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It's no stretch to say that the unions will be backing Lorena Gonzalez in her run for State Assembly against former Chula Vista city councilmember Steve Castaneda.
And it's not much of a surprise to see those same unions reach deep into their coffers to give their candidate an extra step ahead of her opponent.
On May 8, however, two union-affiliated groups dug deeper than before, giving what will be the two largest donations yet to occur in the race.
On Wednesday the California Teacher's Association's independent expenditure committee gave more in one day then many of their members earn in one year with a check for $50,000 to the Committee for Honesty and Accountability Opposed to Castaneda for Assembly in 2013.
But that $50,000 is just half of it. On that same day, the Committee for Working Families, a workers advocacy group sponsored by the California Labor Federation AFL-CIO, matched that $50,000 donation.
That makes $100,000 in one day to a committee whose soul purpose is to tamp down any sign of a surge from Castaneda.
"Anytime someone or some group spends a hundred thousand dollars to attack you, sure it's a bit concerning but that's politics," says Castaneda responding to the recent set of donations.
"The voters in this district know who is from the community and who isn't."
As for the lopsided campaign accounts, Castaneda sees the most recent donations as a positive sign for his campaign.
"I've run and will continue to run a grassroots campaign. It's no secret that I have not raised a huge amount of money. With a week and a half left before the election, I think it shows that they feel that there's an urgent need to sink my campaign."
"I've been in this business for a long time and sometimes you fight against each other and sometimes you fight alongside one another," added the former councilmember.
"At the end of the day the voters will have the say. Maybe these donations are just a sign that the other side is scrambling. We'll know in a week and a half, won't we?"
Follow the link below to see the May 8 disclosure.
http://www.sandiegoreader.com/documents/2013/may/10/union-donations-80th-assembly-race/
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/may/10/45327/
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/may/10/45328/
It's no stretch to say that the unions will be backing Lorena Gonzalez in her run for State Assembly against former Chula Vista city councilmember Steve Castaneda.
And it's not much of a surprise to see those same unions reach deep into their coffers to give their candidate an extra step ahead of her opponent.
On May 8, however, two union-affiliated groups dug deeper than before, giving what will be the two largest donations yet to occur in the race.
On Wednesday the California Teacher's Association's independent expenditure committee gave more in one day then many of their members earn in one year with a check for $50,000 to the Committee for Honesty and Accountability Opposed to Castaneda for Assembly in 2013.
But that $50,000 is just half of it. On that same day, the Committee for Working Families, a workers advocacy group sponsored by the California Labor Federation AFL-CIO, matched that $50,000 donation.
That makes $100,000 in one day to a committee whose soul purpose is to tamp down any sign of a surge from Castaneda.
"Anytime someone or some group spends a hundred thousand dollars to attack you, sure it's a bit concerning but that's politics," says Castaneda responding to the recent set of donations.
"The voters in this district know who is from the community and who isn't."
As for the lopsided campaign accounts, Castaneda sees the most recent donations as a positive sign for his campaign.
"I've run and will continue to run a grassroots campaign. It's no secret that I have not raised a huge amount of money. With a week and a half left before the election, I think it shows that they feel that there's an urgent need to sink my campaign."
"I've been in this business for a long time and sometimes you fight against each other and sometimes you fight alongside one another," added the former councilmember.
"At the end of the day the voters will have the say. Maybe these donations are just a sign that the other side is scrambling. We'll know in a week and a half, won't we?"
Follow the link below to see the May 8 disclosure.
http://www.sandiegoreader.com/documents/2013/may/10/union-donations-80th-assembly-race/
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/may/10/45327/
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/may/10/45328/