LOCAL ELECTIONS COUNTY SUPERVISORS : Flores Atop Pack in Raising Contributions

With powerful Los Angeles County Supervisors Mike Antonovich and Deane Dana steering contributors her way, Sarah Flores collected $305,539 to emerge as top fund-raiser in the 10-candidate race to succeed Supervisor Pete Schabarum, according to campaign finance reports filed Friday.

Schabarum’s choice for the job, Superior Court Judge Greg O’Brien, raised $211,736.

Next was former congressman Jim Lloyd, who raised $164,919. But that included a $135,000 loan of his own money.

Bob Bartlett, mayor of Monrovia, raised $136,000, including $50,000 of his own money, and Nell Soto, a Pomona city councilwoman, raised $55,062, including $10,000 in personal funds. Reports were not available for the other candidates.

Flores, with about half of her money left unspent as of May 19, also was best prepared to conduct a mail blitz in the final days before the June 5 election in the San Gabriel Valley’s 1st Supervisorial District.

The fate of the election continues to rest on the outcome of a redistricting lawsuit filed against the county by the U.S. Justice Department and civil rights groups alleging that the district lines discriminate against Latino voters. The judge’s ruling could come any day.

Flores’ $175,955 left unspent was more than any other candidate, but some of the other candidates said they are stepping up their fund raising.

Flores’ and O’Brien’s thick reports are filled with contributions from companies that do business with the county. Some sources, such as Howard Hughes Properties, Marina del Rey PAC and Shapell Industries Inc., gave $1,000 each to Flores and O’Brien.

Flores, on leave from her job as assistant chief deputy to Schabarum, raised a large amount of money at a $350-a-plate dinner hosted by Antonovich, Dana and Sheriff Sherman Block earlier this month at the Biltmore Hotel.

Breaking with fellow conservative Schabarum, Antonovich and Dana have steered contributors to Flores. Antonovich and Dana have said that Flores’ election could resolve the voting rights lawsuit that seeks to help a Latino win a seat on the powerful county board.

If the county loses the suit, conservative control of the board could be jeopardized.

Flores’ biggest contributions were $5,000 each from the County Firefighters Local 1014, County Probation Officers Union Local 685, and the political action committee of developer Ray Watt. She also loaned $15,000 of her own money to her campaign.

O’Brien’s largest donation was $4,000 from the Los Angeles County Physicians Committee.

The candidates have spent money for political consultants, polls, billboards and lawn signs, radio commercials and sending potholders with the candidates’ names to voters.

The race turned ugly Friday, as a “terribly upset and hurt” Schabarum demanded a public apology from Flores’ campaign organization for alleging that Schabarum may use his own campaign funds to help O’Brien. Although Schabarum has called on his supporters to back O’Brien, he said he has not used his political war chest to help O’Brien because it would violate campaign laws.

Flores’ campaign manager, Ron Smith, said there would be no apology. Smith said the Flores campaign, on the advice of its attorney, sent a letter to the state Fair Political Practices Commission warning about the possible diversion of funds in order to prevent it from happening.

In the 3rd District, Supervisor Ed Edelman reported having $960,000 unspent in his campaign treasury. His lone opponent, Gonzalo Molina, raised about $10,000. The district takes in East Los Angeles, Hollywood, West Los Angeles and part of the San Fernando Valley.