The race for two seats on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has seen candidates raise thousands of dollars, but only two have coffers topping $100,000 for the final weeks before the June 2 primary election.
Both Laura Capps, who is running for another term representing the Second District, and Ricardo Valencia, one of three candidates seeking the Fifth District seat, had more than $100,000 as of the campaign finance reporting period that ended April 18.
The forms showing donations and expenditures provide insight into candidates’ supporters and campaign strategies, but the amount of money doesn’t always translate into votes.
Since the reporting deadline for the January-to-April period, a number of large donations have continued to roll in, according to the 24-hour reports. Additional contributions will be included in the May reports.https://www.smbsd.org/
Not surprisingly, Valencia, a Santa Maria High School teacher and Santa Maria-Bonita School District board member, lists several donations from educators.
Fifth District candidate Maribel Aguilera-Hernandez, an attorney and Santa Maria City Council member, received contributions from attorneys and city officials. Candidate Cory Bantilan, chief of staff for Supervisor Steve Lavagnino, reported donations from the cannabis industry and those active in politics.
Valencia has received $70,868 in donations to add to the $58,137 he reported at the end of 2025. After more than $16,000 in expenses, Valencia’s ending cash balance in April was $112,619.
He has received dozens of donations via an online fundraising platform for Democratic candidates. Those donations under the reportable amount of $100 topped 200, but they don’t reveal whether donors live in the district or even the county. However, he claimed that 54% of his dollars came from donors inside the Fifth District.
Valencia’s top donors include the Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 104 Political Committee, which gave $5,900. Other donations of $4,900 each came from Clifford Solomon and Pamela Gates, plus $2,250 from Luz Maria Cabral, Valencia’s fellow Santa Maria-Bonita School District board member.
Valencia provided a $5,000 loan to his campaign while his wife, Elizabeth Cortez, an assistant principal at Righetti High School, also loaned the campaign $5,900.
Among $16,393 in expenditures, Valencia’s campaign has made multiple purchases of pizza and other food or beverages for volunteers canvassing for voter outreach.
Bantilan had $40,965 at the start of the filing period. He gathered another $33,113 by the April filing deadline and paid $11,800, leaving $62,277.
Bantilan began the year with campaign coffers bolstered by a $5,900 donation from his boss, Lavagnino, along with contributions from others in 2025.
In 2026, his largest donations include $5,900 from Tony Strickland for Senate 2026, and $5,000 each from Santa Barbara’s Arthur Bosse, Lara Property Management owner, and Will Crummer, CEO of Pro Farms.
The Santa Ynez Band of Mission Indians gave $3,500 and Christopher Bellamy, a Santa Barbara real estate investor, gave $2,500.
Kavaughn Bagbeh, of La Jolla and project manager for Happy Brands, gave $1,900, pushing his total to $5,900 contributed for the campaign. Kevin Wilson of Willits, chief financial officer of Leaf Brands Inc., gave $1,998.
Bantilan’s recent expenses include payments to consultant Chris Collier’s Pacific Campaign Solutions. He also spent $643 for literature in the Cops Voter Guide.
Aguilera-Hernandez began the campaign finance reporting period with $81,989 and collected $39,253. After making more than $65,071 in expenditures, she ended the period with $56,167.
Aguilera-Hernandez’s largest donations include $5,900 from Los Angeles-based Damon Porter of Dynamic Real Estate Partners, $5,900 from the Santa Barbara County Firefighters Government Political Action Committee, $5,000 from the Grower-Shipper Association of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo County and $5,000 from Laborers Local 220 Political Action Committee.
She also received $2,500 from Service Employees International Union Local 721, $2,500 from OSR Enterprises Inc. and $1,571 from Jeremy Garber, a maintenance technician for the Santa Maria Public Works Department.
She returned donations from Lee Danielson of Santa Barbara and Ramon Elias because of their ties to the oil industry. State laws restrict elected officials from voting on certain matters if they received campaign contributions of more than $500 to limit so-called pay-to-play politics.
Aguilera-Hernandez’s expenses include payments to consultant John Peschong’s firm Meridian Pacific Strategies. Peschong also serves on the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors.
Other expenditures for literature and mailings include $3,445 for Budget Watchdogs, $1,844 to Cal Voter, $1,698 to Election Digest, $3,053 to Senior Advocate and $1,316 to Voter Newsletter, according to County Elections Office filings.
Second District Campaign Spending
Capps, the Second District supervisor running for re-election, enters the final weeks of the campaign with $188,842 after raising more than $49,126 and spending $14,297 in the latest filing period.
Her largest donors include John Terlato of Terlato Wine Group with $5,900.
Other donors include Building a Stronger West Western State Regional Council of Carpenters with $3,000, Dorothy Largay of Santa Barbara with $2,500, Katie Davis of Santa Barbara with $2,500, Sheet Metal Workers Political Action Committee with $2,500 and Claudette Roehrig of Santa Barbara with $2,000.
Capps’ committee also made donations to other local and national campaigns and received contributions from several.
She paid her campaign consultant and event planner as well as other consultants.
Mack apparently did not file a campaign finance report.
He and Capps submitted forms agreeing to a voluntary campaign expenditure spending of $98,000 for the June primary and $98,000 for the general election in November if needed.
The trio of candidates vying for the Fifth District term did not accept the voluntary spending limit.
The next campaign finance reporting period spans from April 19 to May 16 with forms due May 21.
However, between March 4 and June 2, committees must submit campaign contribution statements within 24 hours of donations, and the forms show significant additions to the finances fueling candidates’ bids to win.
After that, the semi-annual campaign disclosure filing statement must be turned in by July 31.