Mayor’s Ads Say Governor ‘Protects’ Toxic Polluters

In a stepped-up attack on Gov. George Deukmejian, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley today is expected to launch two radio commercials charging that Deukmejian is “protecting” toxic waste polluters and has received nearly a quarter of million dollars in campaign contributions from the toxic waste industry in the past four years.

The commercials, scheduled to air for at least a week starting today on stations in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento and Fresno areas, come on the heels of polls that show Bradley trailing Deukmejian in campaign contributions and public popularity in the race for governor.

While Deukmejian already has spent $793,000 for a three-week blitz of television commercials, the one-week, $25,000 Bradley radio commercials mark the first time in the campaign that so-called attack ads aimed against the opponent have been used by either side.

Deukmejian campaign director Larry Thomas said the ads “reek of desperation. It indicates that the mayor and his campaign are prepared to do and say anything to mislead the public.”

At a press conference at the Bradley campaign headquarters in Hollywood, campaign chairman Tom Quinn said the hard-hitting commercials were designed “long before” the polls were published. Both commercials associate Deukmejian with contributors who “can afford to buy a piece of state government.”

Not a ‘Panic’ Move

Quinn, who wrote these commercials and has written similar commercials on behalf of former Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. and Bradley’s mayoral campaign last year, denied that they were in any way a “panic” reaction to Bradley’s recent drop in the polls. Instead, he said, “when the governor of California takes a quarter of a million dollars from people in the toxic waste industry and then vetoes 21 bills to clean up toxic waste, I think that is not only fair comment on our part but necessary comment.”

A sampling of the commercials indicates again that the Bradley campaign hopes to make toxic waste the number one issue with which to hammer away at Deukmejian’s advantages as the incumbent. The governor has topped Bradley in fund-raising 7 to 1.

One commercial is a “conversation” between a man and woman on their way to a fund-raising dinner. When the woman asks why they have to attend another Deukmejian dinner, the man replies: “You know our company operates toxic waste dumps. . . . The state government could force us to clean up the toxic chemicals, but Deukmejian’s protecting us.”

In another Bradley commercial in the format of a game show, a woman contestant who is told Deukmejian vetoed 21 bills that would have assisted toxic cleanup concludes “ . . . sounds like toxic polluters are doing a lot for Deukmejian.”

“That’s right,” the “game show host” replies, “And Deukmejian’s doing a lot for them, too.”

Lawyer a Target

The commercials also target Deukmejian fund-raising chairman Karl Samuelian as a “lawyer for toxic waste companies.” Samuelian represented a toxic waste hauler, Andrew Papac and Sons of El Monte in 1984, but Thomas said Samuelian “no longer” has any association with toxic haulers or disposers.

After playing a tape of the commercials for reporters, Quinn referred to controversy over contributions Deukmejian received from friends who are owners of a Monterey Park toxic waste site, Operating Industries Inc. In 1982, Deukmejian received $19,250 from owners of the now-closed site.

State health officials, with the governor’s support, have backed a development plan by the city of Monterey Park and have sought a special exemption from the federal government that would free 45 acres of that site for commercial buildings. However, Deukmejian said he never talked to his friends about the landfill and state Health Services Director Ken Kizer said he never knew the owners had made a campaign contribution to Deukmejian.

“It raises serious questions about the man’s integrity,” Quinn said, referring to the governor. “Here’s a man whose actions appear to be linked to his campaign contributions.” Asked if he was implying corruption, Quinn used the term “improper” but added later, “We’re not outright saying there are improprieties here.” Campaign manager Mary Nichols called the Administration’s lobbying effort on behalf of the contributors “unethical.”

Response From Opposition

Thomas countered that there was “not a shred, not a trickle” of evidence that Kizer lobbied for the change at the Monterey Park dump site “based on any knowledge of campaign contributions or that the governor involved himself.”

Thomas did not argue with the list of Deukmejian contributors that the Bradley campaign said was linked to toxic waste disposal or hauling because he said he had not seen the list. Even if Deukmejian did receive $248,000 from the toxic waste industry, Thomas added, “What’s $248,000 out of $7 million (raised by Deukmejian since the start of 1985)? Bradley’s not going to be able to convince people that for a few campaign contributions the governor is selling away the health of California.”