Berman Raises Green With a Red, White, Blue Affair

The dessert at Rep. Howard L. Berman’s major biannual fund-raiser Thursday evening was red, white and blue. But, for the Panorama City Democrat, the dinner yielded a plateful of green.

The three-term congressman expected to net $250,000 to $300,000 for his anticipated 1988 reelection bid. This means Berman may have raised more in one night than the $277,683 he garnered during his entire 1985-86 election campaign.

More than 1,200 tickets were sold for the $300-a-person event at the Century Plaza Hotel, said Marc Litchman, Berman’s administrative assistant. The major donors were from organized labor and the entertainment industry.

“It’s part of a general enthusiasm about the viability of the Democrats and a progressive outlook,” said Berman, whose district is split between the East San Fernando Valley and the Westside. “There’s a general feeling in the air that, as the Reagan Administration is coming to an end, maybe the Reagan era is coming to an end.”

Berman, whose 26th District is considered politically impregnable, also contributes generously to other Democrats. He is a senior partner with Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles) of the Berman-Waxman political organization, a powerful coalition of Democratic lawmakers that supports like-minded liberal candidates and causes with money and tactical assistance.

Predictably, other members of the informal organization were out in force Thursday evening. Besides Waxman, Rep. Mel Levine (D-Santa Monica) and Assemblymen Burt Margolin and Terry B. Friedman, both Los Angeles Democrats, were present.

Dinner, Then a Concert

Three potential contenders for the 1989 Democratic gubernatorial nomination also made appearances. Controller Gray Davis, Atty. Gen. John Van de Kamp and Superintendent of Public Instruction Bill Honig worked the crowd of Democratic activists and moneyed contributors.

The dinner was followed by a concert by singer Dionne Warwick, who has performed in the past to raise money for AIDS victims, the hungry and other causes. Warwick contributed her services “because she’s had a long relationship with Howard,” Litchman said.

The event, held on the bicentennial anniversary of the U. S. Constitution, had a self-consciously patriotic flavor. The crowning touch of red, white and blue was the “ bombe liberty” dessert: a strawberry, vanilla and blueberry ice cream cake covered with strawberry sauce.