Fullerton School District Candidates – Follow the Money
Information accurate as of September 12, 2024 from candidate-required filings available on the OC Registrar of Voters website https://ocvote.gov/
The Fullerton Observer is compiling campaign finance information, candidate statements, candidate endorsements, forum summaries, and conducting interviews with candidates to bring you the most comprehensive information needed for your ballot choices. Check our website for the latest updates.
Please check back to this list often, as it is being updated.
Elementary School Board Candidates
AREA 5
Leonel Talavera (Incumbent)
Jan-June 2024 460 filings reported zero contributions.
497 – 9/10/24 $1000 – Protein Lab Headquarters
497 – 8/28/2024 $5300 – Del Toro Construction Services LLC
497 – 8/21/2024 $1000 – Michael Sugarman
496 – 9/9/2024 $1422 – Fullerton Elementary Teachers Association PAC (Voter Data $100; Joint Mailer $73; Yard Signs $1249)
Vanessa Estrella
Jan-June 2024 460 filing reported $5,581 in contributions.
$2719 from small donors of $200 or less, $462 from Jody Vallejo, $1000 from Randy Trevino, $1400 from Build the Bench PAC and $1000 in loan to self.
497 – 8/7/24 $1000 & 8/22/24 $1000 – Sharon Quirk-Silva;
497 – 8/20/24 $1000 – Building Stronger CA/Western States Regional Council of Carpenters;
497 – 9/7/24 $2000 – Lou Correa Attorney General 2026 Committee
AREA 2
Hilda Sugarman (Incumbent)
Jan-June 2024 460 filing reported $12,844 in contributions from three sources
$10,000: loan to campaign from Mike Sugarman
$1477: Hilda Sugarman (self)
$1000: Hilda Sugarman (self)
$357: Kyle Stava
496 – 9/9/2024 $1422 – Fullerton Elementary Teachers Association PAC (Voter Data $100; Joint Mailer $73; Yard Signs $1249)
James Cho
Jan-Jun 2024 460 filing reported $25,583 mostly in small contributions of $300 or less.
Largest contributions from:
$2950: loan to self
$2000: John Patrick Hurley;
$1475: Build the Bench PAC
$1000: Andrew Thorburn; Charlotte Cho; Ankur Mandhania; Simon Coon
$500: Democrats of North OC; Daniel Kim; Megan Neidermeyer; Yungtai Kung; Katherine Kwon; Veronica Nauts; Garret Garcia;
$400: Pamela Thakur; Aaruni Thakur
497 – 8/7/24 $1000 – Sharon Quirk-Silva;
497 – 9/9/24 $1,000 – Building Stronger CA/Western States Regional Council of Carpenters
Measures
Yes on Measure L for FJUHSD
Funded by:
497 – 9/9/2024 $5000 – KN Builders Group
497 – 9/11/2024 $15,000 – PJHM Architects
497 – 9/11/2024 $2,500 – Spec Construction Co Inc
497 – 9/11/2024 $2,500 – Michael Stammire
497 – 9/11/2024 $1,500 – GGP Glass Inc
There are no opposition group filings for Measure L so far.
Yes on N – Friends of Fullerton Elementary Schools
Funded by:
497 – 9/3/2024 $49,000 – Facility Solutions Group Inc
497 – 9/3/2024 $1,000 – CN School & Office Solutions Inc
497 – 8/28/2024 $15,000 – New Dimension General Construction Inc
497 – 8/16/2024 $45,000 – KYA services LLC. (Brooks Berry)
There are no opposition group filings for Measure N so far.
For more information on the measures, please read coverage by Vivien Moreno (education reporter) and Jodi Balma (Professor of Political Science at Fullerton College).
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Categories: Education, Local Government
A few small comments.
1) The line at the end – see coverage from others – you might link to those stories or websites. In general links do not show up in blue, making it hard to know when you are linking. Maybe this is just my phone though.
2) These comparative numbers cry out for a graph. Who has raised more money overall? You could classify this into categories of individuals and companies and show in a graph. Or donations from people in Fullerton vs. out of Fullerton.
3) There are only a few names that I see repeated here, like Quirk Silva. Her district overlaps both of these areas and it’s interesting she is donating to the challengers and not the incumbents. It’s also interesting she is on the opposite side of the teachers union, which has donated to the incumbents. I don’t know a lot about the dynamics here but as a former teacher herself and as a Democrat, I would have expected her to align with the union.
D, I agree, I’d love to see an overall total
Of how much each and issue has raised this far. You raise a good point about Quirk-Silva and the union. But, I do know that Quirk-Silva endorsed Estrella and Cho months ago, well before the teachers’s union had their endorsement process in August (I believe). It isn’t surprising to me that the union endorsed the incumbents who vote on their contracts. I think it’s telling that’s she’s endorsed the challengers: both are endorsed by the Democratic Party. Interesting that the Dem incumbent in Area 4 did not earn the Dem party endorsement nor the endorsement of any other orgs except for the teacher’s union. Both Estrella and Cho’s endorsement list is stunning. The more interesting question is, why did the teacher’s union endorse the incumbent in area 5 when literally no other entity has?
I meant the incumbent in Area 5!
Linda – The contributions listed for the measures L and N is the total raised so far by the Yes on L group and by the Yes on N group according to the Registrar of Voters website where each of the groups required filings are listed. Is that what you mean?
Hi Sharon, I meant that it would be helpful to see a topline sum of the the total amount raised to date, then the breakdowns. Thanks for doing this. It is helpful.
Also super important to note how much the two challengers, Estrella and Cho, have raised in small donations and demonstrative of the community grassroots movement behind their campaigns and those who believe in their messages of change. It is very impressive actually, especially in light of the fact that Sugarman is funding her own campaign and also contributed to Talavera’s. Also, Talavera’s largest donor is a construction company…