Races for San Diego City Council continue to attract large amounts of cash from labor unions, business interests and wealthy individuals — especially in South Bay-based District 8 and on the city’s central coast in District 2.
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Separate political action committees supporting the two Democrats battling in District 8, Antonio Martinez and Gerardo Ramirez, have each gotten more than $250,000 in contributions since July 1.
Independent committees backing Ramirez lead those supporting Martinez $300,000 to $250,000. Committees spending for Ramirez had dominated such contributions by a much wider margin leading up to the June primary.
In the District 2 battle between Democrat Nicole Crosby and Republican-turned-independent Richard Bailey, Crosby leads in attracting independent committee money $203,000 to $165,000 since July 1.
That’s also a sort of reversal from the primary, in which committees supporting Bailey drew by far the most cash. Third-place finisher Josh Coyne drew more independent spending than Crosby.
In the Democrat-versus-Democrat battle in District 4, incumbent Henry Foster has benefited from $47,000 in committee support from the Municipal Employees Association, the labor union that represents 5,000 city workers — $30,000 for polling and $17,000 for a mailer.
Challenger Martha Abraham has been the beneficiary of nearly $6,000 raised by the city’s firefighters union for the race in District 4, which includes much of southeastern San Diego. The money was spent on signs.
There haven’t been any independent committee contributions in central inland District 6.
The contributions are reflected in new campaign finance disclosures filed this week. The new disclosures cover not just fundraising and spending by independent committees but also individual contributions directly to candidates’ campaigns.
In the candidates’ own disclosures, Abraham raised more than twice what incumbent Henry Foster did during the disclosure period from July 1 through Sept. 19. But Foster has $64,000 in cash left to spend, while Abraham has $23,000.
In District 6, Republican challenger Mark Powell dominated fundraising over Democratic incumbent Kent Lee during the period, $26,000 to $3,000. But Lee has $99,000 in cash on hand, while Powell has only $11,000.
In District 8, where independent spending has dwarfed fundraising by the campaigns themselves, Ramirez outraised Martinez $18,000 to $7,000, and Ramirez has $11,000 in cash compared to $6,000 for Martinez.
In District 2, Bailey raised by far the most money of any candidate in the city during the period — $51,000. Crosby raised $19,000. Bailey has a cash-on-hand advantage of $77,000 to $9,000.
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When supporters contribute directly to candidates instead of to political action committees, they can’t contribute more than the city’s $800 maximum.
Independent expenditure committees — which must raise and spend money independently from the candidate they support — also make it possible for corporations, labor unions and merchant groups to participate at all.
City campaign rules bar those types of organizations from contributing directly to candidates, but they can contribute to committees that either support or oppose individual candidates.
Ramirez has gotten committee money from the political action committee of the Municipal Employees Association — $40,000 for a mailer.
Another committee, Estamos con Gerardo Ramirez for San Diego City Council District 8, got $250,000 from the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters and $10,000 from the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Martinez has gotten committee money from a number of local unions — $175,000 from the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council, $50,000 from San Diego Firefighters and $25,000 from Unite Here Local 30, a hotel and food workers union. The committee backing him is called San Diegans for Public Safety Supporting Antonio Martinez.
Things are more complicated in District 2, where Crosby is benefitting from both a committee that supports her and an anti-Bailey committee.
The pro-Crosby committee, called Working Families in support of Crosby City Council 2026, has gotten $50,000 from a major construction union, Local 89 of the Laborers International Union of North America.
The anti-Bailey committee, called Working Families Opposing Richard Bailey, has raised $50,000 from three other unions — the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, $45,000 from the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council and $25,000 from the San Diego County Building Trades Council.
Bailey is benefiting from two committees.
Protect San Diego in support of Bailey for City Council has raised $100,000 from Point Loma attorney Steven Richter, who also gave $1 million in an effort to elect unsuccessful mayoral candidate Larry Turner in 2024.
The other committee — San Diegans in Support of Bailey for City Council 2026 Sponsored by the Lincoln Club Business League — has raised $65,000, including $50,000 from developer Tom Sudberry and $15,000 from the San Diego Restaurant and Beverage PAC.
The Democratic Party is also expected to support the candidates it has endorsed in all four races: Crosby, Foster, Lee and Martinez.
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