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This Thursday is the 4th quarterly filing deadline for municipal candidates (as well as independent expenditure committees), including those running for LAUSD school board, which will tell us how much money everyone raised during the last three months of 2012.

It’s a sort of awkward period, since much of it occurred before candidates officially declared or had their ballot signatures accepted.  Nevertheless, it should begin to tell us which candidates are good at raising money and which candidates were planning to run before they filed their paperwork. While money is, of course, vital to any political campaign, strong fundraising numbers can indicate a candidate’s support within the community.

In 2011, successful candidates spent between $34,443 and $104,957 from money raised directly, while independent expenditure committees spent as much as $2.1 million for a single candidate. School board President Monica Garcia has already raised $174,287 in direct donations.

Fundraising totals for individual candidates will trickle in on the city ethics commission’s website on Friday. After that, a series of reporting deadlines will come fast and furious. You can see a complete schedule here.

Previous posts: Final Board Candidate Lineup Announced, Latest Fundraising Numbers, Garcia’s First Half Charter School Money