Amador County, rural political backwater that it is, is still home to a few political battles that people are willing to spend money on fighting.

The Fair Political Practices Commission requires all candidates, their committees or ballot measure committees that have received more than $1,000 in contributions to file FPPC Form 460.

The few costly local campaigns this election season are between or among candidates for seats on the board of directors of the Amador Water Agency. In District 1, appointed incumbent, long-time resident and former water company owner, Madonna Wiebold, is locked in a billboard war with highly visible water activist and local businessman, Bill Condrashoff.

At the entrance to Amador county news - www.boitano.net headquarters, two bright blue Condrashoff signs sprouted weeks ago, driven deeply into ground owned by a member of Ken Berry's family. Wiebold signs are approximately the same size, more often held in place by sandbags on crossmembers in their a-frame construction.

According to official Form 460 filings at the Amador County Elections Office, Condrashoff is the top fundraiser in the county, with $4,198.97 gathered from numerous sources. Wiebold is not far behind, with $3,300 drawn from her personal coffers. District 2 incumbent AWA Director John Swift filed a Form 460 showing $1,100 in contributions, while his opponent Gary Thomas filed no form.

Contributions of less than $1,000 need not be itemized or revealed and the exact amounts remain unknown.

Although three candidates are vying for the AWA District 4 seat, only appointed Incumbent Paul Scott filed Form 460, which included a $2,500 contribution from the Committee For Home Ownership of the Northstate, a builders group, according to Scott. Debbie Dunn said that she has recently exceeded the $1,000 mark and will be filing a Form 460. District 4's third candidate, Sutter Creek Councilman Brent Parsons, has not filed a Form 460.

In city council races, the only candidate to file a form 460 is Jackson Planning Commissioner Dave Butow, a candidate for Jackson City Council, who barely topped the $1,000 mark.

Another money-related issue at election time is contributions to candidates by advocacy groups and nonprofit organizations, in amounts too small to trigger Form 460 filing.

This year's battle for city council seats in the city of Plymouth has become thoroughly entwined with the issue of Indian gaming and the casino envisioned in Plymouth by the Ione Band of Miwok Indians. Tribal representative Peter Tateishi readily admits to contributions made by the tribe to Gary Colburn and Darlene Estey, candidates for Plymouth City Council. Both were recalled years ago in the brouhaha that engulfed the city after the city council signed a Municipal Services Agreement with the tribe, but have said that they believe the climate has changed since then.

On the other side of the Plymouth City Council election battle, the three incumbents - Pat Shackleton, Jon Colburn and Greg Baldwin - have drawn support from the anti-casino forces in and around the city. The nonprofit group, No Casino In Plymouth, has distributed a flier that supports the incumbents.

"We are primarily educational," said No Casino In Plymouth spokeswoman Elida Malick. "We are not allowed to contribute, but we are allowed to educate."

The rules that apply to nonprofit corporations are written by the Internal Revenue Service, the well-known arm of the United States Department of the Treasury. In order to retain the tax-exempt status afforded by the IRS to nonprofits, a corporation is required to abide by rules contained in sections 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) of the the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.

The distinctions minor but important. Unlike a 501(c)(3), a 501(c)(4) organization, which No Casino in Plymouth is, according to Malick, has more latitude to lobby and can actively engage in political campaign activities, such as sending out political mailers like the one NCIP did regarding the Plymouth council race.

The flier distributed by No Casino in Plymouth says, in part, that the three challengers - Estey, Gary Colburn and Maria Nunez - "do not understand the serious negative impacts a casino will have on Plymouth and have proved they will not make informed decisions on this issue by supporting the illegal and worthless MSA."

Further on, the flier calls the incumbents' "Commitment to Plymouth Unquestionable! The choice based on the facts and public record is clear GREG JON PAT".

The Restriction of Political Campaign Intervention by Section 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Organizations states, "certain voter education activities (including presenting public forums and publishing voter education guides) conducted in a non-partisan manner do not constitute prohibited political campaign activity."

The Restriction continues, "On the other hand, voter education or registration activities with evidence of bias that (a) would favor one candidate over another; (b) oppose a candidate in some manner; or (c) have the effect of favoring a candidate or group of candidates, will constitute prohibited participation or intervention."