Panel Says It Needs $500,000 to Stage Debate

The bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates said Tuesday that it must raise $500,000 in corporate donations by the end of today in order to stage the scheduled debate rematch between Vice President George Bush and Gov. Michael S. Dukakis in Los Angeles next week.

The commission also said that even if the money comes through, it was uncertain whether the debate would be held in the Shrine Auditorium, as originally planned. The League of Women Voters, which angrily withdrew Monday as sponsor of the debate, said Tuesday it would not relinquish its reservation on the facility unless it gets back the more than $100,000 it has spent on arrangements.

“If someone wants to go in and do the debate there, we’ll probably try to recoup our expenses,” league spokesman William Woodwell declared. “So we’re holding on to it (the auditorium) right now.”

Debate Called ‘Fraud’

In backing out of the debate, the league charged that the two candidates were demanding virtually full control over the event’s ground rules, making it “a fraud.” Those ground rules had been negotiated by the candidates with the commission, the newly created bipartisan body that sponsored the first presidential debate in September.

Although the league--traditional sponsor of presidential debates--was chosen as the sponsor of the rematch, the candidates wanted similar ground rules to apply.

Commission spokesman Robert A. Neuman said officials, in attempting to take over the second presidential debate, were busy soliciting corporations for money--and were looking around for other places to hold the debate if necessary.