Unions are Large Contributor to PUSD Candidate Tom Selinske's Campaign

Next Tuesday voters will choose in a runoff election for the Pasadena Unified Seat 6, the one unresolved race from last month's primary election.

Tom Selinske, the incumbent, came in at just under the necessary "50 percent plus one" majority, getting about 47.3 percent of the total ballots cast. His challenger, local Tea Party-backed candidate , took home about 35 percent of the vote.

Since that vote, the race has , with news of Baggett's previous criminal record coming to light, and Baggett allies accusing Selinske of improperly voting on a PUSD contract that would benefit a former campaign worker.

Still, it appears both candidate have continued to raise funds, and in Selinske's case, the latest campaign contribution data reveals new donors from previous reports, including several large donations from unions or labor-affiliated groups.  The full reports are available online at the Pasadena City Clerk's Department site.

In Baggett's case, identifying new contributors is currently a challenge, as the latest round of his campaign contributions reports have not been filed yet.

According to Mark Jomsky, of the Pasadena City Clerk's office, Baggett should have filed the reports with the city a week ago.  However, Jomsky said that Baggett's campaign has informed the city that the reports are on their way and that they should be filed this week.

So for the moment, we'll focus on Selinske's contributions, and hope to be able to tell you more about Baggett's later in the week.

Candidate: Tom Selinske

Raised total of: $42,725

Expenditures: $30,396.31

Loans received: $2,500

Donor highlights:

-About 40 percent of Selinske's contributions ($17,249) come from unions or union-affiliated groups, including his biggest overall contributor:

• Two donations from the California Teamsters Local 911 totaling $9,999, making the union his biggest single contributor.
• California Teamsters Public Affairs - $5,000
• Southern California District Council of Laborers - $1,000
• Laborer's Local 300 Small Contribution Committee - $500
• Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Trade Councils PAC - $500
• Plummers and Steamfitters Local 398 - $250

-Selinske has also received campaign contributions from local City Council members, state and congressional leaders, and Altadena Town Council members, unsurprising as he has been endorsed directly by many of the same.  The largest single donation is $1,000.  Those donors include:

• Ed Honowitz, PUSD board
• Elizabeth Pomeroy, PUSD board
• Assemblyman Anthony Portantino
• Congressman Adam Schiff
• Steve Madsion, Pasadena City Council
• Margaret McAustin, Pasadena City Council
• Bill Bogaard, Pasadena mayor
• Gino Sund, Altadena Town Council chair
• Tecumseh Shackleford - Altadena Town Council member

-Selinske also took two donations totalling $600 from Larry O'Brien, a PUSD parent and private investigator who researched Baggett's past and passed the information along to the Pasadena Weekly.  

-Selinske loaned his own campaign $2,500.

The bulk of the rest of Selinske's contributions are individual small donors, mostly Pasadena residents.