Foes Gallegly, Hope Lead Area in Donations for Congress Race

In the pursuit of campaign contributions, two of the 21 candidates running in four congressional races this year in the San Fernando Valley area have far outdistanced the rest.

Not surprisingly, the two candidates who have raised the most money are competing against each other in the 21st District congressional primary, the hottest race in the area.

Recently released federal campaign finance reports indicate that the top congressional fund-raiser so far this year is Elton Gallegly, a real estate broker and mayor of Simi Valley. He raised $59,594 in the first three months of this year.

Close behind is Tony Hope, a lawyer and son of Bob Hope, who is competing with Gallegly for the seat being vacated by Rep. Bobbi Fiedler (R-Northridge), who is running for U.S. Senate. Hope raised $46,772 in contributions and lent his campaign another $50,000.

Both Republican candidates predict that they will need $400,000 to win the June 3 primary. Whoever survives the showdown will virtually be guaranteed victory in November. The 21st is one of the most heavily Republican enclaves in the state.

So far, Gallegly enjoys an edge financially. Unlike Hope, who entered the race in February, Gallegly has been raising funds since early 1985. The Simi Valley mayor has received $192,491. By the March 31 campaign report filing deadline, Gallegly still had $76,950 left.

In contrast, Hope had $6,306 in the bank before lending himself $50,000.

Hope said he has received $150,000 since the March filing deadline but is still not raising as much as he had hoped at this stage.

“The problem I’m running into in fund raising is that half think I don’t need the money and the other half think I’m a shoo-in,” Hope said. “It’s very hard to overcome that perception.”

Entertainment Industry

Assemblyman Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks) pulled out of the 21st District race in early March after predicting that Hope could raise $1 million. Gallegly has often repeated that prediction and suggests that Hope has access to big money through his father and the entertainment industry.

Some Hollywood figures have contributed to Hope’s campaign, including comedian Phyllis Diller; Kathryn Crosby, widow of Bing Crosby; actor Patrick Wayne, and Jerry Weintraub, former head of United Artists Corp. Other contributors include Peter O’Malley, owner of the Dodgers; Alex Spanos, owner of the San Diego Chargers; Bernard and Ann Gelson of Gelson’s supermarket chain; V. J. Skutt, chairman of Mutual of Omaha, and a number of attorneys and business executives.

Noticeably missing from the list of Hollywood contributors is Bob Hope. The candidate said he asked his parents not to contribute because they have been letting him use their Toluca Lake house for political purposes. One fund-raiser was already held at the Hope home; another is planned this month.

Christmas Card List

Bob Hope also has been helping in other ways. For one thing, the famous comedian is pictured with his son in campaign literature.

Also, Tony Hope has borrowed his parents’ Christmas card list of 8,000 people. Hope said he will cull the names of their closest 200 mutual friends and ask them for money.

As for Gallegly, his federal campaign disclosure statements indicate that he has received about 49% of his money from developers, real estate agents, banks and the construction industry.

Gallegly, however, says much of his support comes from the grass roots.

“It’s basically the guy next door who has been giving along with the development community,” Gallegly said.

The mayor recently began a direct-mail effort to raise $10 and $15 donations. He says dozens of small contributions are arriving daily.

Democrats Raise Less

The six Democrats running in the 21st congressional race have had far less success raising funds. Only one, Gilbert Saldana, vice mayor of Avalon on Catalina Island, raised as much as the $5,000 to require the filing of a campaign finance report.

Saldana, who has received endorsements from many Democratic groups, said he will use some of the $12,408 he has raised to help pay for a voter registration drive sponsored by state Sen. David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles).

Among the other three congressional races, George Woolverton, a lawyer from Tarzana, has raised the most money--$20,306--during the three-month period. Woolverton, who is running unopposed in the Republican primary in the 23rd District, hopes to unseat Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Los Angeles) in November. The other candidates did not raise enough to be required to submit reports to the state.

Incumbent’s Funds

Beilenson, a five-term incumbent, raised $7,364 during the first three months of 1986. But Beilenson has $53,221 in the bank and Woolverton has only $6,924.

Among the congressional incumbents, Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles), one of the most powerful members of the House, has raised the least money--$4,010. However, Waxman, who has neither Democratic nor Republican opposition in the 24th District, has $137,894 in the bank.

Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City) also has done little fund raising this year. He has raised $9,525 and has $59,536 in reserve. He faces no Democratic opposition in the June primary and is expected to have little difficulty winning in November against his little-known Republican opponents, Robert M. Kerns and Kenneth Frazier.