With less than a week until Election Day and a political action committee contributing the most to support candidates for Portola Valley Town Council — through lawn signs, postcards and mailers — candidates aren't spending or raising much individually, according to the latest round of campaign finance reports.

The most recent filings were due on Oct. 27 for a period that covers Sept. 29 through Oct. 21.

The five candidates — Mayor Craig Hughes, Planning Commission members Judith Hasko and Craig Taylor, retired physician Mary Hufty and Emergency Preparedness Committee Chair Dale Pfau — are competing for three seats on the Portola Valley Town Council.

PAC spending

Our Future Together, a Political Action Committee formed to unseat current council members, didn't raise any money during the period. It has collected about $40,000 in total contributions in 2022, according to its Oct. 27 filing.

The PAC spent about $10,200 to pay off debts and on independent expenditures. The bulk of its spending, around $7,000, went to mailers, signs and postcards for the three candidates it endorsed: Hasko, Hufty and Pfau.

It paid the Sutton Law Firm, which specializes in political and election law, and resident and PAC member Ellen Vernazza about $3,200 for expenses from a previous filing period. The PAC still has outstanding reimbursements for office supplies and postage to Vernazza.

Our Future Together recently ran ads in the Palo Alto Daily Post last week, though it's unclear if expenses for those ads were paid out before this filing period ended, Oct. 21, or will be included in the next filing period. Vernazza told The Almanac in email that the the expense did not get reported on the last 460 because it was made after the close of the reporting period, which ended on Oct. 22.

Candidate spending and fundraising

The biggest spender was Dale Pfau, who spent about $5,200 on campaign paraphernalia, literature and mailings. He received about a $1,400 refund from Embarcadero Media, The Almanac's parent company, for canceled ads, according to his filing.

Pfau raised about $1,800. He loaned his campaign $1,000. Bob Allen of the Nathhorst Triangle neighborhood contributed $242 to Pfau and Ulrich Aldag gave $500.

Hasko loaned herself about $2,860. She spent $3,070 on yard signs and mailers, according to her filing.

Hughes did not raise any funds. He spent about $1,900, including reimbursing himself for campaign expenses (yard signs, mailers and a Mailchimp fee). He spent about $1,060 on campaign mailers, according to his filing.

Taylor didn't raise or spend any funds during this period. He's raised $1,400 from Portola Valley residents since the beginning of the year, according to his filing. Taylor does owe himself $420 for campaign paraphernalia.

Hufty's campaign finance document for this filing period came in on Wednesday. She said her filings came in late because the state delayed sending out her FPPC number until Nov. 1.

Hufty raised $100 and spent about $3,000 on campaign signs, postcards and mailers.