State’s Elected Officials Collected $25 Million in ’85

Led by Gov. George Deukmejian, state elected officials collected more than $25 million in campaign contributions during 1985, a non-election year, the Fair Political Practices Commisssion reported on Wednesday.

Deukmejian was the top fund-raiser, with a total of $4.9 million in contributions and $3.9 million in the bank at the end of the year to prepare for his 1986 reelection bid.

As usual, the No. 1 legislative fund-raiser was Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco), who collected $1.8 million and had an ending cash balance of $937,000.

Brown will use most of the funds to help protect his 46-vote Democratic majority in the Assembly.

The $25 million in non-election year contributions represented a 28% increase over the $19.6 million received by state officeholders during 1981, the commission said.

The report also showed the top 10 political action committees and business contributors were:

California Trial Lawyers, $393,606; California Medical Assn., $362,100; major insurance firms, $239,750; Irvine Co., $182,029; Atlantic Richfield Co., $147,150, and beer wholesalers, $147,090.

Also, California Dental Assn., $144,535; California Optometric Assn., $138,721; California Correctional Peace Officers Assn., $133,750, and California Teachers Assn., $133,575.

State constitutional officers received $8.1 million of the total contributions and state legislators received $16.9 million.

State Treasurer Jesse M. Unruh, who has no Republican or Democratic opposition, raised $738,077 and had $1.4 million in the bank as of Dec. 31.