Campaigns of Bird, Two Colleagues Outspent Foes 2-1 in Early October

The campaigns to retain California Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird and two of her liberal colleagues raised and spent more than twice as much money during the first half of October as did the groups formed to oppose them, the latest campaign finance reports showed Monday.

However, a spokeswoman for one of the key committees working for the justices’ defeat said its fund-raising efforts have accelerated since the reporting period ended on Oct. 18.

In recent days, Crime Victims for Court Reform has received contributions of $100,000 from Los Angeles County Supervisor Pete Schabarum’s campaign organization and $30,000 from actor Clint Eastwood, said spokeswoman Janet Byers.

In addition, Byers said, the committee received a loan of $100,000 from Los Angeles attorney Richard J. Riordan, who is co-chairman of the group’s finance committee and has been a major backer of Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley’s gubernatorial campaign.

“The campaign has gained tremendous momentum on our side,” Byers said.

However, Steven M. Glazer, a spokesman for Bird, predicted that the chief justice’s campaign organization, the Committee to Conserve the Courts, will post a strong finish.

“I think we’re going to outspend them two to one on television in these last 10 days” of the campaign, Glazer said.

To keep their seats on the high court, Bird and five of the other six Supreme Court justices must be confirmed by a majority of the voters in next Tuesday’s election.

Recent polls show Justices Joseph R. Grodin and Cruz Reynoso in a tight contest to retain their seats while Bird trails badly.

Only Bird, Grodin and Reynoso face organized opposition, largely because of their record on death penalty cases. Bird has voted to overturn death sentences in each of the 61 capital cases that have gone before her court.

Grodin has voted to overturn 40 of 45 death sentences that he has reviewed, while Reynoso has voted to overturn 46 of 47 cases.

Supporters of the three justices say that they have only followed the dictates of the law.

Reports filed with the secretary of state’s office here show that between Oct. 1 and Oct. 18 the four main committees supporting Bird, Grodin and Reynoso raised $611,063 and spent $1,103,228, most of it on television and radio advertising.

By contrast, the three main committees that oppose the justices--Crime Victims for Court Reform, Californians to Defeat Rose Bird and the Law and Order Campaign Committee--raised $271,973 and spent $563,136.

When the reporting period ended, the committees supporting the justices had $344,982 in the bank and debts of $21,852.

The opposition reported cash reserves of $217,413 and debts of $804.

Of the money contributed in support of the justices during the most recent reporting period, 77% arrived in donations of $100 or more. Only 47% of the money given in opposition was in amounts of $100 or more.

Eastwood, who is also mayor of Carmel, agreed to give in opposition to the three justices after attending an Oct. 8 program in Monterey that was sponsored by Crime Victims for Court Reform, Byers said.

In a statement released by his office Monday, Eastwood said:

“I had the opportunity to meet with some of the families of victims of violent crime and after hearing their stories, I could not turn my back on them. I believe we need the best court system possible, and that Reynoso, Grodin and Bird must go. . . .”

Movie Character

Among other characters, Eastwood in his films has portrayed a San Francisco detective, “Dirty Harry,” who is habitually critical of judges whom he views as being soft on criminals.

“I can tell you what the chief justice said when I told her about Clint Eastwood,” Glazer said. Stealing one of Eastwood’s most famous lines, the chief justice “. . . smiled and said, ‘I guess he’s trying to make my day.’ ”

On a more serious note, Glazer said the contributions from Schabarum and Eastwood, both Republicans, show that “the real interests at stake are showing their hand. . . . It makes it very clear that it’s a political and special-interest grab for power in the courts.”

In the latest reporting period, Bird’s organization, the Committee to Conserve the Courts, said it raised $210,555 and spent $280,378. The group had $153,640 left in the bank and no debts.

The committee received $150,000 from just five sources. A donation of $50,000 came from the Los Angeles firm of Greene, O’Reilly, Broillet, Paul, Simon McMillan, Wheeler & Rosenberg, while a current partner and a former partner in the firm each donated an additional $25,000.

Grodin Supporters

The Committee to Retain Justice Grodin raised $140,021 and spent $395,595. It retained cash reserves of $25,868 and debts of $6,539.

A $25,000 donation from the Federated Fire Fighters of California was the largest received by Grodin’s campaign during the latest reporting period.

Yes on Reynoso took in contributions of $150,928 and spent $247,310. At the end of the period, it reported cash reserves of $156,192 and debts of $2,107. Reynoso received several large contributions from prominent Democrats, including $10,000 from Friends of (state treasurer) Jesse Unruh. He also won the support of labor groups.

The Independent Citizens Committee to Keep Politics Out of the Courts, organized by former Gov. Edmund G. (Pat) Brown, raised $118,559 and spent $179,945. The group had $9,282 in the bank at the end of the reporting period and debts of $13,206.

Opposition Group

On the opposing side, Crime Victims for Court Reform raised $128,988 and spent $152,361. The group reported that it had $105,140 in the bank and no debts.

The largest single contribution--$20,000--came from a political organization, Friends of Ed Jagels. Jagels is the Kern County district attorney.

Californians to Defeat Rose Bird received contributions of $84,175 and spent $363,345. It had $68,220 in cash at the end of the period and no debts. The group raised nearly all of its money in contributions of less than $500.

The Law and Order Campaign Committee raised $58,810 and spent $47,430. The committee was left with $44,053 in the bank and debts of $804.