By Tobias Young, Jennifer Sawhney

Special interests, many from outside Sonoma County, are pumping significant money into the Petaluma election this year. More than $60,111 has been spent to oppose and support candidates using Political Action Committees, also dubbed Super PACs or Independent Expenditure Committees.

The PAC money in the race outpaced what the candidates raised themselves. While individual contributors are limited to a $200 maximum by Petaluma Municipal Code, there is no limit to donating to a Super PAC as long as the PAC does not directly coordinate with the candidates.

Candidates for Mayor of Petaluma

In the mayor race, incumbent Kevin McDonnell brought in the most local contributions at $28,655, followed by professional motorcycle racer and rancher Shelina Moreda with $2,410, and small businessman John Hanania with $880.

Spending by PACs largely targeted McDonnell, with more than $20,000 spent in opposition to him and almost that much in support. Moreda was supported by another PAC that spent $1,003 as of the end of its reporting cycle. Hanania was not supported or opposed by any PACs.

Scroll to the bottom to see details on who donated money to each mayoral candidate in this election and how it was spent.

Meanwhile, here is a local election primer.

What is the maximum amount for a campaign contribution?

Individual contributions are capped at $200, according to Petaluma Municipal Code. However, independent expenditures are uncapped according to the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling known as Citizens United vs. the Federal Elections Commission.

How is money tracked?

Candidates are required to file their campaign finances – which includes expenditures, loans, outstanding payments – to show financial transparency for their campaign. Political action committees, also referred to as PACs, pool contributions from various contributors to oppose or support campaigns in what are called independent expenditures.

How can I find this data myself?

All of the candidates’ and independent expenditure filings are shown on the city’s NetFile site. Access the documents yourself here: https://netfile.com/public/pet/campaign. (Note: campaign filings for this election can also be found in the county’s portal here: https://netfile.com/public/SON/campaign.)

You can find all of the PAC filings here.

When are filings due?

Candidates are required, under state and local law, to document and file the contributions they receive, both monetary and non-monetary. They are also required to do the same for the money they spend in their campaigns.

Before the election, candidates (and their committees and campaigns) must file a Form 460 – a file that primarily details contributions and expenditures made toward a candidate, committee, or campaign. The last two filings were due on Sept. 24 and Oct. 22. The next filing is due Feb. 1, 2027.

There is some urgency behind certain filings. If a committee receives or spends more than $1,000 (or an equivalent non-monetary contribution) toward a candidate or measure, the committee must file a Form 497. The same amounts apply to PACs, however they file a Form 496.

Here’s the official filing schedule for candidates: https://www.fppc.ca.gov/siteassets/documents/tad/filing_schedules/2026/2026_local_nov_01_cand_final.pdf.

Here’s a list of all the filing schedules: https://www.fppc.ca.gov/learn/campaign-rules/when-and-where-to-file-campaign-statements/state-and-local-filing-schedules.

Who oversees the enforcement of these campaign rules?

These rules are overseen by the Fair Political Practices Commission, “a five-member independent, non-partisan commission” that is responsible for the administration of the Political Reform Act. Passed in 1974 in the wake of the Watergate scandal, the Political Reform Act “regulates campaign financing, conflicts of interest, lobbying, and governmental ethics.”

Commissioners ensure that public officials act fairly and unbiased in the decision-making process. They promote government transparency and try to foster the public’s trust in the political system.

Some violations of the Political Reform Act include: financial conflicts of interest; laundered campaign contributions; improper use of campaign funds, including personal use or nonfiling or late filing of statements and reports. When questions arise on whether the rules are being followed, the enforcement division steps in. 

What happens if a candidate or campaign files incorrectly or violates campaign rules?

For cases that may be resolved without a penalty, the FPPC’s enforcement division may issue a letter to notify candidates of a violation. In other instances, violators may be subject to fines, criminal prosecution by a local district attorney, or civil action led by either the public, government agencies, or the enforcement division.

Violations are subject to fines of up to $5,000, and advertising disclaimer violations may be subject to three times the cost of the advertisement. 

Here are campaign finance details for each candidate:

John Hanania

Contributions for 2026: $880

Year to date expenses: $1,495

Outstanding loans or debts: $0

Cash balance as of Oct. 17: negative $615

Hanania listed five contributors as of Oct. 17, including $200 each from retiree Alan Hyman and property manager Debbie Zetzer. See the full list in his campaign forms here.

No PAC spending was reported supporting or opposing Hanania.

Kevin McDonnell

Donations for 2026: $28,655

Year to date expenses: $22,889

Outstanding loans or debt: $0 

Ending cash balance: $6,269

McDonnell listed 204 donations as of Oct. 17. See the full list in his campaign forms here.

