State Workers Helped GOP Anti-Killea Effort on Taxpayers’ Time

Assemblywoman Lucy Killea of San Diego was among several Democrats targeted in political research papers prepared for Republicans by state employees at taxpayers’ expense, according to GOP sources and documents obtained by The Times.

The papers represent the contents of computer files purged by employees of the Assembly Republican Caucus the morning after the FBI searched four legislators’ offices, including that of GOP leader Pat Nolan, in late August in connection with a three-year political corruption investigation.

The computer files were purged because top Republican staffers, knowing that it is against the law to run campaigns on state time and with state equipment, were worried that the FBI might learn of their activities, the sources said.

Checking Property Holdings

The documents show that the Republican researchers were looking into Killea’s property holdings in Washington, D.C., and Texas, possibly on the hunch that, as a landlord, she might be guilty of health-and-welfare or building-code violations.

In an interview Thursday, Killea said she was “outraged” that the GOP would do political work at public expense, but she predicted that the opposition researchers would find her record clean. Killea’s opponent, Byron Wear, said he knows nothing of the research and has never seen the information on Killea.

“I knew they would be trying to come after me in any way they could,” Killea said. “But I’m surprised they are going to such lengths. If it is on taxpayers’ time, that’s worse yet.”

The short memo on Killea, provided to The Times by a GOP legislative staffer, outlines a plan to look into her financial holdings before the Nov. 8 election. The election is expected to be hotly contested because the 78th Assembly District has the highest percentage of Republican voters of any district now held by a Democrat.

The memo lists “D.C. Investments” and “Texas R.E.” and a “480-acre parcel” and notes “Health and Welfare, Building code violations.” The note also asks “Who is she renting to?”

Washington Property

Killea guessed that part of the outline was referring to a home she owns in Washington, which she said is the last of several properties she and her husband purchased when they lived in the capital many years ago. The rest of the homes were sold over the years, Killea said.

Killea said she knew of no code violations involving the property, but she said the home, in an older section of town, was left vacant for a period because it was in disrepair and in need of renovation. She said it was renovated and now is being rented out again.

“The roof gave way and had to be fixed up,” Killea said. “It leaked; it was very defective. Rather than fixing that, we decided to do the whole house. We closed it down and waited until we got the money to fix it up.”

Killea said she also is part-owner of property in San Antonio, where she grew up. She said she and her sister own a nine-unit apartment building, where they were raised, and an adjacent two-unit building that was once her mother’s dance studio. She said she knows of no code violations on that property, either.

Ranch Land

The 480-acre parcel, Killea said, is ranch land in Bee County, Tex., that Killea’s father purchased many years ago. She said she and her sister recently sold the land rights to the property but retain the mineral rights because the land produces natural gas and may contain oil.

Wear said he had no knowledge of the campaign research. He said his campaign has used the Republican Caucus staff only to obtain information about Killea’s voting record.

“We are running a campaign based on the issues, and on Lucy Killea’s voting record,” said Wear, a public relations consultant. “That’s the kind of information we’re interested in. I’m not making any personal attacks against Lucy.”

Killea said she is considering asking the state Fair Political Practices Commission to investigate whether Republican legislative aides illegally used public resources to assist Wear’s campaign.

Assemblyman Phillip Isenberg (D-Sacramento) lodged a similar complaint Tuesday after The Times disclosed that the computer files purged the day after the FBI raid contained a brief memo outlining a campaign battle plan for his Republican opponent.