How the Study Was Conducted
To get a yearlong look at fund-raising and spending patterns of Orange County legislators, The Times reviewed campaign finance reports filed with the secretary of state in Sacramento by all 13 state lawmakers
Every contribution collected in 1987 for use in a 1988 campaign was tabulated, and a computer was used to analyze the data geographically and by interest group or occupation. Every dollar spent by the delegation in 1987 was similarly analyzed.
Then, each member of the delegation was interviewed about the results of the computer analysis, as were a wide variety of lobbyists, contributors and others involved in legislative politics.
Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter
Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond. In your inbox three times per week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