• Notable contributors: Maximum $200 contributions from Petaluma Federation of Teachers COPE, North Bay Building & Construction Trades Council – Let's Build Responsibly, former Mayor Teresa Barrett, Realtor Steven Cozza, former Fishmans Supply owner Leland Fishman, former council member and attorney Dave King, council candidate and attorney Brent Newell, council member John Shribbs, Della Fattoria owner Elisa E. Weber, General Plan Advisory Committee member and former planning commissioner Bill Wolpert.

Significant expenses: $4,270 for campaign materials, consulting, and postage to Indie politics; $1,466 for Sonia Taylor for campaign material.

PAC spending supporting McDonnell

• Cynthia Gallaher, the wife of prominent Santa Rosa developer Bill Gallaher of Gallaher Companies
• Filed Oct. 12, 2026 and Oct. 22, 2026
• $10,000 for web spending reported Oct. 12, 2026
• $9,852 for mailed fliers reported Oct. 20, 2026
• Cumulative to date $19,852 spent in support
• The Gallahers, who are well known in local philanthropy circles (and settled a lawsuit for $500,000 after an affiliate admitted that staff abandoned residents at senior living facilities during the 2017 Tubbs Fire) have also spent millions in a yearslong political feud with Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, according to recent reporting by the Press Democrat. The story quoted a former council member questioning why the Gallahers are dipping their feet into Petaluma politics, suggesting that it may have something to do with their development interests in town. Gallaher Companies is behind a four-story senior living project at 1221 Petaluma Blvd. N. According to the city's web page for the project, the 230,000-square foot residential care facility for the elderly approved in December 2025 will have 82 apartments and eight memory care rooms.

PAC spending opposing McDonnell

• California Future Fund PAC, based in the Merced County town of Hilmar, CA, Kelly and Casey Lawler 
  • Filed Oct. 26, 2026
  • Funders include PG&E, which contributed $1,500, and Harmony Communities, the mobile home company that is suing the city over its mobile home rent stabilization rules. The company has sought to close Petaluma’s Little Woods Mobile Villas, at the same time that owners are trying to impose rent increases. The company contributed $30,000 toward the PAC, according to a search of state records.
  • $5,057 for postage reported Oct. 22, 2026
  • $15,000 for design and printing reported Oct. 23, 2026
  • Cumulative to date $20,057 spent in opposition

Shelina Moreda

Donations for 2026: $2,250 cash contributions, $160 in non-monetary contributions.

Year to date expenses: $0

Outstanding debt: $1,280, including $889 to council member Alex DeCarli and $298 to Brian Powell (who made an unsuccessful bid for mayor in 2018), both for “campaign material” expenses. Those two debts add up to $1,187; the remaining $93 is unspecified.

Ending cash balance, prior to unpaid debt: $2,250.

(Ed. note: Petaluma Voice reached out to Moreda to get further understanding about the lack of expenses or in-lieu contributions listed for campaign events and signs [many of the signs appear to be recycled from her unsuccessful bid for Sonoma County supervisor months prior to running for mayor, altered to change “supervisor” to “mayor”]. We did not get a reply.)

How many contributors: 12, including Moreda herself.

Notable contributors of $200 maximum: Columnist Harlan Osborne, Ettamarie Peterson (farmer and the mother of council member Karen Nau), and Hunt & Behrens owner Dan Figone. See the full list in her campaign forms here.

PAC spending supporting Moreda

• Petalumans for Petaluma, based in Antelope, in Sacramento County, with Magali Rivera listed as a treasurer, was created as a “general purpose committee” that can be used for more than one candidate or cause.
  • Filed Oct. 22, 2026
  • Funders include $4,999 from Petaluma Horizons, LLC, backed by Angela DeCarli, who is the aunt of council member Alex DeCarli; $3,000 from Hunt & Behrens, Inc.; $4,999 from Morris Distributing, Inc.; and $4,999 from Henris Roofing Company.
  • As of Oct. 22 the PAC has raised $20,897 and spent $1,441, with a cash balance of $19,456.
  • A cumulative $1,003 in expenses were reported in support of Moreda's campaign, including $883 to Kerry Davison for campaign materials.
  • Note: This filing was not filed with the city, but with the County of Sonoma. You can find the committee's finance reports here: https://netfile.com/public/SON/campaign/filingsByFiler/217437424-Petalumans%20for%20Petaluma.

PAC spending opposing Moreda

None

To see all of her filings via the city’s portal, visit https://netfile.com/public/pet/campaign/filingsByCandidate/217464169-Moreda,_Shelina.

To see all of her filings from her previous campaign for Supervisor, visit https://netfile.com/public/SON/campaign/filingsByCandidate/216122643-Moreda,_Shelina.

Update: This story was updated on 10/28/26 at 4:30 p.m. to provide additional information about the Gallahers.

Tobias Young is an editor and reporter at Petaluma Voice. He can be reached at tyoung@petalumavoice.org.

Jennifer Sawhney is a reporter and co-founder of Petaluma Voice. She can be reached at jsawhney@petalumavoice.org.