TeamIrvine.org is coming into Tuesday city hall elections with perhaps the worst fundraising record of a political slate on record in Irvine.
In filings obtained from City Hall yesterday, through October 18, Mayoral candidate Christina Shea has raised $32,919; her opponent, Council member Sukhee Kang was over $160,000 for the same period with about 30 percent of that from Irvine voters. What’s worse for Shea is that she’s spent $43,864. There are no loans made and she shows zero in debt and has a cash balance of $6,265.33 going into the election. I know math wasn’t my greatest subject in school, but perhaps someone can explain how you take in nearly $33K, spend nearly $44K, have no loans adn still have a balance? Nice fiscal responsibility. And she wants control over millions in Irvine’s budget? Ah, no.
more after the jump:
Of the three Steven Choi fares the best as he’s raised nearly $61,000 largely from shaking down the same Korean Americans and Korean American groups who contributed ot Sukhee Kang’s campaign earlier. There are a considerable number of “Transfer from Affiliate Steven Choi for Assembly 2010 transactions — 46 in all which I’m told is legal if you have permission from the donor. Two thoughts here: there is a Steven Choi for Assembly 2010 committee already formed (for Chuck DeVore’s seat) and he hasn’t been re-elected and Choi needs to produce 46 “yes, it’s OK to transfer my donation to his city council race” letters from donors.Â
Lt. Pat Rodgers has raised about $18,000 through October 18; with $15 coming from a loan to himself. Pitiful.Â
Conversely, Margie Wakeham and Todd Gallinger, mkaing first time runs for the City Council have raised abotu $47,000 and $44,000 each, respectively. So what does that say about what’s left of Christina Shea’s popularity when an openly Muslim candidate she’s helping to smear has outraised her in only a few months?
I ask my neighbors who they are voting for this November in the city elections. They pause at Mayor, mostly because many are unsure of how to pronounce Sukhee Kang’s first name. But the answer that comes up most often is, “Not Shea.” Not Shea? Imagine that?
you need to take into account that totals raised from last year are not included in this years reports. She started off this year with a Cash on Hand of over $26k.
Also where do you get your information that Choi needs to get OK’s from donors to transfer money from his 2008 Assembly committee that was redesignated to 2010? That is simply not true and candidates do this all the time. Ask Lou Correa who challenged this in COurt a few years ago and won.
I realize you are biased in the race, and perhaps I am as well….but dont sy things that are not true Dan…then you look like Art
Flowerzzz. Thanks for the explanation on Shea but I don’t see the column where that cash on hand from last year is supposed to go on her form.
On Choi,I was told he needs permission to move funds from his assembly account to his city council account. Otherwise why do it in 46 separate transactions? I will go back to the source and clarify
Still, the bitching ang whining on TeamIrvine’s fundraising just tells me they don’t have the support in the community they say they do
Since there are contribution limits in the City, he would have to transfer the dough by using either what the FPPC calls “LIFO” (last in first out) or “FIFO” (First in first out), and has to ID which donations he attributed to the transfer. Hence the separate transactions. If there were no limits he could just simply transfer the money over in one lump sum. That is why, and a simple look at the FPPC website explains this. He does not need permission from the donors.
On Shea, you merely have to look back a few reports to the begining of the year to see what her cash on hand was.
And I am not bitching nor whining (perhaps that was aimed at someone else?) about anything other then you writing a misleading and incorrect story.
I will bitch and whine about the status quo you are aiming for in the City tho….the Park has been completely mis managed, millions of dollars wasted on nothing. No clean up started, no beautiful park in 10 years…a friggin Orange Balloon is all there is. But we get beautiful expensive brochures about every 4 months telling us how grat the park will be some day, and those brochures are always a season late. And how many PR, consultants need to be on the payroll anyway?