving with whomever is elected this year, donated considerable funds to the conservative slate.

More information about the progressive slate of candidates:
http://www.brandnewcouncil.com/
§Contributions to Sandy Brown
by Santa Cruz Progressives
Documents filed by Sandy Brown show that she has raised $11,399 in campaign donations.
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James Brown
Fri, Oct 28, 2016 12:06PM
Seriously
Fri, Oct 28, 2016 10:14AM
SCPD Blues
Fri, Oct 28, 2016 5:02AM
SCPD Blues
Fri, Oct 28, 2016 2:21AM
;-)
Thu, Oct 27, 2016 11:25PM
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