‘86 Election Gets $12-Million Head Start

California’s top elected officials collected more than $12 million in campaign contributions during the first half of this non-election year, the Fair Political Practices Commission reported Monday.

At the current pace, commission Chairman Dan Stanford predicted, the 1986 election races will be “the costliest in California’s history.”

Stanford said he expected more than $150 million in campaign contributions to be raised and spent next year.

Gov. George Deukmejian was the top fund-raiser among statewide officeholders, with $2,879,948 in contributions and $2,664,331 in cash on hand during the first six months of this year, the report said.

Bradley’s Numbers

Meantime, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, who is expected to again seek the Democratic nomination to oppose Republican Deukmejian, has reported $545,258 cash on hand for the period. He raised about $1.7 million but spent most of it, $1.5 million, on his recent mayoral reelection campaign.

The total raised by all statewide officeholders, excluding legislators, was $3,866,397.

Leading all legislators in contributions were Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles), who collected $401,160, and Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco), who received $534,080.

The 120 members of the Legislature accumulated nearly $8.4 million, with the 40 senators getting $3,404,196 and the 80 members of the Assembly collecting $4,986,677.

In the Senate, Roberti’s contributions were followed by those of Alan Robbins (D-Van Nuys), $261,433; Gary K. Hart (D-Santa Barbara), $235,912, and Paul Carpenter (D-Cypress), $222,428.

Trailed Speaker

Brown was trailed in the Assembly by Gray Davis (D-Los Angeles), $476,331; Tom Bane (D-Tarzana), $296,973, and Richard Alatorre (D-Los Angeles), $257,050.

“The record amount of non-election year fund-raising by incumbent legislators sends a message to potential candidates: Challengers beware!” Stanford said. “With this amount of off-year fund-raising, it can be expected that competition in 1986 legislative races will be at an all-time low.”

Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird and two other state Supreme Court justices up for confirmation on next year’s November ballot, Cruz Reynoso and Joseph Grodin, raised a combined total of $428,883 through committees they control. Justice Bird raised $369,164 during the period, and had $452,875 in the bank.

Conservative Republican forces have criticized Bird, charging that she has delayed implementation of the death penalty for murderers and been too soft on crime.

Committees Formed

Three committees formed to oppose the confirmation of Bird and the other two justices showed $1,166,568 in receipts on their mid-year filings. Californians to Defeat Rose Bird received most of the contributions, amounting to just over $1 million. The three committees showed only $90,525 cash on hand as of June 30.

Cash on hand for statewide officeholders totaled $4,540,309. State senators had $4,989,897 in their bank accounts, and Assembly members reported $5,035,992 in cash on hand.