Bird’s War Chest at $450,000; Foes Spend $1 Million

California Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird has amassed a war chest of more than $450,000, but her opponents have already spent nearly $1 million in an effort to defeat her in what is shaping up as a tough confirmationelection next year, contribution records showed Thursday.

Bird’s report of campaign contributions shows that most of her money came from lawyers; she also received checks from judges and entertainment industry figures.

Two key campaign committees organizing to defeat her reported that they spent almost all the money they have raised since the beginning of the year, nearly $1 million.

The reports were among the mid-year contribution statements filed by state officeholders under the campaign reporting law. The deadline for mailing the statements was Wednesday; many reports still had not arrived late Thursday.

The governor, state constitutional officers, 20 senators and all 80 members of the Assembly are up for reelection in 1986. Bird and four associate justices will appear on the ballot for confirmation votes.

Republican Gov. George Deukmejian was the busiest fund raiser.

Although Deukmejian’s report was one of those that had not been received by the secretary of state’s office here, the governor’s treasurer, Pat Formby, said during a telephone interview that Deukmejian raised $2.8 million at $1,000-a-plate fund-raising dinners in Los Angeles and San Francisco during June, leaving him with $2.6 million in the bank after expenses.

By contrast, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, who lost to Deukmejian by fewer than 100,000 votes in 1982 and appears to be preparing to run against him again, has a surplus of $545,258, said the mayor’s treasurer, Jules Glazer. Bradley reported raising $1.7 million since the beginning of the year and spent $1.5 million of that on his recent mayoral reelection campaign.

A possible Bradley opponent in next year’s June Democratic primary for governor, state Sen. John Garamendi of Walnut Grove, reported raising $145,882 since the beginning of the year, leaving him with $75,000 after expenses.

The chief justice’s campaign statement, filed by her Committee to Conserve the Courts, showed that her largest contributions came from television producer Norman Lear and his wife, Frances, who together gave $20,000.

The law firm of former San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto contributed $2,000. The same amount was contributed by well-known San Francisco attorney Melvin Belli.

Sheldon W. Andelson, a Los Angeles banker, University of California regent and prominent gay activist, hosted a fund raiser for Bird, as did the California Trial Lawyers Assn.

Bird’s largest expenses were $35,000 paid to pollster Patrick Cadell and $44,148 paid to her political consulting campaign. She reported a cash surplus at the end of June of $452,875, which left her nearly halfway toward her reported goal of raising $1 million to fight off the challenge of conservative Republican forces who believe that she has delayed implementation of the death penalty and has not been tough enough on criminals.

Republican Activists

Opposing her is a committee called Californians to Defeat Rose Bird, organized by a number of Republican activists. The committee reported raising nearly $1 million and spending all but $71,000--mostly on postage and costs related to extensive mailings.

Another committee, the Law and Order Campaign Committee, headed by state Sen. H. L. Richardson (R-Glendora), reported that it had raised $234,108 since the beginning of the year and had spent $180,931.