L.A. term limits campaign gets funds

Late contributions from billionaire Ronald Burkle and the Morongo Band of Mission Indians have provided a last-minute financial boost to the campaign to ease term limits for Los Angeles City Council members.

Burkle and his Yucaipa Cos. gave $50,000 to the Yes on Proposition R campaign, according to a late contribution report filed Friday with the secretary of state’s office in Sacramento.

The donation makes Burkle one of the biggest donors to the effort to allow council members to serve three four-year terms in office instead of the current two terms.

The Morongo Indian tribe, which operates a high-rise hotel-casino on Interstate 10 in Cabazon, west of Palm Springs, gave $25,000 to the term limits campaign earlier this week.

Canyon-Johnson Realty Advisors, an arm of Magic Johnson’s real estate business, gave $10,000, as did the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

But backers of the term limits measure have had difficulty raising the kind of money needed to mount a full citywide campaign. With the late contributions, they have raised only about $700,000.

By contrast, contributions keep flowing in to support a $1-billion housing bond measure, Proposition H, on the city ballot. That campaign’s fundraising total so far is about $3 million.

A campaign committee established by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to promote his restructuring of the Los Angeles Unified School District gave $25,000 to support the housing bond.

The Building Industry Assn., already one of the largest donors to the campaign, sent another $25,000; and Beverly Hills financier Arthur Levine donated $25,000.

Williams & Dame Development, based in Portland, Ore., gave $17,500. The firm is building three residential towers in the South Park area of downtown Los Angeles near Staples Center.

jeffrey.rabin@latimes.com