One Sacramento mayoral hopeful has raised twice as much as opponent. Who’s funding both?
Sacramento mayoral candidate Kevin McCarty has outspent his opponent Flojaune Cofer two to one with a week until the general election.
As of Oct. 19, McCarty’s campaign has raised $1 million and has about $240,600 cash on hand. Cofer’s campaign has raised a little more than half that, about $524,000, with $99,000 cash on hand.
Local business groups and developers have been funneling money to the more established McCarty, a former councilman and current state assemblyman, according to campaign finance documents filed with the city. Cofer, who has not held elected office before, is seeing mostly smaller donations from individuals.
Groups like the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, the California Real Estate PAC, and the California Apartment Association have donated to McCarty. He has said he wants to keep City Manager Howard Chan, beloved by the business community, in his post another year. Checks from these business groups have gone directly to McCarty’s campaign or to independent expenditure committees that support him.
Cofer has received mostly smaller donations from individual residents, though she did get $4,050 each from the campaigns of Councilwomen Mai Vang and Katie Valenzuela. She has also received money from unions and from the Democratic Socialists of America’s Sacramento chapter, though she does not consider herself a democratic socialist. No independent expenditure committees were created to support her.
Cofer, who is further left politically, has announced several policy platforms that are against what business groups typically lobby for. Cofer has said sweeping homeless people is harmful and opposes criminally citing them for camping. She’s also said if she was elected, she will not support keeping Chan in his post.
The Sacramento Police Officers Association has donated $25,000 to an independent expenditure committee supporting McCarty, who wants to hire more officers over time. Cofer has also said she wants to, over time, shift $70 million from the police budget toward hiring more non-police personnel to respond to non-violent 911 calls.
Here is a summary of the notable business leaders, unions and other groups that have given donations to the candidates’ campaigns as well as to independent expenditure committees that support them. The following does not include donations made prior to the March primary, which were included in a previous article.
Donations to McCarty’s campaign
▪ Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce - $13,550
▪ Mark Friedman, developer - $2,500
▪ Marjorie Friedman - $4,050
▪ Marcine Friedman - $4,050
▪ PG&E - $3,850
▪ Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 - $13,550
▪ Kyriakos Tsakopoulos - $4,050
▪ Brianne Tsakopoulos - $4,050
▪ Sacramento Central Labor Council - $13,550
▪ Teichert Inc. - $4,000
▪ California Real Estate PAC - $5,000
▪ California African American PAC - $4,050
▪ Sotiris Kolokotronis, developer - $4,050
▪ Sofia Tsakopoulos Investments - $4,050
▪ Alvin Cheung, CEO of California Northstate University - $1,000
▪ California Apartment Association - $13,550
▪ Angelo Tsakopoulos, developer - $4,050
▪ National Union of Healthcare Workers - $1,000
▪ Sacramento Building Trades Council - $5,000
▪ American Petroleum and Convenience Store Association - $4,050
▪ Committee for Home Ownership of the Northstate Building Industry Association - $13,550
▪ Capitol Asset Management, which is affiliated with the Kolas cannabis dispensaries - $1,000
Donations to Cofer’s campaign
▪ Frazier Construction - $500
▪ Democratic Socialists of America, Sacramento - $500
▪ Progressive Era PAC - $4,050
▪ California Black Womens Collective PAC - $1,000
▪ California Working Families Party - $1,447 in kind
▪ Council on Islamic Relations California PAC - $1,000
▪ Sacramento Democrats for Justice in Palestine - $200
▪ Jay Schenirer, former councilman - $180 in kind
▪ Women Democrats of Sacramento County - $1,200
▪ National Union of Healthcare Workers’ - $1,000
▪ University Professional and Technical Employees - $3,000
▪ Mark Merin, attorney - $2,000
▪ Councilwoman Mai Vang - $4,050
▪ Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela - $4,050
Independent expenditure committees supporting McCarty
The following are donations made to independent expenditure committees that support McCarty. No independent expenditure committees were created to support Cofer. McCarty and his campaign are not involved in these committees. These donations have much higher monetary limits and are not subject to a new state law that requires candidates to abstain from certain votes that would financially benefit campaign donors.
Working Families for a Better Sacramento, sponsored by IBEW Local 340
▪ Angelo Tsakopoulos, developer - $30,000
▪ Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 447 - $60,000
▪ Sacramento Police Officers Association Political Action Fund - $25,000
Alliance to Support the Middle Class
Note: This is the committee that earlier this month sent out two negative mailers about Cofer.
▪ California Apartment Association - $30,000
▪ Region Business Inc. - $5,000
▪ California Real Estate PAC - $100,000
▪ Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 447 - $25,000
▪ PG&E - $16,450
▪ Sacramento Area Policy Committee - $65,000
▪ Working Families for Better Sacramento, supporting McCarty - $50,000
The election will be held Nov. 5. The new mayor and two new council members will be sworn in Dec. 10.
This story was originally published October 29, 2024 at 3:18 PM.
