Parks Commissioner Yudy Deng has raised $82,307 for her Palo Alto City Council bid through June 30, a record at this stage of a council race. Most of the money came from outside city limits.
Only 15 of Deng's 39 donations came from Palo Alto residents, according to campaign finance filings reported by the Palo Alto Daily Post. The remaining 24 came from donors elsewhere.
Her rival for one of three open seats tells a different story. Planning Commission Chair Bryna Chang raised $17,109 in the same period, with 26 of her 28 donations from Palo Alto.
The contrast matters. Whoever wins in November will vote on decisions that reshape the city's finances and housing stock: nine SB 79 housing projects totaling 341 units near downtown and California Avenue Caltrain stations, a half-cent sales tax to fund the $65.5 million Cubberley Community Center land purchase, and a projected structural budget deficit.
Who's writing the checks
Deng received the maximum $5,900 donation from eight sources, including the Asian American Civic Leadership Committee, EntelechyAI CEO Jenny Zhao, X Diamond CEO Jian Guan, Los Altos consultant Wei Chen, Mountain View author Jia Jiang, and General Mortgage Capital Corporation owner Mincheng Jin. Two restaurants, Mian Sichuan Noodles and Taste, also gave the maximum.
State Treasurer Fiona Ma, who is running for lieutenant governor, contributed $2,000, according to the Palo Alto Daily Post.
Chang's donor list reads like a Residentialist roster. Former Mayor Eric Filseth gave $999. Terry Holzemer donated $200 and Andie Reed gave $206. All three have pushed back on development projects in Palo Alto. Her fellow Planning and Transportation Commissioners Allen Akin and Todd James also contributed.
Deng said on her campaign website, as reported by the Daily Post, that she wants to "bring people together" and create "opportunities for collaboration rather than conflict." Chang has said her priorities include weighing tradeoffs honestly and being transparent about decisions.
Historical context
Deng's total already exceeds what most council candidates raise by Election Day. Julie Lythcott-Haims raised $69,561 through Sept. 24, 2022. Former Councilman Greg Tanaka raised $88,139 in 2020, though that included a $20,000 personal loan. Excluding the loan, his donor-funded total was about $68,139 — still below Deng's $82,307, per the Daily Post.
The field and what's ahead
Deng and Chang are running against incumbents Mayor Vicki Veenker and Councilman Ed Lauing for three seats. Lythcott-Haims is not seeking reelection. Neither incumbent reported significant fundraising through June 30. Veenker reported nothing; Lauing reported only a $25 loan to himself.
As we reported Aug. 4, four candidates had filed by that date, with the filing deadline on Friday, Aug. 7.
Under California's amended Levine Act, council members cannot accept more than $500 from any party involved in a pending land use or permitting proceeding and must recuse themselves from decisions involving donors who gave more than that amount within the past 12 months, according to the city's election guide. With nine SB 79 housing proposals already in the city's pipeline, the donor geography of these campaigns could determine which council members can vote on which projects.
Election Day is Nov. 3.
