War Chest Gives Gates Capacity to Spend Differently

When a candidate has a lot of campaign money, he obviously can afford things other contenders probably would deem to be out of the ordinary. For example, take Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates.

In 1978, Gates spent $18,400 for sterling silver used to fashion belt buckles that carried the likeness of John Wayne. Gates said the actor had given permission for the reproduction of his likeness and use of his name in selling the western-style belt buckles in order to raise money for the Gates campaign. The buckles raised about $50,000, Gates said.

In 1981, Gates used $3,061.70 of his campaign money to pay legal fees in connection with his freedom of information request over an FBI investigation of his personal finances and alleged public corruption. The FBI found nothing to warrant prosecution, but Gates said he wanted to know what material the agency had collected and from whom.

Then there was last summer when a Mission Viejo boy was touted by Gates as “the hero of Orange County” after jotting down the license number of a car later connected to the notorious Night Stalker slayings.

Donations within the Sheriff’s Department and from local businesses made it possible to give James Romero III, 13, $4,500 in cash and a three-wheel motorcycle. Unknown to most, however, Gates quietly dipped into his campaign funds and contributed $927.24 to put toward the reward.

“We gave it on the part of the department to a young man who did a tremendous job,” Gates said recently. “I’m just glad I had the funds and the ability to reward somebody who did some good for all the people of the state. I’d do it again.”