Council Candidate Expenditures Top $121,000

Campaign spending by the candidates aiming for a seat on the Lake Forest City Council topped $121,000 by the third week of October, according to campaign finance statements.

Of the seven candidates running for two open seats, candidate Dwight Robinson reported outraising other candidates for Lake Forest Council by a significant margin.

In his most recent campaign finance statement, Robison reported monetary contributions of $19,899: $17,832 in cash and $2,067 in non-monetary contributions. 

His overall contribution total of $35,899 this calendar year includes $15,000 in self-loans.

Four political action committees have kicked in cash to Robinson's campaign:

• Family Action PAC, $1,000
• California Real Estate PAC: $1,000 
• OC Biz PAC: $500 
• OC Taxpayers Association: $250.

Some Orange County politicians also gave to Robinson's campaign.

Lake Forest candidate Adam Nick gave Robinson $1,000 in April. The campaign committee for current Mayor Pro Tem Scott Voigts gave Robinson $500 in August. Ed Sachs, a candidate for Mission Viejo council, kicked in $250 in February.

Athens Services—the trash collector that beat out longtime Lake Forest contractor Sunset Properties for a contract with Lake Forest this January—gave Robinson $250 in February.

As of Oct. 20, Robinson reported expenditures of $31,784—the second-highest total of all candidates. Of that, $10,421 went to election mailers, according to campaign finance statements.

Nick recorded the second-highest fundraising total of the candidates, but funded the majority himself.

The candidate raised $2,650 from supporters and gave $5,000 to his campaign, raising his contribution total to $7,650. Nick has loaned his campaign a total of $35,000 this year, taking his contribution total to $42,650.

Nick has spent the most of any candidate so far in the race, with $40,466 in reported expenditures.

Of that, Nick spent $20,421 for campaign literature, including $15,883.50 in October alone for mailers, according to financial statements.

Incumbent Marcia Rudolph reported $6,637 in monetary contributions. She is the only candidate who has not reported any loans.

Most of Rudolph's cash was from Foothill Village, which gave $5,000. Brookfield Homes, a developer planning to erect 151 condos in Foothill Ranch, gave $500.

Rudoph reported expenditures of $6,863.

Lake Forest Planning Commissioner Terry Anderson has spent $20,966 this year, according to campaign finance documents.

He reported $3,294 in cash contributions, non-monetary contributions of $1,174 and self-loans of $13,000, for a total of $17,468.

The campaign committee for Councilman Peter Herzog gave the Anderson campaign $300. Herzog's committee also gave to candidate Kathy Zechmeister.

Zechmeister has collected $4,244 in cash donations from supporters, $1,148 in non-monetary contributions and self-loans totaling $11,250, bringing her contribution total to $16,632.

Brookfield Homes builder Dave Bartlett, who kicked in $250, is among her supporters.

As of the latest campaign filing, the Zechmeister campaign had spent $16,572.

Candidate Jim Gardner reported cash contributions of $1,330 and a $3,000 self-loan for a total of $4,330.

He reported spending $4,780 for campaign expenses.

Candidate Ken Carrell did not reach the $1,000 threshold that obligates candidates to detail their finances by Oct. 20, the due date for the latest filing period. However, he indicated that he will have surpassed that mark by the election, and will therefore be required to file a statement in January.