The Yes on Measure D committee has raised $187,500 so far. About three-quarters of that comes from firms that design and build schools, plus construction unions. Homeowners would pay an average of $59.38 per $100,000 of assessed value through 2053-54.
Homeowners pay the levy. $187,500 is a floor: gifts under $1,000 after Sept. 19 are not in these filings yet. Credit: Sacconews original.
Update, Oct. 15, 2026
Yes on Measure D has now reported $200,500 from 34 contributors, up from the $187,500 from 31 in our original story. Three new late-contribution reports have been filed since Oct. 7:
- William P. Burke, a manager at Tremco Roofing (Fair Oaks), $3,000, received Oct. 9 (Form 497, filed Oct. 12)
- Flint Design Build LLC, dba Flint (Roseville), $5,000, received Oct. 13 (Form 497, filed Oct. 14)
- James Bailey, president of Bailey Plumbing and Electric (Morgan Hill), $5,000, received Oct. 13 (same filing)
All three come from the construction business. Firms that design, engineer or build schools now account for $144,500 (72.1%) of the reported total. Counting the two construction-company individuals, it is $152,500 (76.1%), and adding the building-trades and laborers’ PACs brings it to $187,500, or 93.5%. Money from Natomas residents identifiable in the filings is still $1,000, from one person. The opposition’s reported spending, $2,165 by Reform California, is now outmatched about 93 to 1.
The board hired DLR Group again. On Oct. 14, the Natomas Unified board approved an agreement with DLR Group, the campaign’s largest donor at $30,000, for the architectural design of the future Westlake Charter High School. The vote was 6-0 on a roll call, with no discussion on the item, according to the meeting video’s captions. (Oct. 14 agenda, item XV.c; meeting video, about 1:02:44 in)
The published agenda lists only the item’s title. Sacconews has not yet seen the contract amount or which fund pays for it, and will add both once the district’s backup or meeting summary is available.
Nothing in the public record shows the contract was tied to the donation. DLR has been the district’s master-planning architect for more than a decade, and it prepared the 2026 Facilities Master Plan that staff said was needed before putting Measure D on the ballot. The point is simpler: the firm that gave the most to pass the bond keeps getting district design work, and voters should know that when they weigh the campaign’s pitch.
Update sources: Sacramento County NetFile Form 497s filed Oct. 12 and Oct. 14; NUSD Oct. 14, 2026 board agenda and Swagit meeting video.
Natomas Unified's $300 million Measure D bond is on the Nov. 3 ballot. The campaign's pitch is that it raises money "without increasing the tax rate." (VoteNatomasKids.com; our wallet-math fact check and earlier explainer.)
The campaign finance filings tell a different story about who is writing the checks.
$187,500 so far — and that is a floor
Sacramento County's public NetFile portal has the Yes on Measure D, Building Better Natomas Schools – Angelique Ashby Ballot Measure Committee's Form 460 (covering Jan. 1 through Sept. 19) plus every late-contribution Form 497 filed through an Oct. 7 e-file. Those filings add up to $187,500 from 31 contributors.
That total is incomplete by design. Late-contribution reports only catch gifts of $1,000 or more received in the final 90 days. Smaller gifts after Sept. 19 will not show up until the next Form 460, due around Oct. 22. So $187,500 is a minimum, not a final number.
Architects, contractors and trades: $139,500 (74.4%). Unions: $35,000. Individuals: $1,000. Floor total $187,500 from NetFile through Oct. 7. Credit: Sacconews original.
Where the money comes from
| Who | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Architects, design and engineering firms | $102,000 | 54.4% |
| General contractors and builders | $24,500 | 13.1% |
| Specialty trades (concrete, electrical, fire protection, plumbing) | $13,000 | 6.9% |
| Construction unions and labor PACs | $35,000 | 18.7% |
| Individuals (one Natomas-area resident) | $1,000 | 0.5% |
| Other (Ashby committee transfer, law firms) | $12,000 | 6.4% |
| Total reported | $187,500 | 100% |
Firms that design, engineer or build schools — the people who would bid on or be hired for bond-funded work — gave $139,500, or 74.4% of everything reported. Add the construction-union PACs, which benefit from the district's Project Labor Agreement on bond construction, and that share is 93.1%.
Money from Natomas residents identifiable in the filings: $1,000. That is one person, Mathew Wade of ZIP 95835.
