The flood of TV ads and mailers in the races for San Diego mayor and city attorney is being funded mostly by independent committees that aren’t subject to the city’s $1,350 campaign contribution limit.
A committee ing mayoral challenger Larry Turner has spent more than $850,000 since late September on TV ads and mailers — far more than the $27,000 Turner’s campaign spent during the same period.
The incumbent, Mayor Todd Gloria, has benefited from a committee tly ing him and incumbent Councilmember Stephen Whitburn.
That committee has spent more than $640,000 since late September, while the candidates themselves spent just over $300,000 combined during that period.
In the city attorney’s race, a committee ing several city candidates spent $117,000 on a recent mailer ing Deputy City Attorney Heather Ferbert and opposing Assemblymember Brian Maienschein.
That’s more than the $100,000 Ferbert has spent since late September.
A different committee has spent more than $100,000 on ads ing Maienschein since late September. The candidate himself has spent $123,000 since then.
But another committee has run TV ads that prominently feature Maienschein, funded by an $800,000 war chest contributed by separate committees he controls.
The ads promote Proposition 3 — which would enshrine the right to same-sex marriage in the state constitution — but Maienschein’s name appears on the screen, and he does all the talking.
The money comes from two committees Maienschein created for other elections: $600,000 from his 2022 Assembly re-election campaign, and $200,000 from Maienschein for Attorney General 2030.
Spending by committees is also playing a role, although a much smaller one, in races for City Council.
The committee that paid for the $117,000 pro-Ferbert mailer, which is controlled by the city’s largest labor union, has also paid for mailers ing Gloria and council incumbents Whitburn and Sean Elo-Rivera.
That committee — Protect Neighborhood Services Now, Sponsored by San Diego Municipal Employees Association — spent $37,000 ing Elo-Rivera, $33,000 ing Whitburn and $6,000 ing Gloria.
That total of $193,000 is on top of $500,000 the committee contributed to the campaign ing Measure E, a 1-cent sales tax increase that would generate about $400 million a year in new revenue for the city.
According to the latest fundraising disclosures submitted this week for all city races and ballot measures, the campaign ing Measure E raised $246,000 during the reporting period, Sept. 22 through Oct. 19.
The campaign ing Measure E — called Penny for Progress, Yes on Measure E — spent $508,000 during the period, primarily on TV ads and mailers.
A committee opposing Measure E, which is controlled by the San Diego County Taxpayers Association’s political action committee, spent $18,000 on digital ads.
A committee ed by a police labor union, the San Diego Police Officers Association political action committee, spent $24,000 ing Maienschein, $21,000 ing Whitburn and $19,000 ing Terry Hoskins, who is challenging Elo-Rivera in District 9.
The committee ing Turner — Turn San Diego Around in of Larry Turner for Mayor 2024, sponsored by the Lincoln Club Business League — raised $909,000 during the reporting period and spent $856,000.
The main contributor to the committee is Point Loma attorney Steven Richter.
The committee ing Gloria and Whitburn — San Diegans for Fairness ing Todd Gloria for Mayor & Stephen Whitburn for Council 2024 — raised $822,000 during the reporting period and spent $640,000.
In the mayor’s race, Gloria out-raised Turner during the reporting period $107,000 to $34,000. He also outspent Turner, $286,000 to $27,000. Gloria had $192,000 to spend during the final days of the race, while Turner had $28,000.
In the city attorney’s race, Ferbert outraised Maienschein $23,000 to $735 during the reporting period. Maienschein outspent Ferbert $123,000 to $100,000, but she had more money left for the final days, $32,000 versus $15,000.
In the race for Council District 3, Whitburn and challenger Colleen Cusack each raised just over $2,000 during the reporting period. But Whitburn outspent Cusack $24,000 to $1,700 and had much more left for the final days, $53,000 versus $4,000.
In District 9, Elo-Rivera outraised Hoskins $17,000 to $6,000 during the reporting period. Elo-Rivera also outspent Hoskins $12,000 to $9,000 and had more money left for the final days, $36,000 versus $8,400.
