Recent Campaign Filings: More $$$ for Cartmill, Ricasa & McCann

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/oct/25/contractors-continue-pouring-money-into-sweetwater/

Contractors continue pouring money into Sweetwater race

BY ASHLY MCGLONE

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2010 AT 1:26 P.M.

RELATED

Contractors fund Sweetwater school board race

CHULA VISTA — Contractors continue to invest heavily in the Sweetwater school board race, according to the most recent campaign filings.

Contractor contributions to incumbents Jim Cartmill and Arlie Ricasa, as well as Chula Vista City Councilman and board hopeful John McCann now total nearly $100,000 so far this year, with the Pasadena-based Seville Group accounting for 28 percent of the giving.

This month, Cartmill accepted a $20,000 contribution — the largest to date — from the Seville Group, also known as SGI Construction Management. The company previously donated $7,500 to McCann and $5,000 to Ricasa.

Like most of the other contractors, the group is working on projects funded by $644-million, voter-approved Proposition O bond money.

McCann recently accepted $2,000 from contractor Marston & Marston, which had previously donated $5,000 to both Cartmill and Ricasa.

The chief executive officer of Har Construction donated an additional $200 to Ricasa this month, bringing Har’s total donations to the board president to $800.

Citizens for Good Government in South Bay contributed $5,000 to Cartmill this month, bringing his total campaign contributions to $85,970. That is about 70 percent more than Ricasa, who follows at nearly $50,000. McCann and retired educator Karen Janney have collected more than $38,000 each.

The Sweetwater Education Association continued pumping money to their endorsed candidates: Janney, Hector Rivera and Andrew Valencia. The teacher’s union has donated more than $8,000 in money and services to both Janney and Valencia, and $10,000 to Rivera.

Janney is competing for Cartmill’s seat; Valencia for Ricasa’s seat. Rivera is competing for retiring trustee Greg Sandoval’s seat, along with McCann and Lorenzo Provencio. Provencio has lent his campaign nearly $12,000.

District trustees earn $759 per month. Sweetwater Union High School District is the largest high school education system in the country with more 42,000 students. The district also serves more than 32,000 students in its adult education program.

ashly.mcglone@uniontrib.com • (619) 293-1725 • Twitter @newswriter_gal

CARTMILL & Citizens for Good Government in South Bay: Connect the Dots

Cartmill's latest report lists the Citizens for Good Government in South Bay.

Who are these concerned folks?

5000 dollars posted on 10/15/10 must mean something!

This is information is available at the Registrar of Voters

(Search under Cartmill's name and to read the a pdf of contributors to his campaign).

Page 6 lists the contribution below.

What is this group?

This California government web site lists the P.A.Cs and has a searchable database.

Type in the PAC Filer ID: 1257091 found on the page above into the search below:

http://cal-access.ss.ca.gov//Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1257091

A phone number for the Citizens for Good Gov etc. is listed on the site:

Call the phone number and it is an office phone for "GCR." (Listen to the message on the answering machine)

Google GCR with some creativity and one will find:

The law firm---GCR, shares the same phone number

as the PAC supporting CARTMILL. .

Numerous UT articles refer to Mr. Bonifacio Garcia, a member of the law firm GCR, as the "Sweetwater attorney."

Connect the dots.

1. Trustee cleared in flap over contract - SignOnSanDiego.com: ...Sweetwater attorney Bonifacio Garcia vetted the matter, concluded... Saturday, June 06, 2009
2. College superintendent issues report on agenda | The San Diego Union-Tribune: ...Jorge Dominguez and attorney Bonifacio Garcia. Board policy... Saturday, September 13, 2008
3. Three school boards stilled the public's voice | The San Diego Union-Tribune:...school district attorneys Bonifacio Garcia and Jack Parham, who... Saturday, January 19, 2008
4. Trustee election proposal criticized | The San Diego Union-Tribune: ...Bonifacio Garcia, Sweetwater's attorney, attacked a map drawn by... Thursday, November 08, 2007

Sweetwater In the News this October 14-22

This article outlines the facts about where our candidates are getting their campaign funds, bringing to mind the old adage of putting one's money where one's mouth is. Who speaks for the community and who speaks for vendors/contractors?* article below

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/oct/19/contractors-fund-sweetwater-school-board-race/

An article about the Special Ed program in SUHSD

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/oct/22/sweetwater-special-ed-set-up-faces-state-review/

Two Articles focusing on Arlie Ricasa's campaign monies

:http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/oct/14/fppc-investigating-complaint-against-board-member/ and http://www.10news.com/news/25407723/detail.html

*see below. Please check out the links and commentary from the community

Contractors fund Sweetwater school board race

BY ASHLY MCGLONE

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED OCTOBER 19, 2010 AT 3:53 P.M., UPDATED OCTOBER 19, 2010 AT 4:18 P.M.

CHULA VISTA — The two incumbents leading the pack for the Sweetwater school board race also lead in contributions accepted by district contractors.

Jim Cartmill and Arlie Ricasa — two of seven candidates running for three seats on the board — both accepted contributions in excess of $30,000, according to the most recent financial disclosures.

More than 10 contractors — including Able Heating & Air Conditioning, Barnhart, Inc., Echo Pacific Construction, Har Construction, Ruhnau Ruhnau Clarke, Seville Group, Marston & Marston, Robert Clapper Construction and Swinerton Builders — all donated money to the candidates. The three latter companies donated $5,000 to each incumbent.

At least 86 percent of Ricasa’s funding, and 57 percent of Cartmill’s money raised since January comes from contractors currently on the district’s payroll, many of which are working on projects funded by $644 million voter-approved Proposition O bond money.

Councilman John McCann has also received contributions from contractors, totaling at least $15,000, or 56 percent of his money raised.

McCann, Lorenzo Provencio and Hector Rivera are competing for Seat No. 3, which will be vacated by trustee Greg Sandoval.

Provencio has loaned himself nearly $10,000 for the campaign. Rivera has raised nearly $2,500.

Cartmill leads in total expenditures at more than $49,000.

Cartmill’s challenger, Karen Janney, has raised $29,000 mostly from teachers in the district.

Andrew Valencia — Ricasa’s challenger — has raised nearly $13,000.

Multiple community members took issue with the contractor donations at Monday night’s board meeting.

Sweetwater Union High School District trustees earn $759 per month for their service.

ashly.mcglone@uniontrib.com • (619) 293-1725 • Twitter @newswriter_gal