City Council candidates cannot officially file paperwork to formally appear on the ballot until Feb. 14, 2008, but a number have already thrown their hat in the race for the District 3 seat, by filing a “candidate intention statement” with the city clerk. A few of those candidates wasted no time soliciting campaign contributions, as is reflected in the Recipient Committee Campaign Statement reports recently made public by the city clerk’s office.

The reports show all campaign activity through June 30 and are an early indication of how many voters candidates could reach in the campaign for Toni Atkins’ seat. Candidate Todd Gloria, an aide to Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego, more than doubled the fund raising efforts for all other candidates who filed, banking $48,000.

“The report shows that years of living and working in this community, having spent time serving on the housing commission, on The Center’s board and in my neighborhood of City Heights, I’ve built a strong base of support that cannot be matched,” Gloria said, noting that while his campaign has recently officially kicked off, he has been working toward the District 3 seat for some time.

Stephen Whitburn, a spokesperson for the American Red Cross in San Diego, raised $17,000; and John Hartley, a councilmember from 1989 to 1993, reported $8,900, including $5,000 of his money.

The other two candidates who have their eyes on the seat, Rocky Neptun, director of the San Diego Renters Union, and James Hartline, an outspoken “ex-gay” activist, did not file financial statements.

“No candidate could start raising or spending money until June 3, a year before the election,” said Denise Jenkins, elections analyst at the San Diego city clerk’s office, explaining the candidates had only 27 days to raise these funds before the first filing date.

Candidates do not have to file or form a campaign fund-raising committee unless they have raised more than $1,000, she said.

The financial disclosure reports, which answer questions about who is contributing money, and how it is being spent on local campaigns are mandated by California’s Political Reform Act and are available on the city clerk’s Web site.

In the lead in terms of both contributors and donations is Gloria, with more than 200 contributors, ranging from those who gave the maximum contribution of $270 – most of whom are small business owners – to those who contributed much less, a third of the contributions are less than $100.

Whitburn’s statement shows that most of his 63 contributors, a quarter of whom are retired, made the maximum donation. Likewise, more than half of Hartley’s 17 contributors are retirees, and many also gave the maximum contribution.

“My campaign is about the quality of life of everybody in this district, and my contributor base reflects that,” Gloria said about his fund-raising efforts.

It is too early to determine if the amount of money raised demonstrates candidate viability, according to Jess Durfee, chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party.

“It is simply a reflection of how much money a candidate has raised during that period of time, and it demonstrates how aggressive their fund-raising efforts are,” said Durfee, who is also co-chair of the LGBT Caucus of the California Democratic Party. “Long term, it is difficult to measure what sort of impact that will have.”

The key factor in the District 3 election is that it is the most compact district in the city, and therefore it is the most “walkable” district in the city, he said.

“The campaign that demonstrates the best field program and has the best communication with the voters and on June 3, turns out the voters will be the candidates that turn out on top,” he said.

Durfee said, however, that the one advantage of raising a larger amount of money early is having resources for the campaign as the candidates move forward into the June election; resources that are reflected in the large number of signs supporting Gloria that turned up on businesses throughout Hillcrest the week before Pride.

The city clerk recently adjusted the contribution limits to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index for San Diego, retrieved from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The adjusted increase of $20 raised the campaign contribution limit for city councilmembers to $270.

The city clerk sent notices to those candidates who did not file, requesting that they submit forms by Aug. 15 even if they have not raised any money,” Jenkins said. While candidates do not have to file, they should file, “even if it’s zero dollars,” to indicate that they have not raised any funds. “Candidates can continue to raise funds for their political campaigns up to 180 days past the election to help pay for campaign costs accrued.”

To access the Recipient Committee Campaign Statements for candidates, visit the city clerk’s Web site at www.sandiego.gov/city-clerk.