Here is an update on the fundraising efforts by local San Diego candidates vying for success in the November election. 
Mayor’s Race: Todd Gloria vs. Larry Turner
During the first half of 2024
Gloria
- Mayor Todd Gloria’s campaign raised $131,000 including $113,000 during the reporting period.
- an independent committee supporting Gloria called Big City San Diego raised $141,000 during the first half of 2024, including $88,000 during the reporting period, but only has $2,000 left to spend.
- Gloria’s campaign has a $377,000 war chest for the runoff
Turner
- Turner’s campaign raised $54,000 during the first half of 2024, including $49,000 during the reporting period.
- Turner has $26,000 war chest for the runoff.
City Attorney’s Race: Heather Ferbert vs Brian Maienschein
Heather Ferbert
- Ferbert raised $87,000 between the last campaign reporting period in late February and June 30.
- Ferbert raised $106,000 during the first half of 2024
- Ferbert has $113,000 for the runoff.
Brian Maienschein
- Maienschein raised $51,000 between the last campaign reporting period in late February and June 30.
- $54,000 raised by Maienschein during the first half.
- Maienschein leads in cash available for their Nov. 5 runoff with $158,000
City Council District 3 : Stephen Whitburn vs. Coleen Cusack
Stephen Whitburn
- Whitburn raised $43,000 during the reporting period
- Whitburn has $86,000 in cash for the runoff
Coleen Cusack
- Cusack raised $6,000 during the reporting period
- Cusack has less than $2,000 cash for the runoff.
City Council District 9: Terry Hoskins vs. Sean Elo-Rivera
Terry Hoskins
- Hoskins raised $20,000 during the reporting period
- Terry Hoskins has $16,000 cash for the runoff
Sean Elo-Rivera
- Elo-Rivera raised $17,000 during the reporting period
- Elo-Rivera has $34,000 cash for the runoff
News source: San Diego Union-Tribune
UT reported this first, and in doing so, they minimized the importance of the snapshot in time of the most competitive race in San Diego involving an incumbent and a challenger. Of the four competitive races this November in San Diego, three have incumbents and challengers, while the stand-alone race has two challengers. The stand-alone race is that for San Diego’s new City Attorney. The three involving incumbents and challengers are for San Diego’s Mayor, City Council District 3, and City Council District 9.
The status quo in races involving incumbents and challengers is that incumbents have a hefty advantage over every aspect of the upcoming election. This is especially true when the incumbents are San Diego’s Mayor, Council President, and Council Member. In this case, the incumbents can hold a press conference at any given time, espouse whatever they wish, and receive free press, while the challengers cannot and do not have this same advantage. In this situation, the incumbents can present unlimited community awards and that-a-boys to community members and businesses, while the challengers cannot and do not have this same advantage. Additionally, the incumbents usually have the endorsements of each respective party affiliates and non-profit and for-profit organizations due to public money given by the incumbents to the specific organizations. Thus, those organizations fear they may not receive the money next year if the incumbent does not win. Meanwhile, challengers do not have this advantage; the money given to organizations by challengers is their money and not the public’s money.
The UT article “Fundraising momentum has shifted in San Diego’s most competitive race. Here’s how other campaigns are faring” basically stated that nothing new exists to report outside of the race for San Diego City Attorney. However, this article is misleading and purposely minimizes the most critical race in San Diego, where a challenger has a robust, realistic possibility of winning against an incumbent who is not only a City Council Member but also the San Diego Council President. Only time will tell, and the November election is approximately 12 weeks away, and anything is possible.
At the end of the day and the UT article, the challenger in the District 9 race for City Council outraised the incumbent, who is also the San Diego Council President, but there is nothing important here to report!
People….. IF incumbents win the election in Nov., expect not only more of the same behaviors, destruction of communities, increased taxes, but get ready for MORE because the winning incumbents will consider it whatever they want to do, for sure and really run wild, and without so much as a head nod to their constituents. Vote for those who know how to make changes, get the City out of the DEEP financial swamp the current regime has created. Can you afford to keep on keeping on, only because you want to be a party voter? City races are non-partisan, so please vote for the folks that want to SEE where their increased and maybe more increases in money is really going. Vote for common sense, people friendly, smart, not career politicians, have worked in the real world, candidates who are known to accomplish productivity. Read about then vote for Terry-Hoskins.com for City Council and larryturnerformayor.com
I will be voting for Larry Turner. Mayor Gloria has done a horrible job of “running” the city since he has been in office. During his tenure we have seen homelessness run amuck, perfectly good traffic lanes and parking spaces removed in favor of bike and bus lanes that practically no one uses, streets deteriorate without plans to address the back log of decrepit streets, energy rents, and water bills soar, and a general decline in the quality of life for all San Diego residents.
Todd Gloria may have a war chest of money but Larry Turner’s war chest full of medals for his service. Larry already knows how to serve our city .