With Mayor Steve Dicterow already announcing he will seek re-election in November, people or groups who want to contribute to their favorite candidate did not get the go-ahead from the City Council Tuesday to make larger donations.
The council unanimously voted to keep the limit on campaign contributions at $360 per contributor, the same as it has been since the 2010 elections.
“Theoretically, we could increase this,” said Dicterow. “Council, I gotta tell ya, I don’t see any need for doing that.” Dicterow raised $24,584 for his 2012 campaign, but spent more than $38,000 to win election, according to his campaign disclosure form.
By comparison, the Fair Political Practices Commission sets a contribution limit of $4,200 per individual in statewide contests. Individual contributions in Newport Beach are limited to $1,000 and Dana Point sets a ceiling of $640, according to filings with the FPPC.
In Laguna Beach during the 2012 election, $63,207, the highest amount of money contributed to a local candidate’s campaign, went to candidate Jon Madison. Madison’s campaign faltered after it was disclosed that his academic claims were false. The amount included an $8,147 loan from himself, according to his Jan. 5, 2015 filing.
That election year was the highest for campaign spending since 2002. Candidates, individuals and organizations spent $300,240 for three seats on the council, according to campaign spending reports.
The $380 campaign contribution limit can, by law, be adjusted every four years. It is based on the Consumer Price Index for Los Angeles and Orange counties compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to determine the cost of living in certain areas. People are spending an average of 5.3 percent more for the same product or service than they did four years ago, according to the BLS. In 2012, the council also decided to pass on raising the limit.
If re-elected in November, Dicterow will be serving his fifth four-year term. He was elected for three consecutive terms from 1994 to 2006 and is serving his fourth four-year term now. Another incumbent up for re-election, Bob Whalen, said Tuesday he’ll make the decision whether to run again later in the spring. The remaining council members, Kelly Boyd, Toni Iseman and Rob Zur Schmiede, were elected to four-year terms in 2014.
Norm Grossman and Anne Johnson, who have both served as campaign managers for several candidates over the years, said they haven’t yet heard of anyone else stepping into the race, noting that it was still early.
Candidates are required to file qualifying papers between July 18 and Aug. 12 for incumbents and Aug. 17 for all others.
