Primary elections are rolling around quickly, with voting set to take place next week on Tuesday, June 5. Two campaigns have mounted for the passage and failure of Measure R, a utility tax to fund the Isla Vista Community Services District, which will be on the ballot for the second time after the tax failed to pass in 2016.

Of these two campaigns, “Isla Vistans Against Higher Taxes, A Committee Against Measure R 2018” has received $42,730.70 in donations and spent $21,037.91 through May 19 and outspent its opponent “Yes on Measure R 2018” which has raised $35,630.25 and spent $7,107.67 also through May 19, according to campaign filings with the County of Santa Barbara.

Below are each group’s finances and top donors as of May 19.

You can view Isla Vistans Against Higher Taxes’ individual donors here and Yes on Measure R’s here.

Data courtesy of Santa Barbara County. Hayley Tice / Daily Nexus

The anti-Measure R group outspends Yes on Measure R by nearly three times. Isla Vistans Against Higher Taxes’ expenses have mostly gone toward payments to Rincon Strategies, a communications firm, with $14,025 to Rincon and $2,927.91 to CopyRight.

Yes on Measure R’s funds have mostly paid for payments with Isla Vista Screen Printing, with $4,450.40, and two political consulting firms who have received $462.90 in total.

Data courtesy of Santa Barbara County. Hayley Tice / Daily Nexus

The bulk of Isla Vistans Against Higher Taxes’ donations come from property management companies under various different names and accounts. Among the most frequent donors are Wolfe & Associates, Meridian Group and KAMAP.

The anti-Measure R group’s top individual donors are Wolfe & Associates with $11,350, Islay Investments with $4,509 and Sierra Property Management with $3,520.

Data courtesy of Santa Barbara County. Hayley Tice / Daily Nexus

Yes on Measure R’s donations come mostly from individual donors and politicians’ election fund campaigns, including Goleta City Council candidate James Kyriaco, First District Supervisor Das Williams, Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann, Santa Barbara City Councilmember Gregg Hart, and City of Santa Barbara Mayor Cathy Murillo.

The group’s top donors are the Santa Ynez Band of Mission Indians with $10,000, Joan Hartmann’s 2016 election fund with $5,000 and SaurikIT, LLC, owned and operated by CSD board member Jay Freeman, with $5,000.

A version of this article appeared on p.1 of the May 31 print edition of the Daily Nexus.

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