Sylvia Arenas, left, and Johnny Khamis are running in Santa Clara County's Supervisorial District 1 race this coming November. (Photo courtesy of Sylvia Arenas and Johnny Khamis)
SANTA CLARA COUNTY — The fight to head South County’s mostly rural district is nearing the final round as November approaches — and the latest campaign finance disclosures reveal that the conservative candidate in the race has outraised his progressive challenger.
Since June 7, Johnny Khamis has raked in $206,487 compared to Sylvia Arenas’ $132,461 in the contest for the District 1 seat with only 36 days left until the finish line.
The campaign disclosures throw a small wrench into the strides made by the labor-backed Arenas, who is trying to break the decades long lock that conservatives have held on District 1 since the late 1990s. The outcome will have major implications for upcoming board votes and the direction of a district that includes Morgan Hill and Gilroy.
Arenas has had a number of key victories so far. She came out ahead in the June primary by almost 1,500 votes against Khamis and secured the endorsements of her two other opponents during that race, Rich Constantine and Claudia Rossi, whose votes will be crucial in the November election.
But analysts of the election say all bets are off on who will come out on top. And both candidates have roughly similar amounts of financial firepower behind them; Khamis has $152,788 cash on hand while Arenas has $136,895.
The race for the District 1 seat has centered around tackling homelessness, post-COVID economic recovery and public safety. While both candidates agree on the important issues facing the district, they have starkly different approaches. Khamis has positioned himself as fiscally conservative, stating that he’s looking to make sure tax dollars do not go to waste. Arenas has said she’s willing to go big on overhauling county programs, including in the housing and healthcare arenas.
And each candidate’s ideological differences are reflected in where their money is coming from.
Khamis’ donations are coming mostly from real estate, construction and small business interests, including $1,000 from well-known Silicon Valley billionaire John Sobrato. He’s also taken money from a variety of political action committees (PACs), including $500 from the Lincoln Club of Northern California, a Republican-aligned group that backs candidates who “strengthen fiscal and personal responsibility and free enterprise.”
Arenas’ money is flowing in mainly from educational leaders and nonprofit executives, including a $300 donation from the homeless advocacy organization Destination: Home COO Ray Bramson. She’s also received funds from local firefighters, bricklayers and sheet metal workers union PACs.
Her campaign is bolstered by the independent expenditure committee “Working Families for Responsible Leadership In Santa Clara County Supporting Sylvia Arenas for Supervisor 2022” that brought in a hefty $15,000 since June from the Sacramento-based Laborers Pacific Southwest Regional Organizing Coalition PAC.
“We’re really happy with where we stand,” said Khamis, a former San Jose city council member. He added coyly: “I don’t have the luxury of having someone campaign for me independently and sideline all the rules.”
Arenas, who represents San Jose’s District 8 on the council, did not immediately respond for a request for comment.
Originally published at Gabriel Greschler