A Placer County school board candidate received a $10,000 campaign donation. Was it legal?

Reality Check is a Bee series holding officials and organizations accountable and shining a light on their decisions. Have a tip? Email realitycheck@sacbee.com.

In the state of California, there’s no limit to how much a local school board candidate can receive in campaign contributions, even if they receive an individual contribution greater than $5,500 — the limit for state, county and city elections.

In the nearby Rocklin school district in Placer County, one candidate received an individual contribution of $10,000.

While down-ballot and local elections may seem too small to raise concerns about campaign finance, recent controversial policies passed at the school board level concerning parental notification and other political topics have inspired politicians, candidates and voters to take a closer look at who, exactly, is funding these races, and whether the money flowing into them have exceeded reasonable levels.

Lawmakers sought to intervene last year, when a Democratic state senator proposed a cap on contributions. The bill failed to amass enough support and was never signed into law, but as the General Election approaches this November, Sacramento-area voters are eyeing campaign finance forms and wondering whether major contributions, like one made for a Rocklin Unified School District incumbent board candidate, are ethical.

Attempts to cap school board contributions

As of 2021, existing state law sets a limit for individual campaign donations for city and county candidates at $5,500, but that does not include school board, community college board or special district board, according to the California Fair Political Practices Commission.

Last year, state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, attempted to close that loophole. His bill would have capped such contributions at $5,500 for school boards as well.

“No candidate for local office needs contributions larger than those for a Senate or Assembly district,” Dodd said in February 2023 when he announced the bill.

“Too often, we’re seeing eye-popping amounts donated to candidates for smaller community offices. These well-financed campaigns favor the wealthy at the exclusion of grassroots candidates and people of color,” he said. “Putting a cap on the money in these races will help ensure fairness in local elections while encouraging a more diverse field that is more reflective of the population.”

Dodd’s bill had some Republican support; it was co-sponsored by Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, R-Yucaipa, as well as Assemblyman Dr. Corey Jackson, D-Moreno Valley. Many Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, R-San Diego, voted against it.

Despite its popularity among Democrats and some Republicans, the bill didn’t make it out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee because it would have cost the state money to implement it. The California Teachers Association, the largest union of public school teachers in the state, also opposed it, and the bill failed to make its way to the governor’s desk.

Placer County candidates cash in

School board races in Sacramento’s outlying areas have become increasingly fraught, particularly in Placer County where three districts passed different versions of controversial parental notification policies last year.

The Rocklin Unified School District and the Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District in Roseville both passed policies that require school staff to inform a student’s parents if the student wishes to use a name, pronouns, or school facilities that don’t align with their biological sex. The pushback around parent notification policies inspired a state law banning them, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed last month.

Similarly, the Roseville Joint Union High School District passed a policy that requires school staff to inform a student’s parent if they miss class to visit the counseling center. And further north in Auburn, trustees at the Auburn Union School District board have endured years of infighting and dysfunction among a politically split board, including a debate over the district’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement.

As school boards and school board elections continue to function as political hotbeds for California’s culture wars, campaign funds have drawn generous donations from residents who share in candidates’ views, and want to see them keep their seats — or take over someone else’s.

In Rocklin, Rachelle Price, who was appointed to the board in 2019 and who voted in favor of the district parent notification policy, received $20,000 in campaign contributions between January and June of this year — and it all came from just five donors.

One of those donors was Larry Brasher, a Lincoln resident who donated $10,000.

“I know Rachelle well, I know what her principles are, and I believe she’s been a very effective representative of her community on the board,” Brasher said. His son and daughter, each of whom have donated $1,500 to Price, live in the district and have kids who attend its schools.

“I’m just interested in seeing that the quality of education reflects the values of the people in that district,” said Brasher, who told The Bee he’s “neutral” about a contribution cap, and isn’t in the business of making massive partisan donations.

“Any contributions I make are to specific candidates,” he said. “I don’t support either party with donations.”

Brasher is a businessman and board member of Founding Forward, a non-profit that promotes civic education and engagement.

“Larry is a long time friend with grandkids in the district I represent,” Price said in an email. “He feels I represent my community well and I appreciate his support. Unfortunately, campaigns are expensive to run. I appreciate all community support.”

Support for a cap on contributions

Price, like Brasher, had no opinion either way about campaign contribution limits.

Her opponent did.

Jen Brookover, who ran for the Rocklin board in 2022 and failed to garner enough votes for a seat and is now running against Price, raised over $15,000 between January and June from more than 40 donors. One $4,000 donation was particularly generous, she said.

“With any election, it is very disturbing that a few individuals who have money to spend can donate to a candidate and kind of sway the election results,” Brookover said.

“I am proud of the fact that I am receiving donations ranging from $25 to several thousands from individuals who believe in me, and transparency, and us doing something positive for our students.”

Brookover said she “absolutely” supports a cap on campaign contributions.

“Getting a $10,000 donation from someone who doesn’t even live in the town where you’re running ... I honestly don’t know if I’d take that donation,” Brookover told The Bee. “This is supposed to be nonpartisan. We don’t want money coming from big corporations and businesses and organizations that have certain affiliations.”

While Brasher lives in neighboring Lincoln, he told The Bee he’s involved with a charity that works with Rocklin schools, and has four grandchildren in the district.

Brookover received the $4,000 donation from a retiree named Pat Harding who lives in the Rocklin district, and who began organizing for Brookover’s campaign after she was featured in a HuffPost story about Rocklin’s culture wars.

Outside of Rocklin, candidates are raking in some pretty generous donations, too.

Heidi Moore, a candidate at the Elk Grove Unified School District in Sacramento County, who is running on a parents’ rights platform, received $2,500 from the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs Association, according to campaign finance disclosure forms. Holly Cuthbertson, a first-time candidate running in the Roseville City School District, received $2,000 from Rex Carpenter, her father and a veteran and retiree who frequently attends school board meetings in support of LGBTQ students, per her campaign finance report.

These are big numbers for candidates who typically receive contributions between $100-$500.

“I thought she wrote it wrong,” said Brookover of Harding’s check.

She called Harding after she saw the amount, just to make sure the number was accurate.

“Four hundred dollars, I feel, would be a lot,” Brookover said. “This isn’t a statewide election. This is a school board.”

(Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled Pat Harding’s last name. The FPPC 460 form which showed her donation to Jen Brookover misspelled “Harding” as “Hardy.”)