Financial Reports Indicate Costly Race for Beilenson’s Seat : Politics: The incumbent congressman says he raised $94,929 in 1989. His Republican rival received $111,724.

Faced with a potentially well-funded Republican opponent in November, Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Los Angeles) raised $94,929 last year, reversing his policy of not seeking campaign dollars in a non-election year, recent campaign reports show.

At the same time, GOP challenger Jim Salomon, whom Beilenson easily bested in 1988, brought in an impressive $111,724 in 1989. Salomon, a Beverly Hills trade consultant, has in effect never stopped running and said he began stumping full time again last June for a rematch.

The early Beilenson and Salomon fund raising, as disclosed in campaign reports filed last week for the second half of 1989, could set the stage for a costly 1990 race in one of the most affluent districts in the nation. Salomon’s ambitious goal is to garner $750,000.

“My likely opponent, Mr. Salomon, seems to be serious about his campaign, and we thought it would be prudent to start raising some money,” Beilenson said this week. “I tend to respond to what I perceive the need to be.”

In 1988, Beilenson won 63.5% of the vote against Salomon without doing any significant campaigning. Salomon, however, said his intent was to lay the groundwork in his initial race for an all-out second bid. He has already raised more than the $98,008 he spent in 1988.

Beilenson’s campaign had $81,535 on hand as of Dec. 31; Salomon’s had $83,593.

Beilenson, a 13-year lawmaker who has said he strives to do only as much fund raising as necessary, continues to be one of the few members of Congress who refuses to accept any money from political action committees. He received $79,000 of his total from individual contributions of $200 or more. Most of it was raised at a $250-a-person garden party at actor Gregory Peck’s Holmby Hills home in October.

The list of givers reads like a partial who’s who of liberal activists who reside in Los Angeles’ Westside, much of which is included in Beilenson’s 23rd District.

Contributors include Walt Disney Co. President Frank G. Wells, who gave $2,000, the legal limit for the primary and general election campaigns; MCA Chairman Lew R. Wasserman, $1,000; Metropolitan Theaters President Bruce C. Corwin, $250; actors Kirk Douglas, $300, Leonard Nimoy, $250, and Sidney Poitier, $250; director Arthur Hiller, $500, and real estate developer Aris Anagnos, $500.

Beilenson reported that his campaign committee spent $1,432 on four trips to California for the lawmaker’s wife, Dolores.

“On those particular trips she was involved directly in campaign-related activities, including meetings with contributors and potential contributors,” Beilenson said.

Salomon, 34, has made inroads in Los Angeles’ affluent Jewish community as well as among some of the city’s leading Republican contributors, his report shows. He raised $88,025 from individual contributors who gave $100 or more and $8,450 from political action committees.

The single largest donor was the National Rifle Assn., which gave Salomon $4,950. He also received $2,000 from Fluor PAC, which represents an Irvine-based engineering and construction firm, and $1,000 from Pacific Enterprises PAC, the political arm of the holding company that owns Southern California Gas Co., the Thrifty Corp. and Pacific Enterprises oil company.

Salomon said Tuesday that he supports the right to bear arms. At the same time, he said, he favors a national fingerprint verification system to prevent felons or ex-mental patients from buying firearms as well as mandatory training in gun safety and strict criminal liability for negligence in storing weapons. Beilenson has supported various gun-control measures.

Salomon’s largest individual donor is actor Charlton Heston, the NRA’s national spokesman. Heston, who is one of six co-chairmen of Salomon’s campaign, gave $2,000 and his wife, Lydia, donated another $2,000. Heston also held a party for Salomon at his Los Angeles home in September, for which the campaign reimbursed him $3,543 in catering costs.

Other prominent givers to Salomon, each of whom gave $1,000, include Jerry Weintraub, chairman of Weintraub Entertainment Group; attorney and power broker Richard J. Riordan; John F. Nickoll, a partner in the Foothill Group; John Gavin, ambassador to Mexico during the Reagan Administration, and Irving M. Felt, a retired corporate executive and the former president of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies.

Felt, who was a major fund-raiser for the late Sen. Jacob Javits of New York, became chairman of Salomon’s campaign in December. His co-chairmen include Nickoll; billionaire businessman Marvin Davis; real estate developer Jona Goldrich and insurance executive Glen A. Holden, a prominent GOP fund-raiser and ambassador to Jamaica.

In addition, Salomon has recruited 107 vice chairs, each of whom has pledged to raise $5,000. He said this will give him the resources to tell voters where he differs with Beilenson through individualized, computer-generated letters, phone banks and mass mailings.

“The polls show that Beilenson is hugely vulnerable on the issues but is also hugely anonymous on the issues,” Salomon said.

He said he plans to focus on drugs and crime, taxes, support for Israel, Social Security and Beilenson’s role in the district.