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Valerie Starkey raked in more donations and is outspending everyone else competing for seats on the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors on March 5.

Starkey, who’s hoping to keep representing District 2, has received four-figure donations from a handful of labor unions as well as contributions from State Sen. Mike McGuire, the Del Norte County Democratic Central Committee and her former colleague Susan Masten.

Starkey’s challenger, retired Pelican Bay State Prison correctional officer Rivers Drown, hasn’t formed a committee, according to County Clerk-Recorder Alissia Northrup.

Neither has Linda Sutter, who’s competing for the District 5 Supervisor seat against incumbent Dean Wilson and Heather Polen, True North Organizing Network navigator, Northrup told the Wild Rivers Outpost on Monday.

Candidates who don’t plan on receiving or spending more than $2,000 — not including what they pay in candidate statements or filing fees — aren’t required to publicly disclose their campaign finance information, she said.

Campaign finance information were due by Feb. 22 for next Tuesday’s election, according to Northrup.

District 1 Supervisor Darrin Short is running for re-election unopposed.

Meanwhile, though California’s primary election deadline is only a week away, Northrup said the number of ballots her office has received so far has been low. As of Friday, the Del Norte County Elections Office has received a total of 1,388 ballots out of nearly 15,000 that were sent out earlier this month. Fewer than 300 people out of about 3,000 each in districts 2 and 5 have returned ballots so far, according to Northrup.

“I don’t know if people are just feeling blah about it or waiting because so many people have dropped out,” Northrup said, referring to the presidential races. “But some of the local stuff, people don’t understand that’s going to affect you on a level that you’re going to feel locally.”

Northrup said she’s also looking for poll workers, especially in Klamath, to help out next Tuesday. Poll workers must be 18 years old, a U.S. Citizen, a registered voter and able to speak and read English. They’ll be asked to work from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on election day and should have adequate means of transportation.
Students age 16 and older are also urged to be a pollworker. For more information, call (707) 465-0383.

Starkey, a retired probation officer who returned to Del Norte County from Sonoma County and was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2020, collected $22,783 in monetary contributions and $632 in non-monetary contributions for a total of $23,415 from May 2023 through Feb. 17, 2024.

Starkey’s campaign has spent a total of $15,641.03 in cash and has a non-monetary adjustment of $632, according to her California Form 460. As of Feb. 17, her campaign has an ending cash balance of $7,141.97.

The largest contribution to Starkey’s campaign comes from Dignity CA Local SEIU 2015, which represents long-term care workers and gave $5,000. Two $1,500 donations came from Martinez-based unions, Laborers International Union of North America and Luina Labor Union Local 324. The Building and Construction Trades Council of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties donated $1,000 and the Operating Engineers 3, a Eureka-based labor union, contributed $500.

McGuire and the Del Norte Democratic Central Committee each gave $500 to Starkey’s campaign. Masten, who was appointed to the District 5 supervisor seat after Bob Berkowitz died and served until Wilson defeated her in the 2022 election, donated $600 to Starkey’s campaign.

Starkey also disclosed that she received wine for an event from Markham Vineyard in St. Helena worth about $500. She also reported receiving a $575 deposit back from Del Norte County for renting the Veterans Memorial Hall for a campaign-related event.

Other large expenditures for Starkey’s campaign include $1,307.84 to Vista Print for mailers and other campaign paraphernalia. Starkey’s campaign spent $225 in rental fees for the Veterans Memorial Hall as well as $2,560.87 to Marlo’s, a Crescent City restaurant for catering.

Starkey also bought $250 worth of cookies from Glen’s Bakery for her campaign’s event.

In the District 5 race, Wilson received a total of $12,876 in contributions, though about $7,500 of that was in loans. According to his latest campaign finance disclosure form, the incumbent in the race received $4,972 in cash donations from Jan. 1 through Feb. 17. Wilson also received $404 in non-monetary contributions.
Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 17, Wilson has spent $10,571 on his campaign. As of Feb. 17, Wilson’s campaign had an ending cash balance of $1,800.71.

In his most recent campaign disclosures, Wilson states he received a $100 donation from Angela and Jason Greenough. Greenough currently serves on the Crescent City Council.

On Monday, Wilson told the Outpost that most of his contributions, about $7,500, was money he and his wife, Mary Wilson, loaned to his campaign. He said he also had about $2,000 that was left over from his 2022 race against Masten.

In his most recent campaign finance report, Wilson states that he repaid his wife $208.92, the cost for banners and signs.

In Wilson’s campaign finance report for Jan. 1 through Jan. 20, Wilson’s largest expenditures include about $755 to the Del Norte County Elections Office for campaign filing fees and a candidate statement.

Polen, Wilson’s challenger, is also contributing to her own campaign in the form of a $575 loan. She has reported receiving $2,944 in monetary contributions between Jan. 1 and Feb. 17 as well as non-monetary contributions of $583. In her campaign finance report, Polen states these donations came in as non-monetary contributions of less than $100.

As of Feb. 17, Polen’s campaign had an ending cash balance of $532.31.

Masten appears to be Polen’s largest donor, giving $2,000 toward the defeat of her former opponent on the Board of Supervisors.

Polen also disclosed receiving $594 in unitemized monetary contributions of less than $100.

According to her campaign finance report, Polen’s largest expenditures include a payment of nearly $650 to Vista Print for campaign literature, $650 to Political Data Inc. for voter data. Polen’s campaign also spent $411.77 at Del Norte Office Supply for mailers and $408 to the U.S. Postal Service for stamps.

At the state level, Michael Greer, Del Norte Unified School District trustee who’s the only Republican seeking the California Assembly District 2 seat, has received a total of $23,452.30 in contributions between Jan. 1 and Feb. 17, according to the California Secretary of State’s website.

Greer has spent a total of $16,089.93 between Jan. 1 and Feb. 17 and has an ending cash balance of $15,342.93, according to his campaign finance report.

According to the report Greer copied to the Del Norte County Elections Office, he loaned $20,000 of his own money to his campaign. As of Jan. 20, Greer has an outstanding debt of $30,922.91. In addition the loan, Greer stated he has $10,922.91 in unpaid bills

Greer’s donors include the Del Norte Republican Party, which gave $600 toward his campaign. His colleague on the DNUSD school board, Abbie Crist, donated $500.

Greer’s largest expenditure includes $1,000 to Matt Heath, a Santa Rosa Republican who unsuccessfully ran against Jim Wood for the District 2 Assembly seat. According to Greer’s finance report, Heath is providing consulting services to his campaign.

Greer also paid $890 for yard signs from Cave Junction, Oregon-based Bridgeview Press.

On his campaign finance report for Jan. 1 through Jan. 20, Greer states that he owes himself $9,761 for filing fees and candidate statements.

Greer is competing against Democrats Rusty Hicks, Frankie Myers, Ariel Kelley, Chris Rogers and Ted Williams for Wood’s Assembly seat.

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