September 7, 2020 at 4:05 pm

On Friday, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1021 donated $15,000 to Kimberly Warmsley’s campaign for Stockton City Council District 6. The contribution is one of the largest given to a local San Joaquin candidate for the November 3 election.

The SEIU represents employees in local governments, non-profits, schools, and health care programs. The Local 1021, which covers Northern California, has roughly 60,000 members. While the local union has not yet endorsed Warmsley, it is affiliated with the San Joaquin-Calaveras Central Labor Council, which has backed her since the March primary.

The donation, her first over $1,000 since June 30, is a substantial boost to Warmsley. Her campaign reported a balance of almost $5,000 at the end of the last filing period on June 30. The SEIU contribution, at $15,000, is more than triple that, and almost double what she received from February 16 to June 30, around $7,500.

Her opponent, Gloria Allen, has struggled more in terms of fundraising. Allen disclosed $1,750 in monetary donations from January 1 to June 30, finishing off the period with less than $400. She spent roughly $1,300 during that time.

Warmsley’s $15,000 from the SEIU is one of the largest single contributions to a San Joaquin candidate for the November 3 election. Kevin Lincoln, who is running for Stockton mayor, received the same amount from the Stockton Police Officers’ Association on August 20. Lincoln and Warmsley are the only candidates running for countywide office or lower to have had single donations over $15,000 so far.

Lincoln has continued to accumulate large contributions, outpacing current mayor and opponent Michael Tubbs in that regard. However, if numbers from the last campaign finance filing period are any indication, Tubbs is likely leading in terms of small contributions. From February 16 to June 30, Tubbs raised more than $235,000, while Lincoln took in a little less than $7,000.

Donors for Lincoln over the past two weeks include Save Swenson Park, Harmony Communities (a mobile home company), and a principal dealer at Lodi Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Lincoln has raised more than $16,000 since August 25.

Since that date, Tubbs has only received three large donations, two from people based in San Francisco. The three donations sum to $7,000, bringing Tubbs’ total from this filing period to $25,000.

Large donations are contributions over $1,000 and must be disclosed by campaigns within 48 hours. Small donations are reported in batches over a given period, and must be filed by a certain date. The next deadline is September 24.