Kevin Crowe, Investigative Newsource

>>> SUPER PACS HAVE BEEN BIG SPENDERS IN NATIONAL ELECTIONS SO FAR THIS YEAR, AND RECENTLY THESE COMMITTEES HAVE BEEN POURING MONEY INTO CAMPAIGNS IN SAN DIEGO. THE PACS AND THE CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR OFFICE IN THE CITY FILED THEIR CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTS YESTERDAY. REPORTER KEVIN CROWE FROM OUR PARTNER "INVESTIGATIVE NEWS SOURCE" IS HERE TO TELL US MORE. KEVIN, GIVE US AN UPDATE. WHERE DO THE MAYORAL CANDIDATES STAND IN TERMS OF FUNDRAISING? >> WELL, CARL DeMAIO'S CAMPAIGN HAS BROUGHT IN THE MOST CASH IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS; THEY BROUGHT IN ABOUT $373,000. HOWEVER, ABOUT HALF OF THAT CAME OUT OF HIS OWN POCKET, SO HE'S ONLY RECEIVED ABOUT 193,000 FROM DONORS. ON THE FLIP SIDE, NATHAN FLETCHER REALLY BROUGHT IN THE MOST FROM OUTSIDE DONORS. HE RECEIVED ABOUT 303,000, A FIGURE HIS CAMPAIGN IS PRETTY PROUD OF. >> WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER TWO CANDIDATES, CONGRESSMAN BOB FILNER AND DISTRICT ATTORNEY BONNIE DUMANIS? >> THEY'RE BOTH PRETTY FAR BEHIND. DeMAIO AND FLETCHER ARE VERY FAR AHEAD, TO BE SURE. DUMANIS'S CAMPAIGN HAS BROUGHT IN ABOUT 617,000 IN CASH DURING THE WHOLE PRIMARY ELECTION CYCLE, AND FILNER HAS BROUGHT IN ONLY ABOUT 425,000, AND THAT'S COMPARED TO DeMAIO'S 1.6 MILLION AND FLETCHER'S ABOUT 1.3 MILLION. >> THE CANDIDATES' COMMITTEES AREN'T THE ONLY ONES, BASICALLY, CAMPAIGNING FOR THE CANDIDATES. WHO ELSE IS OUT THERE, WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE? >> THERE ARE INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURE COMMITTEES. SOME OF THESE ARE SUPERPACS, AND SOME ARE NOT, AND THEY'VE ESTABLISHED THESE COMMITTEES IN SAN DIEGO TO SUPPORT A GIVEN CANDIDATE. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, SAN DIEGANS FOR NATHAN FLETCHER HAVE RAISED ALMOST $400,000. THEY CAN SPEND THAT ON POLLING DATA, ON MAILERS OR ON TELEVISION COMMERCIALS IN SUPPORT OF NATHAN FLETCHER, BUT THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE COORDINATING WITH NATHAN FLETCHER'S CANDIDATE CAMPAIGN. THEY CAN'T BE COORDINATING THEIR ACTIONS WITH EACH OTHER. >> HOW MANY OF THESE COMMITTEES ARE THERE? >> RIGHT NOW THERE ARE SIX FOR THE MAYORAL CANDIDATES. THERE ARE OTHERS FOR SOME OF THE PROPOSITIONS, BUT RIGHT NOW JUST SIX THAT ARE GOING TO MATTER IN THE PRIMARY FOR THE MAYORAL CANDIDATES. >> WHAT ABOUT THE TWO BALLOT INITIATIVES? WHAT KIND OF MONEY IS BEING SPENT ON THESE CAMPAIGNS? >> ONE OF THE MAIN GROUPS IS COMPREHENSIVE PENSION REFORMER, CPR FOR SAN DIEGO. NOW, THEY'RE SUPPORTING COMPREHENSIVE PENSION REFORM. THEY SPENT ALMOST $2 MILLION TO GET SIGNATURES TO GET THIS MEASURE ON THE BALLOT AND GET PEOPLE TO SUPPORT IT. THE PEOPLE WHO OPPOSE IT HAVE ONLY BROUGHT IN ABOUT $340,000. IT'S A PRETTY LOPSIDED BATTLE. >> AND THERE'S ANOTHER MEASURE ON THE BALLOT; RIGHT? >> THERE IS. THERE'S PROPOSITION A, AND IT'S GETTING A LOT OF FINANCIAL ATTENTION AS WELL. THAT'S THE PROPOSITION THAT WOULD PROHIBIT THE CITY FROM ENTERING PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENTS WHEN BUILDING CITY-FUNDED PROJECTS. AND SO LOCAL BUILDING AND CONTRACTING POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES ARE REALLY PUTTING HEAVILY INTO THAT, AND THEY'VE FUNNELLED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS INTO THE YES ON "A" CAMPAIGN. AND AS A RESULT, THAT COMMITTEE HAS OUTRAISED ITS OPPOSITION THREE TO ONE. >> NOW, CAN YOU FILL US IN ON THE COUNCIL DISTRICTS? >> YEAH. THE COUNCIL DISTRICTS -- THERE ARE A FEW THINGS GOING ON IN THE COUNCIL DISTRICTS. IN THE FIRST DISTRICT, THERE ARE FOUR CANDIDATES. SHERRI LIGHTNER IS THE INCUMBENT, AND SHE HAS RAISED CLOSE TO $200,000 IN CASH. HER MAIN OPPONENT, RAY ELLIS, HAS BROUGHT IN ABOUT $60,000 MORE THAN HER. ON THE BOTTOM END OF THAT, THERE IS BRYAN PEASE, HE HAS ONLY BROUGHT IN ABOUT $14,000, AND DENNIZ RIDZ HAS REALLLY ONLY RAISED ABOUT THREE. IN THE NINTH DISTRICT, SCOTT SHERMAN HAS REALLY OUTRAISED MAT KOSTRINSKY. THEY'RE BOTH ENDING UP WITH SOMEWHERE AROUND 25 TO 30,000 IN CASH ON HAND FOR THEIR MAIN PRIMARY CAMPAIGN. >> KEVIN CROWE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SPEAKING TO US TODAY. >> THANK YOU.