Gallagher leads in funds raised for District 5 supervisor race, but only from $30,000 donation to himself

Anderson City Council member and District 5 supervisor candidate Mike Gallagher is leading in donations for his campaign. But that’s mainly due to a $30,000 donation he made to himself. 

The June 2 primary election is quickly approaching, and three candidates are running for District 5 supervisor: Gallagher, current Shasta County Board of Supervisors Chair Chris Kelstrom and retired registered nurse Gary Oxley.

Campaign finance records show that Gallagher has received the most money in donations to his campaign so far, at $56,144. More than half of that sum is from a donation he made to his own campaign in late January. 

Kelstrom is trailing Gallagher’s lead, at $48,635.98 raised so far. Records show he hasn’t documented any self-contributions to his campaign. 

Oxley has received only a fraction of what Kelstrom and Gallagher have raised: $6,299. The majority of his donation sum — $4,999 — is from Eric Gallardo, who is also the main donor to the campaign of his brother, Richard Gallardo, who’s running for District 1 supervisor. Richard Wilkinson, a major donor to Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis’ re-election campaign, was the next highest Oxley donor, at $500.

Who were the major and standout donors to Gallagher’s campaign? 

Nine donors out of more than 30 donors total contributed over $500 to Gallagher’s campaign. 

Aside from his own donation, Gallagher’s top donor was Timothy Gallagher, the owner of Gallagher’s Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, who gave $5,900. Campaign finance records indicate that Timothy Gallagher lives in Los Molinos, which is in Tehama County.

The next highest donors, in order of donation size, include: 

• Compass LLC: $2,500
  • Compass LLC is a Redding-based business that provides services for adults with disabilities.
• K & S Staffing Solutions: $2,500
  • K & S Staffing Solutions is a Redding-based employment agency.
• Nor Cal Rentals & Sales Inc.: $2,500
  • Nor Cal Rentals & Sales is an Anderson-based equipment company.
• S.T. Rhoades Construction, Inc.: $2,500
  • S.T. Rhoades Construction is a Redding-based construction company that was also a major Erin Resner donor. 
• Teresa Albion: $2,000
  • Albion is a speech language pathologist based in Chattaroy, Washington, according to campaign finance records.
• Deborah Wallace: $1,000
  • Wallace is the principal at Tree of Life International Charter School.
• Greg Bondy: $800

The majority of Mike Gallagher’s donors are from Shasta County. Only Albion and Timothy Gallagher are from outside the county. 

Who were the major and standout donors to Kelstrom’s campaign? 

Out of more than 95 donors, about 20 contributed over $500 to Kelstrom’s campaign. 

His largest donor so far is the Redding Rancheria, which donated $5,900. The next highest is Steven Steiner, a Redding resident who donated $4,000, followed by Laborers Local 185 PAC, a political action committee affiliated with a labor union based in Sacramento, which donated $3,000. 

The next highest donors include: 

• Bright Knight: $1,900
  • Bright Knight is a Redding-based business. 
• Edgar Schnauth: $1,900
  • Schnauth is the owner of ZeZee Roofing.
• Another Day In Paradise: $1,610
  • Another Day In Paradise is a massage therapy business affiliated with Margaret Hanson that was also a major donor to ROV Curtis’ campaign. 
• Dan Canavan: $1,587.99
  • Canavan is the owner of Hardline Trucking, LLC. 
• Jeremy Wright: $1,549.99
  • Wright is the owner of Jefferson State Diesel.
• Jeffrey Miles: $1,350
• Jon Knight: $1,200
  • Knight is the vice president of the Shasta Mosquito and Vector Control board of trustees. He’s affiliated with Mountain Top Media and is also a major Curtis donor. 

Corkey Harmon, a current Shasta supervisor, also donated more than $1,000 to Kelstrom’s campaign. 

Similar to Gallagher, only two of Kelstrom’s donors were from outside of the county, including Laborers Local 185 PAC and a Red Bluff resident, who donated $100. 

The primary election will be held in less than two weeks, on June 2. Shasta Scout has published meet-the-candidate stories about each of the District 5 supervisors, including Kelstrom, Gallagher and Oxley.

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