Bird and Deukmejian in the Financial Driver’s Seat : Governor Has 10 Times Bradley’s Reserves

Gov. George Deukmejian’s campaign war chest was bulging with nearly $5.1 million at the end of June, more than 10 times the amount in the coffers of his Democratic opponent, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, according to campaign finance figures made public Thursday.

Bradley, who has been hampered in his gubernatorial bid by a shortage of money, had just $504,268 in the bank at the end of the most recent campaign reporting period, a Bradley aide said.

The mayor raised more money than Deukmejian during the six weeks ending June 30, figures provided by both camps indicated, but trailed in fund-raising through the first half of the year.

Bradley spokeswoman Dee Dee Myers said the mayor received $719,761 in cash and non-monetary contributions in late May and June and spent $602,048. Deukmejian raised $609,879 and spent $438,373--mostly on TV ads, voter polls and printing--according to finance reports filed by the governor’s campaign.

Between Jan. 1 and June 30, however, contributions to the governor totaled $3.99 million, compared to $2.58 million for Bradley.

The cash accumulated by Deukmejian “means that from our perspective . . . we are in solid position to finish strong and take the governor’s record to the people,” said Larry Thomas, director of the Deukmejian Campaign Committee.

Ali Webb, press secretary for Bradley’s campaign, said, “We are on target with our projected need for money. . . . The governor has been fund-raising for 2 1/2 years. We really didn’t start fund-raising until January because the mayor didn’t make his decision to run until that time. We think we’re going to have enough money to win this campaign.”

Bradley aides said they were unable to provide reporters with copies of the complete financial report, which lists individual contributors and expenditures. The report had to be in the mail to the secretary of state’s office by Thursday night.

According to the finance report filed by the Deukmejian camp, much of the governor’s support came from traditional Deukmejian partisans--developers and builders, agricultural interests, insurance companies and financial institutions, as well as small contributors.

However, the reports revealed a few surprises.

For example, wholesale nurseries in Southern California, not noted for giving as a group, contributed more than $50,000 to the governor’s campaign, largely in advance ticket sales to a $500-a-head fund-raiser held earlier this month at the Monrovia Nursery in Azusa.

“He’s a business-oriented governor and we appreciate that,” explained Jim Poorbaugh, production manager for the Monrovia Nursery, which purchased 20 tickets to the event.

Rules on Pesticides

Another nurseryman said that, among other regulations, members of the industry are concerned about rules governing the use of pesticides. The Department of Food and Agriculture, for example, is currently deciding whether to approve the use of the pesticide Avid to control an infestation of an insect, the leaf miner, which attacks chrysanthemums and other large, soft-leafed flowers.

Twenty-five members of a smaller trade group, the Fishermen’s Co-operative Assn. of San Pedro, gave Deukmejian more than $5,000 in contributions of less than $500. The group is interested in abolishing on schedule a $2-a-ton tax on mackerel that is due to expire at the end of the year and maintaining commercial fishermen’s exemption from a tax on diesel fuel, a spokeswoman said.

Real Estate Interests

Large contributors to Deukmejian included the Homestead Group of Los Angeles, a real estate development and construction firm that through various affiliated companies gave at least $20,000. Sunrise Village, a company that shares the Homestead Group’s address, reported giving $10,000.

The Certified Public Accountants Political Action Committee gave $10,000 and the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn. Political Action Committee contributed $4,000, boosting its total donations to the governor to $39,999.

Judicial Donations

A dozen Superior and Municipal Court judges, most from Los Angeles County, gave about $2,000 in amounts of $500 or less. Substantial non-monetary contributions received by Deukmejian included about $15,000 worth of airplane rides to campaign events from private plane owners. Tom Lucky, an executive with Lucky Construction Co. of Stockton, supplied the most rides, worth a total of $5,997. Overall, the Western Growers Assn. of Newport Beach has given Deukmejian $106,812 in plane rides since the beginning of the campaign, but only $337.50 worth this period.

Deukmejian reported returning $3,500 from R. E. Wolfe of Kansas City, a former associate of convicted political corrupter W. Patrick Moriarty. Campaign manager Larry Thomas said the money was returned because a news story in The Times earlier this year said the FBI was investigating Los Angeles and San Bernardino County dump contracts awarded to Wolfe.

Times staff writers Janet Clayton and Carl Ingram contributed to this article.