n the Contra Costa County judicial race, retiring Judge Walter Rogers' seat isn't the only thing at stake. All four candidates have thousands of dollars of their own money riding on the election's outcome.
Civil attorney Cheryl Mills and real estate lawyer Malcolm Sher have funded their campaigns largely with their own cash. The pair loaned themselves $80,000 and $20,000, respectively, to run for office. Stacey Grassini loaned himself $9,750. Commissioner Joel Golub loaned himself $4,500 for the race and has an outstanding $39,412 loan from an unsuccessful judicial campaign in 2000, campaign disclosure statements show.
Each of the candidates has filed two financial disclosure reports that cover donations that were made up until Dec. 31 and contributions that were made between Jan. 1 and Jan. 19.
Mills, who is a name partner at Walnut Creek's Mills & Larson, has financially outdistanced the other candidates by raising $89,710. The lion's share -- $80,000 -- is money Mills loaned to herself.
However, her campaign donor list also includes a list of current and former business associates who have rallied behind her.
Ann Larson, the other name partner at Mills & Larson, donated $1,000. Arnold Levinson, of Mill's old firm, Pillsbury & Levinson, donated $1,500. Philip Pillsbury Jr., the other name partner at that San Francisco firm, donated $1,500. The president and CEO of Kelly-Moore Paint Co., Joseph Cristiano -- who is Mills' major client -- donated $500. Cristiano's wife, Janet, kicked in another $500.
Mills has also spent $80,576 -- more than any other candidate. In comparison, Golub, Sher and Grassini have spent $15,921, $23,664 and $11,153, respectively.
Most of Mills' money has been lavished on campaign literature and mailings. She also spent $20,055 on a TV commercial, campaign disclosure documents show.
That commercial will air on Contra Costa's local cable stations a few weeks before the election, Mills said this week.
Sher raised $34,778. A great deal of that is a $20,000 loan he made to himself. He also received $13,938 in cash contributions.
Sher's financial backers come from many walks of life, but several hail from the legal community. Oakland attorney Michael Blumenfeld donated $1,000; Sean Absher of Miller, Starr & Regalia and Kenneth Miller of Morgan Miller & Blair donated a total of $185; former State Bar President Palmer Madden donated $1,000; and Sher donated $500 to his campaign.
Golub raised $29,202 in cash and in kind donations between July 1, 2001, and Jan. 19, 2002. That includes $4,500 he loaned himself for his second attempt to win a judicial seat. The documents also show that he has an outstanding balance from his previous election bid, $39,412, which is not counted in this campaign's totals.
Other notable contributions include: Danville attorney Terence Doyle, $2,500; Edmund Regalia, a name partner at Miller, Starr, $250; and Superior Court Judges Keith Fudenna of Alameda County, $100; Charlotte Woolard of San Francisco, $100; Merle Eaton of Contra Costa County, $200; and Hugh Walker of Alameda County, $250.
Fellow Contra Costa Court Commissioners Don Green and Lawrence Katz gave a total of $268.
Golub's statements reported that he received $2,150 in "non-monetary contributions" from Craig Judson and Ari Lauer, two attorneys who helped him fend off a legal challenge to his candidate's statement.
In December, Walnut Creek criminal defense attorney Barry "Blackie" Burak alleged that Golub's statement was misleading. But a judge ruled that the commissioner's assertions that he had presided over thousands of criminal and civil trials was true.
The non-monetary contribution covers most of the work Judson and Lauer did on the legal challenge as well as some campaign work, said Thomas Dietler, Golub's treasurer.
Judson's firm, Walnut Creek's Bold Polisner, Maddow, Nelson & Judson, also contributed $250 to Golub's campaign.
Grassini, a prosecutor, has raised $18,785 so far. Of that, $9,035 was in cash contributions, and $9,750 was a loan that Grassini made to himself.
Grassini relied heavily on his colleagues in the district attorney's office to fill his war chest. An informal tally shows that nearly 50 donations made to Grassini's campaign came from current or former Contra Costa prosecutors. A few prosecutors donated money more than once.
Other notable contributions include Burak, $200; Judge Peter Spinetta, $100; Berkeley criminal defense attorney Elizabeth Grossman, $100; and retired judge and former Contra Costa DA William "Bill" O'Malley, $100.
