Feinstein, Boxer Denounce Westly for Sludge Ad

With a single day left in the vitriolic campaign for governor, Democrat-on-Democrat clashes broadened Sunday with the state’s senior U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein angrily denouncing candidate Steve Westly as untrustworthy because of a television ad he has been running against competitor Phil Angelides.

Campaigning with Angelides here, Feinstein said the ad that implied he had participated in the dumping of sludge into Lake Tahoe was “dastardly” and “false.”

“How could I ever trust someone who said that about this man?” she asked a union audience.

Fellow Sen. Barbara Boxer defended Angelides, the state treasurer, at the same event. “Those brutal ads against him are gross political attacks,” she said. “Imagine portraying him as an enemy of the environment -- it’s outrageous.”

The campaign ad in question has been the centerpiece of Westly’s multimillion-dollar advertising blitz leading up to Tuesday’s primary. Several statewide polls show the men locked in a dead heat, with a record number of Democratic primary voters undecided.

The ad uses an Angelides investment in a Lake Tahoe condominium to raise doubts about his environmental record. He and several partners owned one unit in a 22-unit lakefront project. The state sued the developer -- and the owners of each unit -- for dumping 1 million gallons of marina silt into the lake.

About $275,000 in fines were agreed to in a lawsuit settlement, but Angelides said he paid nothing, and there is no evidence that he knew anything about the dumping. Angelides filed counterclaims in court against the developer, contending he had nothing to do with the damage.

Westly, the state controller, stood by the ads Sunday afternoon but did not comment on Feinstein’s denunciation. He urged voters to check the sources cited in the ads, including newspaper articles and legal documents.

“The ad is factually true,” Westly said. “It’s in the public record.”

Before the senators’ comments, however, a campaign official said that Westly had planned to stop running the ad Sunday night and close out the campaign in traditional positive fashion.

Feinstein said she saw the ad again Sunday morning and that it made her furious.

“I wouldn’t come out and support somebody who I thought pumped sludge into Lake Tahoe,” Feinstein said in an interview. “I have worked very hard for the restoration of Tahoe. That is very upsetting for me to see one Democrat do that to another.”

Westly’s senior campaign advisor Garry South was blunt about Feinstein, telling The Times in an e-mail: “With all due respect to the senior senator, I doubt that she knows squat about the Tahoe incident, other than the lies her pal Phil is telling her. Take what she says with a grain of salt -- or a pound of sludge!”

Westly brushed aside the impact of the latest squabble between him and Angelides, saying he didn’t believe the infighting would affect Democrats’ ability to unite behind the winner after the primary election. “The party will close ranks behind whoever wins,” he said.

Indeed, Feinstein herself was embroiled in clashes with two prominent politicians -- former Govs. Pete Wilson and Gray Davis -- only to make up and later work in concert.

As Tuesday’s election neared, Angelides campaigned at churches in Oakland and San Francisco and at union rallies with high-ranking Democratic officials. Feinstein and Boxer appeared with him in San Francisco, and Boxer went with him by private jet to a Van Nuys rally.

At the Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, Angelides was introduced by the Rev. J. Alfred Smith Sr., who told the congregation, “We have to address the nasty now and now,” referring to the looming election.

Throughout the day, Angelides invoked his theme of asking the wealthy to pay their “fair share” for government programs and tried to benefit from the popularity of the U.S. senators.

Westly began his day with visits to five Los Angeles-area churches, where he gently nudged prospective voters his way.

At the First African Methodist Episcopal Church west of downtown, he quoted Helen Keller, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Bible, and implored the congregation to vote.

It was clearly the Sunday before election day: Also at the service were Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, who is running for insurance commissioner; Board of Equalization member John Chiang, who is running for controller; Reps. Maxine Waters and Diane Watson of Los Angeles, seeking reelection; and Mike Davis, who is running for the 48th District Assembly seat.

“Please go out and vote this Tuesday,” Westly said. “People have laid down their lives for your voices to be heard. God bless First AME!”

Later, he traveled to a Glendale park, where he met about 60 Armenian American supporters and watched an Armenian dance performance.

Westly quickly went through his usual campaign speech, touting his successes and discussing his proposals for the environment, education and healthcare. But then he took up a cause dear to the community -- the Armenian genocide.

“I’m a student of history. I know 1.5 million Armenians were lost

Westly planned to spend the final campaign day greeting voters in the Los Angeles area. Angelides was scheduled to appear in San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland and Sacramento.