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Candidates for open seats in Menlo Park City and Sequoia Union High school districts are raising thousands of dollars in the run-up to November’s general election.
Newcomers to the race are raising more than incumbents, some of whom did not file their contributions and expenses for the period of July 1 through Sept. 19.
Menlo Park City School District
Maya Herstein, a parent of three students in the Menlo Park City School District, raised $7,393 and spent $4,007 during this filing period.
The largest donation made to Herstein’s campaign was a self contribution of $2,000 followed by a donation of $1,070 by Menlo Park parent Andrea Draper. The majority of contributions ranged from $100 to $500 from Menlo Park, Atherton, Woodside and Los Altos residents.
The money was spent on yard signs, magnets, postcards, window clings and business cards. Herstein also spent about $500 on voter data access through Voter.Vote, an online campaigning assistance platform.
One of Herstein’s opponents, Andrew Barnes, noted only the $5,000 he contributed to his own campaign. Barnes works for Santa Clara County’s Facilities and Fleet Department and is a parent of a Laurel School and Hillview graduate.
Incumbents Jed Scolnick and Sherwin Chen did not file campaign finance reports this period.
Sequoia Union High School District – Area A
Incumbent Amy Koo, who represents Area A, which includes Redwood Shores, Belmont, San Carlos and parts of Redwood City, reports raising less than opponent Alon Shiran but spending more.Â
During this filing period, Koo raised $3,198 and spent $3,483. Since January, Koo has received a total of $6,498 in donations and loans to herself.
The largest contribution, $1,000, was made by San Francisco resident Stanley Koo. Other donations ranged from $100 to $500.
Donations of $100 were also made by local education leaders including Heather Hopkins, owner of Toddle Preschool in Menlo Park and a member of the Las Lomitas Elementary School District board; Alisa Covey, Redwood City School District board member; and Alison Ten Cate, director of Carlmont Academic Foundation.
Koo spent money on campaign materials, website builders and a donation to the San Mateo County Democratic Party. She also filed a $2,000 expense for her candidate statement filing with the county assessor and recorder.
Shiran, a Belmont resident and parent, raised $10,205 and spent $2,335. The majority of his contributions ranged from $100 to $500 from residents in Belmont, Menlo Park, San Carlos, Sunnyvale, Redwood City and Portola Valley. Donations were also made by supporters in Oakland, San Mateo, Alamo and Emeryville.
The largest contribution of $1,000 came from Charles Stone, an attorney with Goethals Stone, PC.
Shiran’s expenditures were for yard signs, campaign flyers, and voter file data through Voter.Vote. However, the majority of the payments reported were for online processing fees. Â
