Updated "Follow the Money" Coverage: Between April 21-May 18, Lena Gonzalez's State Senate Campaign Received Contribs Over $150,000; Jack Guerrero Campaign Received $7,800+ (Of Which $5,000 Was Loan By Him Personally To His Campaign); Since Jan. 1, She's Spent Over $640,000; He's Spent About $26,000

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(May 23, 2019, 9:05 p.m.) -- LBREPORT.com continues our "Follow the Money" coverage with new details visible in campaign finance reports filed earlier today (May 23) by the two runoff candidates seeking to become CA's newest state Senator for residents in over half of Long Beach plus several S.E. L.A. County cities. .

In the less than 30-day period between April 21 and May 18 (with vote-by-mail ballots circulating now for the June 4 election):

Lena Gonzalez for Senate 2019 has received $159,231 in campaign contributions. Of that sum, $10,391 came in non-monetary form ($9,141 from the CA Professional Firefighters PAC for "video services.") As of May 18, the Gonzalez campaign reported $144,937 cash on hand with accrued expenses (unpaid bills) of $54,816. Since Jan. 1, the Gonzalez campaign has spent $643,114 (includes initial March 26 election plus runoff to date.)
For a detailed list of the Gonzalez campaign's contributors (including those under $1,000) during this period, see its May 23 campaign filing in full at this link.
The sums above don't include roughly $1.1+ million spent by a petroleum industry funded PAC ("Coalition to Restore California's Middle Class, Including Energy Companies Who Produce Gas, Oil, Jobs and Pay Taxes") in an independently conducted campaign to support Gonzalez in the initial election. (The PAC hasn't reported any large independent expenditures now that Gonzalez is in the runoff.)
Gonzalez's campaign filing also discloses the reason for her absence from the May 7 City Council meeting (when the Council voted 8-0 to oppose SB 50 unless amended to exclude LB.) The Gonzalez campaign filing shows she flew to Sacramento on May 7 to "attend fundraising strategy meetings" and remained in Sac'to until May 9.
[During a May 6 state Senate candidate forum, candidate Gonzalez stated that she opposes SB 50 as it's currently written (would override aspects of single family home zoning and increase/incentivize increased density) but also declared that she's a "YIMBY" ("yes in my backyard") on affordable (below market/subsidized) housing. Runoff state Senate candidate Guerrero stated his opposition to SB 50 regardless of whether it's amended, based on his support for local community zoning control. (In early May, the state Senate Appropriations committee blocked SB 50 from advancing to a Senate floor vote in 2019, but left open the possibility that it might let it advance in 2020; by that time, either Gonzalez or Guerrero will be a Senator and could vote on it; SB 50's author, state Senator Scott Wiener (D, SF) has endorsed Gonzalez in the race.)
Guerrero for Senate 2019 has received $7,810 (of which $5,000 is a loan from Mr. Guerrero personally to his campaign; he'd previously loaned his campaign $10,000 in April to pay for his June runoff-election ballot statement.) As of May 18, the Guerrero campaign reported $6,672 cash on hand with accrued expenses (unpaid bills) of $6,195. Since Jan. 1, the Guerrero campaign has spent $26,214 (includes initial March 26 election plus runoff to date.)
For a detailed list of the Guerrero campaign's contributors (including those under $1,000) during this period, see its May 23 campaign filing in full at this link.
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The state Senate district includes roughly 55% registered Democrats, 28% registered "decline to state" and just under 12% Republicans.

LBREPORT.com was the ONLY LB news outlet to provide extended VIDEO and AUDIO (podcast style) coverage of the only face-to-face encounter between the two candidates (May 6, 2019.)


PLUS Podcast On-Demand AUDIO Click Here

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Support really independent news in Long Beach. No one in LBREPORT.com's ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has ties to development interests, advocacy groups or other special interests; or is seeking or receiving benefits of City development-related decisions; or holds a City Hall appointive position; or has contributed sums to political campaigns for Long Beach incumbents or challengers. LBREPORT.com isn't part of an out of town corporate cluster and no one its ownership, editorial or publishing decisionmaking has been part of the governing board of any City government body or other entity on whose policies we report. LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. You can help keep really independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.