Joan Hartmann and Bruce Porter have collectively raised over $900,000 in their rematch for the 3rd District supervisor seat after Hartmann defeated Porter in 2016 with about 54% of the vote.
A third candidate, Santa Ynez Community Service District Director Karen Jones, expects to raise and spend under $2,000 for her entire campaign, according to a filing.
The 3rd District, spanning UC Santa Barbara, Isla Vista, the Santa Ynez Valley and Guadalupe, has traditionally served as the swing vote on the Board of Supervisors.
Porter raised approximately $400,000 — about $12,000 more than Hartmann — between Jan. 1, 2019 and Feb. 15, 2020, according to campaign filings.
Since then, Porter has significantly outraised Hartmann in large donations. He received over $119,000 in donations larger than $1,000, while Hartmann has only reported $11,000, according to the campaign filings.
Hartmann’s top donor is Alice Gillaroo, a retired Santa Ynez resident. Gillaroo has donated $58,000 to Hartmann’s campaign as of March 2, 2020.
Other major donors to Hartmann’s campaign include the Santa Barbara County Firefighters Government Committee, which donated $45,000, and Richard Mazess, a retired Santa Barbara resident who donated $20,000.
Charles Zegar, a retired Santa Barbara resident, and Jack and Laura Dangermond, Redlands residents who founded the Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri), each donated $15,000 to her campaign.
Porter’s largest donor is Buellton First, a political action committee based in Santa Ynez, which donated $120,000. Close behind is the Santa Barbara County Republican Party, which has donated about $70,000 in nonmonetary items to Porter’s campaign.
Porter has also extensively self-financed his campaign — he loaned his campaign $75,000 and donated another $18,000 toward nonmonetary items, such as “campaign swag.”
Other top donors to Porter’s campaign include A. Brooks Firestone, a former county supervisor who donated $20,500, and the campaign of Bob Nelson, a candidate for the 4th District supervisor seat, which donated $15,000 to Porter. Nelson’s campaign also provided a $10,000 loan and over $8,000 in yard signs to Porter’s campaign.
About 77% of Hartmann’s contributions have been from individual donors. In comparison, only about 49% of Porter’s donations have been from individuals.
Both have received heavy support from Santa Ynez residents. Hartmann received $74,600 while Porter received about $120,000, including his own donations and loans.
Porter also drew significant funding from Solvang residents, about $57,000, and received approximately $31,000 from Santa Barbara.
Hartmann also received a large amount — about $141,000 — from Santa Barbara residents who live outside the 3rd District.
Hartmann received two donations from Isla Vista residents, while Porter received none. Jonathan Abboud, the general manager of the Isla Vista Community Services District (I.V. CSD) who is running for State Assembly, donated $500 to Hartmann.
One I.V. CSD director, Robert Geis III, donated $750 to Hartmann’s campaign.
Get the data!
If you’re interested in viewing the data we used in this story, you can download an Excel file of contributions to Porter’s campaign here and to Hartmann’s campaign here.