Campaign finance records show Ryan Coonerty has received roughly ten times more in real estate and development contributions than Ami Chen Mills has during the 2026 campaign for Mayor of the City of Santa Cruz. As of September 19, Ryan Coonerty has accumulated $15,448 in contributions from real estate and development interests, out of the $131,978 in total contributions made to his campaign. In comparison, Ami Chen Mills has only received $1,660 from real estate and development interests in her bid for mayor, and has raised $43,398 in total contributions. Besides direct campaign contributions, Coonerty has received support from the group Santa Cruz Together, which has reported spending $13,410 to print up and send out campaign mailers promoting Coonerty's campaign. Records show that Santa Cruz Together has been funded by only three contributors during the 2026 mayoral election, all of which have major development interests in the city: Green Valley Corporation, S.C. Beach Hotel Partners, and the Santa Cruz Seaside Company. Additionally, many community members are referring to Ryan Coonerty as a "developer' after he filed financial documents in March of this year that show he was paid to do consulting work for multiple development firms, including Redtree Partners, 201 Front SC, The Danco Group, Nielson Studios, and Lawlor Land Use, the company owned by developer Owen Lawlor, who has spearheaded a number of controversial projects locally, such as Anton-Pacific and the Cruz Hotel proposal.
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