The biggest checks
- DLR Group, $30,000 (Sept. 18) — the district's longtime master-planning architect
- Studio W Architects, $20,000 (Sept. 4) — has held NUSD design contracts
- Members' Voice of the State Building and Construction Trades Council, $20,000 (Oct. 5) — statewide building-trades PAC
- Nacht & Lewis, $10,000; 19Six Architects, $10,000; CORE West (contractor), $10,000
- $10,000 moved in from another committee Angelique Ashby controls ("Investing in California's Collective Future")
- Lionakis, $7,500; Ruhnau Clarke Architects, $7,500; HMC Architects, $7,500 (Oct. 6)
- Laborers Local 185, $7,500; Northern California District Council of Laborers PAC, $7,500 (Oct. 6)
DLR Group is NUSD's master-plan architect (board materials). Studio W and the building-trades PAC tied for No. 2 at $20,000. Credit: Sacconews original.
On Oct. 1 alone, the committee reported $7,500 from Ruhnau Clarke, $5,000 from Asta Construction, $3,000 each from Urata & Sons Concrete and Nevell Group, and $2,000 each from Collins Electrical, J.W. McClenahan and Cosco Fire Protection.
Who already works for the district
Several of the largest donors are not strangers to Natomas Unified. Board agendas and district materials show:
- DLR Group is the district's master-plan architect. In October 2025 the board approved DLR's contract for the 2026 Facilities Master Plan update. Staff said on the record that the update was required before putting a 2026 bond on the ballot. The board approved that plan in July 2026. (Oct. 15, 2025 agenda; July 22, 2026 meeting)
- Studio W Architects has held NUSD work including shade-structure design (2023), a Leroy Greene Academy classroom building (2025), and Amendment No. 2 for the Natomas High pool renovation (June 2026).
- Nacht & Lewis got a change order for the Inderkum High entry gate in June 2026.
- Verde Design designed the Natomas Middle School field project (2023).
- 19Six Architects holds the architectural services agreement for the Heredia-Arriaga K-8 expansion (2023). A September 2026 board amendment for architectural services on that project likely continues that contract; we could not pull the attachment that names the firm.
- Lionakis designed Paso Verde K-8, a past project.
Several contractors on the yes side — including CORE West, Rodan Builders, Roebbelen, J.W. McClenahan and Schetter Electric — were on NUSD's approved bidder list as of April 2024 (those entries have since expired). That list means they were eligible to bid, not that they held active contracts.
On July 22, 2026, the board renewed its Project Labor Agreement 4-0, after public comment from Sacramento-Sierra Building Trades affiliates. That agreement governs how bond-funded construction is staffed. It is the link between the $35,000 from building-trades and laborers' PACs and the work Measure D would pay for.
Absence of a board hit for other donors (HMC, Ruhnau Clarke, Otto, Asta, Urata, Nevell, Collins, Cosco and others) does not mean none exists. NUSD's agenda portal is not full-text searchable, and the district's architect-pool and current bidder lists were not fully reviewed.
Opposition is thin
No committee primarily formed to oppose Measure D is registered in Sacramento County. The county's measure record does list Reform California with Carl DeMaio as an opponent. That committee reported $2,165 in independent spending against Measure D on Sept. 8, mostly a regional slate mailer that also opposed school and college bonds in Galt, Center, Sacramento City and Los Rios. That is about 87 to 1 against the yes side's reported $187,500.
There is still no argument against Measure D and no rebuttals in the county voter guide. The measure needs 55% to pass.
Wallet math, briefly
Homeowners inside Natomas Unified would pay. Firms that design and build schools are funding the campaign. Under the county's Tax Rate Statement, Measure D averages $59.38 per $100,000 of assessed value, with a projected high of $60 in FY2027-28, running through FY2053-54. Total repayment if all bonds are sold: $599,856,974.
On a $450,000 assessment that is about $267 a year, or about $7,215 over 27 years at the average rate — before Prop 13 assessment increases. (County measure page; full wallet math in our fact check.)
If Measure D fails, existing NUSD bond taxes continue on current schedules and keep shrinking after the mid-2030s. The district does not get the $300 million.
What to watch next
- The next Form 460, due around Oct. 22, will add gifts under $1,000 received after Sept. 19 and may change these percentages.
- The NUSD board meets Oct. 14. Agenda items on facilities or bond preparation are worth watching.
- Ballots are expected out this week.
Sources: Sacramento County NetFile Form 460 (filed Sept. 24) and Form 497s through Oct. 7; NUSD board agendas linked above; Ballot Book late-contribution listings (names and dates; amounts from NetFile).
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