Candidates Trade Charges in 33rd District Race

With the May 12 special election in the 33rd state Senate District less than two weeks off, Republicans and Democrats traded accusations Tuesday in complaints filed with the state Fair Political Practices Commission.

Democratic candidate Cecil N. Green, a Norwalk city councilman, filed a complaint accusing his opponent, Assemblyman Wayne Grisham (R-Norwalk), of failing to report a financial interest in Moore Resales Inc., a La Mirada-based real estate company. Grisham is listed on incorporation documents as the firm’s chief executive officer.

Green also alleged that Grisham’s firm “failed to pay its tax bill and had twice been suspended from doing business.” Further, Green said, Grisham failed to disclose a loan for $150,000 he had taken out on a piece of property.

Under the state Political Reform Act, elected officials are required to disclose economic interests on annual conflict-of-interest statements.

Grisham brushed aside the allegations, saying “I think we’re 100% clean, pure.”

Delivering the Republicans’ volley Tuesday was Robert Naylor, state GOP chairman. He filed an FPPC complaint focusing on a mailer sent before the March 17 primary in the 33rd District that repeated charges by a former Grisham secretary that she was fired after rebuffing Grisham’s advances.

Former Democratic Sen. Paul Carpenter, who held the 33rd District seat before resigning after being elected to the State Board of Equalization, reported contributing $5,000 to Citizens Who Care, the group that sent the mailer, according to the secretary of state’s office.

Naylor complained that Green and Carpenter actually were the “controlling” forces behind Citizens Who Care and that the group failed to properly file a campaign contribution statement with the secretary of state noting the details of Carpenter’s contribution.

Naylor, who is helping Grisham solicit contributions, alleged that Green’s campaign committee “was involved with the production of the mailer.” But Larry Morse, a spokesman for the Green campaign, said Green was not aware of the Citizens Who Care mailer until after it was sent. Carpenter was unavailable for comment.

The FPPC has 14 days to determine if it should open an inquiry into a complaint.

In the hotly contested March primary, Green outpolled Grisham but failed to win enough votes to avoid a runoff. The district straddles Los Angeles and Orange counties, with about 25% of the potential voters living in Buena Park, La Palma, Cypress and Los Alamitos.

In March, 1984, when Grisham first ran for the Assembly, he reported an interest in Moore Resales. But Grisham says he since has transferred it to his son and receives no income from the firm and has nothing to report.

The assemblyman and his son asserted that the loan mentioned by Green was a line of credit for the younger Grisham.

Times staff writer Steven Churm contributed to this story.