_{Thumbnail photo: Del Norte County elections staff began a live-stream as they processed on Monday. | Screenshot}

Chris Howard received donations from big local names as he seeks to keep his District 3 seat on the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors.

Howard, who’s running against retired educator Lupe Gutierrez, boasts four-figure donations from Nick and Lisa Rail, Green Diamond Resource Company and Adam Goldstein, an entrepreneur from Burbank who moved to Crescent City.

The amount of the donations Gutierrez received between March 1 and April 23 pales in comparison to her opponent. However, she has spent $6,634.76 in literature, campaign paraphernalia and research, according to her California Form 460. 

As of Monday, Gutierrez hadn’t filed her financial disclosure report covering the dates between April 19 and May 16, Del Norte County Clerk-Recorder Alissia Northrup told Redwood Voice Community News. The due date was May 21, Northrup said.

Howard, meanwhile, has spent a total of $2,097.44 as of May 16, according to his final California Form 460 submitted ahead of Tuesday’s election deadline.

Howard and Gutierrez are the only two candidates out of five seeking seats on the Board of Supervisors to have formed committees, Northrup said Friday.

The three candidates vying for the Del Norte County District 4 seat — Lisa Cundall, Margaret Sargent and incumbent Joey Borges — have not formed committees. According to Northrup, candidates who don’t plan on receiving or spending more than $2,000, not including what they pay in candidate statements or filing fees, aren’t required to publicly disclose their campaign finance information.

“It’s been very quiet,” Northrup said. “I’ve hardly seen any signs up around town…. I’m not seeing a lot of ads, and District 4 has been really quiet.”

Up until the last two days, traffic from voters dropping their ballot off at the Elections Office has been light, Northrup said. On Friday, however, she joked that she should just keep her door open because “people are starting to really come in.”

For more information about how to vote in Del Norte, click here.

A little more than 15,000 ballots were sent to Del Norte County voters on May 4, Northrup said. As of Friday, her office has received “right under 3,000.” She said people may be waiting until the last minute to submit their ballots since they’re being asked to choose from more than 60 candidates for California governor.

“I had people calling and asking questions and we can direct them to other places, but we can’t advise them,” Northrup said. “People might be a little overwhelmed. And I’ve heard that different organizations and people are saying to wait and see what happens because they’re concerned about who’s leading and who they should vote for because there are so many candidates.”

Northrup said she’s looking for at least five people to be poll workers next Tuesday. Poll workers can be as young as 16 and will receive a $75 stipend for working on Election Day. According to Northrup, students must have permission from their parents as well as at least a 2.0 grade-point average to be a poll worker.

“We encourage young people to give it a shot,” she said. “It’s a great experience and it looks really good on college apps.”

For more information about being a poll worker, call (707) 464-7216.

Howard, who is seeking his fourth term on the Board of Supervisors, collected a total of $6,850 in donations between April 19 and May 16, according to his Form 460. He also loaned himself a total of $1,069.85 as of May 16.

Howard’s campaign has spent a total of $2,097.44 between Jan. 1 and May 16, including a non monetary adjustment of $496, according to his campaign finance report. As of May 16, his campaign had an ending cash balance of $6,248.41 and $1,069.85 in outstanding debt.

Howard’s largest donations come from Green Diamond Resource Company, which contributed $2,500 and the Rails, who contributed $2,000. Nick Rail is a Del Norte High School graduate who founded, and retired from, a successful chain of music stores in Southern California. Goldstein, who presented at the Del Norte County Economic Summit on April 29, donated $1,000.

Other donors to Howard’s campaign included Elk Valley Rancheria, which gave $500, as well as his predecessor Mike Sullivan, who donated $250. He also received non-monetary contributions of $296 from Red Sky Roofing for postage and $200 from Del Norte Office Supply for envelopes and letters.

In addition to paying $992 to the Del Norte County Elections Office for filing fees, Howard’s campaign’s only reported expenditure was to signs.com for campaign paraphernalia in the amount of $629.44. 

Gutierrez received $4,581.16 in monetary contributions and loaned $2,053 to her own campaign between March 1 and April 23, according to her finance disclosure form. Her campaign also spent a total of $6,634.70.

According to her campaign finance disclosure form, Gutierrez has an ending cash balance of $6,634.70 with an outstanding debt of $5,687.49. According to her campaign finance disclosure form, Gutierrez reported accrued expenses from Capital One for $400 for information technology costs; Tri Counties Bank for $224; and Coast Central Credit Union for $400 for candidate filing fees.

Shamblin was the largest reported donor to Gutierrez’s campaign, giving a total of $700. The Del Norte Democratic Central Committee and McClure contributed $500 each. Gutierrez also received a total of $1,731.10 in unitemized contributions of less than $100 from March 1 through April 23, according to her financial reports. 

Of the $6,634.70 Gutierrez’s campaign reported in expenditures, $3,570.54 went to Postcard Mania, of Florida, for campaign literature and postage and delivery. Gutierrez’s campaign also paid VistaPrint $1,329.50 for campaign paraphernalia. She also logged an expenditure to herself for $224.