BY SARA TABIN
Daily Post Staff Writer
Planning Commissioner Sally Meadows has taken the lead in the Los Altos City Council race when it comes to fundraising, with $23,318 in donations.
Meadows received $500 from former mayor Jean Mordo, $100 from former Los Altos History Museum Board Co-President Linda Eckols, $2,000 from the California Association of Realtors political action committee, $250 from former mayor and Realtor Mary Prochnow, $500 from Chinese School of Los Altos President Jie Bai, $100 from Fremont Hospital Director Crysta Krames and $1,000 from GABA Therapeutics CEO Ian Massey.
Parks and Recreation Commissioner Scott Spielman raised the second most with $19,058. He received large sums from several residents who have been critical of the current city government.
Freddie Wheeler gave Spielman $1,708. Earlier this year Wheeler filed a state complaint against Mayor Jan Pepper. She said Pepper should recuse herself from voting on the city’s gas ban because Pepper is the CEO of Peninsula Clean Energy. Peninsula Clean Energy, a nonprofit, buys electricity on behalf of consumers in San Mateo County. The complaint was dismissed.
Roberta Phillips donated $500 to Spielman. She speaks at many council meetings and has complained that the sitting council held meetings in the city’s Youth Center rather than City Hall for most of the past year. All city meetings are done now via Zoom due to the pandemic.
James Jolly donated $7,500. In 2018, Jolly was part of a group of residents who pushed for a ballot measure to stop the city from selling more than 7,500 square feet of public land without voter approval.
Verizon Chief of Staff John Corrigan donated $1,000 to Spielman. Verizon has been in conflict with the city because the city blocked the company from placing small cellular nodes in town.
Stanford political science professor Stephen Haber donated $200 to Spielman. Public Arts Commissioner Nancy Ellickson gave him $500.
Incumbent Lynette Lee Eng has $12,648. Lee Eng, who is frequently in the minority on council, voted against the city’s natural gas ban.
Lee Eng also got $500 from Phillips, $2,000 from Jolly and $200 from Haber. Lee Eng and her husband gave her campaign $5,000.
Candidate and Parks and Recreation Commissioner Jonathan Weinberg has received $1,675 in contributions. He got $250 from former mayor King Lear, who has been pushing a controversial plan to build bocce ball courts on city parkland.
Candidate and Finance Commissioner Kuljeet Kalkat has $3,529 including $250 from former mayor Jean Mordo.
Realtor Terri Couture has $1,100 with donations from several other Realtors. She got $50 from Compass Realtor Dottie Monroe, $100 from Caldwell Banker Realtor Kathryn Tomato, $100 from Compass Realtor Kiersten Ligheti and $500 from Compass Realtor Kathy Bridgman.
Alex Rubashevsky did not spend more than $2,000, meaning he didn’t have to file a campaign financial disclosure form like the others.
