The most recent campaign finance statements show the challengers in two City Council races are out-raising the incumbents with less than six weeks before Election Day.
Suely Saro, a social work professor at Cal State Los Angeles, raised $22,449 in the filing period from July 1 to Sept. 19, compared to $12,474 for the incumbent Councilman Dee Andrews in the 6th District.
Meanwhile Tunua Thrash-Ntuk, executive director of a housing organization, reported $19,056 in donations compared to the $15,859 raised by incumbent Councilman Al Austin in the 8th District.
Both Saro and Thrash-Ntuk finished in first place in the March 3 primary, and are seeking to unseat the incumbents in a run-off on Nov. 3.
A political action committee supporting both Andrews and Austin, however, got a $15,000 boost a few days after the filling ended this month from developer Kam Babaoff and companies tied to him, including Ensemble Investments, which owns the Hotel Maya and other properties in Downtown Long Beach.
With that donation, the PAC has raised a total of $138,450 since Jan. 1 in support of the two incumbents.
Thrash-Ntuk also has a political action committee supporting her candidacy, which filings show has raised $132,000 this year.
Political action committees are legally forbidden from coordinating with candidates.
Campaign finance statements from each candidate shows Austin has about $35,000 in cash on hand, while Thrash-Ntuk has just over $60,000 to spend.
Andrews has $42,320 in cash on hand compared to $31,345 for Saro.
District 2
The incumbent in District 2, Jeannine Pearce, is not seeking reelection, and the two candidates hoping to replace her have been locked in a heated campaign battle.
Candidate Cindy Allen, a local businesswoman, has outraised her opponent, businessman Robert Fox, for a total of $95,120 in contributions, including $28,476 raised in this filing period. Her donations came from a mix of individuals, local businesses and unions. Allen has so far spent $137,969 this year and has an ending cash balance of $25,758.
Fox reported a total of $47,212 in contributions this year, mostly from local individuals and a $10,000 loan to himself. He has raised $19,741 for this period and made a total of $109,295 in expenditures. He has an ending cash balance of $37,898.
In the March 3 primary, Fox finished slightly ahead of Allen and six others who were vying for the seat. Fox garnered about 27% of the vote compared to Allen, who won 26%.