Third District Santa Barbara County supervisor candidate Jenelle Osborne is heading into the March 5 primary election with only $100 in her coffers, according to campaign finance filings. She’s raised the least among the three candidates, so far.
“I got into the race late so I didn’t start funding or did any appeals for funds, and I haven’t been doing any aggressive fundraising,” Osborne told the Sun. “I do expect to spend more as we move forward, I just have tried not to rush out the door and create debt.”
Santa Barbara County supervisor candidates running in the March 5 primary election were required to submit campaign finance information to the county Clerk-Recorder’s Office on Jan. 21, breaking down contributions and expenditures from 2023 and between Jan. 1 to Jan. 20. The next pre-election campaign finance filing date is Feb. 22 to show financial information from Jan. 21 to Feb. 17.
Osborne said she’s in the process of receiving potential donations and endorsements, but the current Lompoc mayor added that she created her own campaign literature with her computer and printer, retooled her mayoral website for the supervisor’s race since it was already paid for, and hasn’t invested in yard signs or other advertising—saving her money.
“I don’t think money should be the only reason you win,” Osborne said. “The incumbent has a large amount of funds with the Democratic Party funding the campaign; [Frank] Troise has the ability to self-fund and has the Republican [Party] endorsement.”
Incumbent Joan Hartmann has a current balance of $168,529, according to campaign finance filings—raising more than $11,000 between Jan. 1 and 20. She received a $1,000 contribution from fellow Santa Barbara County Supervisor Laura Capps (representing the 2nd District) and a $1,435 contribution from Scale Microgrids—a private company that designs clean-energy products.
Filings for 2023 show that Hartmann also received $2,500 from Michael Cooney, an attorney and 1st District Santa Barbara County planning commissioner; $3,000 from the Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County; and $2,500 each from two executives at Patagonia. Former state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson and representatives from Planned Parenthood Central Coast contributed smaller dollar amounts to her campaign in 2023.
Fellow candidate Frank Troise has $2,867, raising $350 from Jan. 1 to Jan. 20 and $8,400 from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2023, according to filings. The Santa Barbara County Deputy Sheriff’s Association contributed $5,500 to his campaign, and he received several other contributions ranging between $100 to $250—including contributions from Matthew Nordby, a managing partner of Flume Ventures in Incline Village, Nevada; Andrew Barrett, the CEO of Banco de Credito in Placida, Florida; and private investment firm Pareto Partners LLC in Metuchen, New Jersey.
His campaign spent more than $11,000 in 2023 and has $5,298 in unpaid bills. He owes himself more than $3,000 in candidate filing and ballot fees and owes $1,750 to Think Right Compliance Inc.—a consulting company that’s also worked with the Republican Party, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Osborne signed a voluntary expenditure limit agreement with the county that caps her campaign spending at $96,000 for the primary election and $96,000 for the general election—which waived a $2,478 fee for Osborne to include information about her campaign in the voter information guide and sample ballots sent out to residents, she said.
“I did it to assist with costs, but it’s also a part of my belief system with spending the money wisely,” Osborne said.
This article appears in Feb 1-11, 2024.