By Clarence Cromwell
Pre-election funding reports came in March 14, and No on G stayed ahead of the Save Our Neighborhoods Initiative Committee in the revenue race, out-fundraising initiative backers by better than 2 to 1.
No on G received $15,258 in contributions between Feb. 11 and March 9. It spent $14,459. SONIC, by comparison, raised $6,307 during that period, most of it through a loan.
The groups campaigned on opposite sides of Measure G, the initiative that would let voters decide when property owners ask to have their land upgraded to a more dense or intensive general plan designation.
No on G contributions of more than $100 came from 17 sponsors.
The largest was given by the Odd Fellows Home of California in the form of a $5,000 donation on Feb. 27 and another donation of $4,000 on March 4.
Betty Riley, a Pamela Way resident, contributed $1,000 for the measure.
A pair of development companies, C&N Development and J.R. Nelson Associates, gave $500 apiece. Other, smaller contributions flowed from area residents.
The group's largest expenditure so far, $5,000, went to Protocall, the telemarketing company that conducted a telephone campaign for No on G.
Metro Newspapers charged the organization $972 for advertising, $1,572 went to producing literature.
Campaign consultants and professional advisers charged the campaign $3,250. Payments to advertising firms amounted to $1,381.
As No on G spent, SONIC struggled to raise money for the final weeks before the election.
The group got a $5,000 loan from Francis Stutzman on Feb. 11. Contributions of less than $100 totaled $857. Contributions of more than that amount totaled $450.
Legal fees topped SONIC's list of expenses. The group paid $2,922 to its legal counsel. The organization paid $267 for rental of the Community Center auditorium. Printing-related costs totaled $1,408.
The California Election Code requires campaign groups to file quarterly reports detailing all contributions with the City Clerk. The records are available for public examination at City Hall.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, March 20, 1996.
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