L.B. Finance Reports Say Hall Raised Less, but She Outspent Kell

A month before the official start of the campaign, Mayor Ernie Kell was sitting on a war chest of more than $170,000 for his drive to become the city’s first elected mayor, while Councilwoman Jan Hall had spent all but about $20,000 of her mayoral contributions.

According to finance reports filed this week, Hall had spent nearly $99,000, contrasted with Kell’s $70,600, through the end of 1987. About half of Hall’s expenditures went to a prestigious political firm, which left the Hall campaign last week.

Although Kell spent less, he raised a lot more: $237,185, to Hall’s $145,642. Kell has said he plans to spend about $400,000 before the April 12 primary. Hall has set a more modest goal of about $300,000.

Up to nine candidates are expected to enter the mayor’s race by today’s filing deadline, but only Kell, Hall, Luanne Pryor and E. W. (Bud) Huber Jr. were required to submit finance reports because they raised or spent campaign funds last year.

Pryor said she had raised $15,006 and spent $5,204. Huber said he raised $3,201 and had no cash on hand.

The figures, covering the period from July 1 to the end of the year, give a preview of the financial side of a campaign that has already seen Kell and Hall each raise more money than any other candidate spent in any other Long Beach campaign. (Hall and challenger Jim Serles held the record, each shelling out about $125,000 in the 3rd District council seat in 1986.)

Kell’s report shows that he raised $80,000 of his $237,185 during the last six months of 1987. The 5th District councilman was appointed by the City Council as mayor in 1984.

Hall, the only other elected official in the race, collected all but $350 of her $145,642 during the same period. When $17,000 in pledges and $9,381 of in-kind contributions are deducted, her cash total stood at $119,261.

Hall had spent more than $48,000 for her advisers, the Westwood-based Dolphin Group, which departed the campaign last week. By contrast, Kell reported spending about $15,800 for his advisers, the Sacramento-based Directions firm.

Both Hall and Fred Karger, executive vice president for the Dolphin Group, denied that the firm left the campaign because of sagging finances.

Hall said that fund raising is “right on target” and that “we have put in place a tremendous organization.” The departure of the Dolphin Group, which handled Gov. George Deukmejian’s successful campaign for state attorney general in 1978 and his first gubernatorial drive in 1982, marks the start of the second phase of the campaign, she said.

Karger agreed. “We’ve spent the last eight months getting a strong organization established (with) volunteers throughout the city,” he said, “and now that it’s organized to a tremendous extent, the volunteers can start implementing the campaign and get the vote out.”

Hall said she has hired Robert Gouty of Covina as an adviser for the new stage in her campaign. Gouty assisted Hall in his first unsuccessful campaign for City Council in 1972.

Hall said she will boost her finances with a $30-a-plate luncheon to start the campaign Friday at the Golden Sails hotel, with actor Patrick Duffy as special guest. She said she expects to raise about $20,000 from that event and will hold a fund-raising dinner in March.

The shortage of ready cash in Hall’s campaign at the end of December left her only about $10,000 ahead of Pryor, a public relations executive and the only other prospective mayoral candidate who has conducted significant fund-raising.

Pryor, conducting an uphill campaign against the two better-known rivals, reported $9,891 left in her fund at the end of last year. She said a $50-a-head fund-raiser last week reaped about $4,000 more.

Despite advocating campaign finance reform and a vowing to limit total contributions to $100,000 and donate the remainder to the homeless, Pryor has received the largest single campaign contribution of any candidate.

She acknowledged that the $5,000 contribution she received from Tracey Claus, vice president of a Huntington Park chicken processing plant, and his wife, Jane, would violate a campaign reform measure submitted to the City Council by Common Cause.

Pryor added, however, that the contribution does not conflict with her stand, because there are no political strings attached. She said the Clauses are longtime friends.

“When I took this donation, I thought it was a terrific gift,” she said. “Had it been a special-interest group, I would have refused.”

Kell showed strong financial support from unions and city appointees. Hall received some major contributions from contacts that she made as board president of the Southern California Rapid Transit District.

Both candidates received heavy contributions from developers. Many contributors spread money between both camps--but generally gave the edge to Kell.

For instance, the Long Beach Police Officers Assn. gave $150 to Hall and $300 to Kell. Developer Daniel Niemann of Redondo Beach contributed $2,500 to Kell while Therese Niemann, listed at the same address, gave $1,000 to Hall.

Hall received a contribution of $1,750 from Seal Beach executive William Lansdale and counts him and his wife, California State University, Long Beach, Trustee Mariantha Lansdale, among her endorsers. But the Lansdale development firm, The Lansdale Co., gave $2,500 to Kell.

Kell, who nominates appointees to city boards and commissions, subject to approval by the City Council, received contributions from three harbor commissioners during 1987. Joel B. Friedland gave $3,050; Louise M. DuVall gave $300 and George F. Talin Sr. contributed $3,810.

Dual Contributions

DuVall also gave $150 to Hall. Harbor Commission Chairman David L. Hauser, who gave Kell $500 in May, later gave $500 to Hall. Commissioner C. Robert Langslet gave $1,000 to Kell in the first part of 1987 but gave $100 to Pryor in the second half of the year.

Kell also received $500 from Planning Commissioner Patricia Schauer and $300 from Planning Commissioner Serles, during the last six months of the year. Diane Jacobus, office manager at Serles’ dentistry office, gave $150.

Kell received $800 from two Teamsters Union locals; $800 from a local and regional office of the United Auto Workers; $150 from the Amalgamated Transit Union, $500 from the Long Beach City Employees Assn., and $100 from the Long Beach School Employees Federal Credit Union.

A millionaire through construction and real estate development, Kell lists a non-monetary contribution to his campaign of $2,895 out of his own pocket.

Among Hall’s contributors were two fellow members of the RTD Board of Directors. Marvin Holen, a Los Angeles attorney, gave $500, and architect Nick Patsaouras, gave $1,000 and has pledged another $2,000, according to the report.

Hall also received $2,500 from Mitch Rouse, president of United Checker Cab, and $500 from Walter Zable, an executive with Cubic Corp. in San Diego, which has come before the RTD board in its lengthy attempt to sell high-tech fare boxes to the transit agency.

Besides cash contributions, Hall’s total includes the $17,000 in pledges. Besides Patsaouras’ pledge, they include $5,000 each from Long Beach real estate attorney Charles E. Greenberg; former city Public Works manager Jim Pott, who is now a consultant, and retired sporting goods store owner Al Taucher. All three have given cash in addition to their pledges.