In the heated Democratic Party primary, local Assembly candidates have argued not only how the other is spending campaign dollars, but where that money is coming from.

Candidates Susan Jordan and Das Williams, fighting for the 35th Assembly District seat, have both been supported by various committees and hundreds of individual contributions. Where Williams has pulled ahead — $211,000 more than Jordan — is with the massive support of labor groups and political action committees, according to campaign finance documents filed with the Secretary of State’s Office.

Williams collected about $213,000 of his $575,000 total from such groups, which is more than five times what Jordan, or 11 times as much as Republican Mike Stoker, took in from unions and PACs.

“My views may not be identical, but they’re compatible to unions or PACs that deal with education, public safety and alternative energy,” Williams said.

He says 75 percent of his donations come from within the district, but Jordan challenges that nowhere near 75 percent of his dollars are local.

During his campaigning and time on the Santa Barbara City Council, Williams raised $5,450 from pro-marijuana individuals, including four who pursued or have been granted permits for local dispensaries. Of the donors, only James Lee and Nat Reinke — of the Green Well dispensary at 500 N. Milpas St. — have been permitted to operate by the city. Williams has supported the existence of dispensaries in Santa Barbara, first through his work on the Ordinance Committee, then with his votes on the council.

“You cannot run a campaign in Santa Barbara without people on both sides of an issue — of many issues — giving you money,” Williams said.

While taking contributions from pro-dispensary individuals, he took a similar amount of money, if not more, from those directly opposed to them, he said.

When asked whether the donations made him concerned about a conflict of interest, given the City Council’s decisions regarding dispensaries, he said a conflict implies financial self-interest, and he said he’s “definitely never made any money off of politics.”

Williams also has received $32,200 from the Sperling family, whose wealthy members include John Sperling of University of Phoenix fame, who has spent millions of dollars on marijuana legalization legislation in California and elsewhere.

Williams said he has never had a conversation with Sperling but is good friends with his son, Peter, who would be more likely to ask for help saving the coast, he said. Sperling family members are also philanthropists locally, and have contributed money to the Ellwood Bluffs and San Roque School.

Of Williams’ other contributions, big numbers have been put up by local Native American tribal organizations, to the tune of about $18,000, with the California Nations Indian Gaming Association handing over an additional $3,500. He is also financially supported by many local politicians and political groups, including the Democratic Women of Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider.

He said he refused contributions from health insurance, tobacco or oil companies, and that he did receive some checks from related organizations or individuals but sent them back.

“I refused checks from folks without any common ground with me,” Williams said.

Jordan’s contributions from labor unions and PACs total about $37,000 — less than a fifth of Williams’ contributions.

The rest of her $364,000 comes from many individual contributions, including attorneys and people involved in politics and environmental causes.

A lot of her funds come from other politicians, mostlyAssembly members, and candidates and officeholders have given her $24,000. Current 35th District Assemblyman Pedro Nava, Jordan’s husband, gave $3,900 to her campaign.

“I have lots of standing relationships from both sides of the building,” said Jordan, citing her work in Sacramento during the past 15 years.

Her largest donor by far has been herself, with a $32,500 loan.

“It used to be, if you run for office, the first thing people ask you is, how much of your own money are you putting in?” she said. She said she put in $32,500 because she wanted to get the word out about her campaign and Williams’ record.

“The special-interest money that’s flowing into Das’ campaign is really quite extraordinary,” Jordan said. “If you look at my body of work, the special-interest groups really don’t want me in Sacramento; I’m too tough.”

Jordan said she set no rules regarding which contributions to accept, but that she hasn’t accepted any tribal gaming money.

PXP Mailer Battle

In spending their hundreds of thousands of dollars, Jordan and Williams have butted heads — and papered the district in mailers — over each other’s positions on the oil drilling deal with Plains Exploration & Production Inc., or PXP.

The deal would allow PXP to drill at an existing platform in federal waters off Vandenberg Air Force Base with the condition of stopping drilling at that and three other platforms in 2022.

Proponents of the deal, including Williams, have argued it could help stop coastal oil drilling. Opponents, including Jordan, have criticized the project and note that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other officials dropped support of the project after the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Jordan’s mailers identifying Williams as a supporter prompted party leaders, who objected to her inclusion of pictures of dead birds and an oil rig on fire, to hold a news conference. Jordan stands by the mailers, saying they are completely factual and that voters need to know Williams’ record of supporting the plan.

“That’s what happens in an oil spill,” she said of the pictures. She doesn’t support the PXP deal, saying the risk of a spill isn’t worth the “unenforceable” end dates.

Williams’ mailers have called Jordan a “mudslinger” and feature altered images of Jordan, but they don’t deny his support of the project.

“My position is more comprehensive than hers,” he said. “I want to get rid of existing drilling, allow no new drilling and pursue alternative energy, where her plan is just no new oil.”

Williams supports the plan but noted that he opposed the onshore alternative to PXP and has worked on legislation and other efforts to end offshore drilling.

On the other side of the race, Stoker, who has $102,000 of his nearly $150,000 still in the bank, will take on Daniel Goldberg in Tuesday’s primary. Goldberg has not filed campaign finance reports with the Secretary of State’s Office, so Stoker most likely is holding onto his campaign funds to prepare for the possible showdown with the winner of the Democratic primary.

Stoker has nabbed the support of some unions and PACs as well, totaling about $18,000, and the support of three Lincoln Clubs for $5,000.

Click here to read Noozhawk’s Q&As with all four Assembly candidates.

— Noozhawk staff writer Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com.