Planner Says He Supported Candidate but Solicited No Funds at Dinner : Politics: Roger Slates makes his first comments on controversy to Supervisor Wieder, who appointed him.

In a written statement made public Friday, Orange County Planning Commissioner Roger D. Slates acknowledged that he attended a political dinner last month where he “did briefly express my support” for an Assembly candidate, but he sternly denied that he solicited any campaign contributions.

Slates’ June 5 letter, requested by Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder, stands as his first comment about the dinner, which several participants say that he and Planning Commission Chairman Stephen A. Nordeck helped host at Nordeck’s Trabuco Oaks Steak House.

Among those attending were representatives of at least two South County development firms, including the Arvida Corp., which has a phase of its multimillion-dollar Coto de Caza project pending before the commission.

State conflict-of-interest law prohibits appointed board members from soliciting campaign funds of more than $250 from individuals who have matters before them.

When The Times disclosed details of the May 15 dinner, Slates, 60, refused to comment. Nordeck, 48, said he did not solicit contributions and was present off and on during the dinner, only in his capacity as owner of the restaurant.

Orange County Dist. Atty. Michael Capizzi is conducting a preliminary inquiry into the matter.

Wieder appointed Slates, a long-time Huntington Beach real estate businessman, as her representative on the commission about a year ago. He had previously served on the panel in the early 1970s and had served as a member of the Huntington Beach Planning Commission.

At the same time that she asked for Slates’ written explanation, Wieder publicly scolded him for having exercised “poor judgment . . . to have been involved in such a political activity.”

In his statement, Slates charged that Times reporters “fabricated the newspaper stories” about the dinner on behalf of former 58th District Assembly candidate Peter von Elten, and “chose to ignore the facts. . . . “

“I did not supervise a fund-raiser nor did I solicit contributions--any claim or inference of that being done is a lie.”

Slates confirmed, however, that he, consultant Richard Harlow and Huntington Beach City Councilmen Don MacAllister and John Erskine were driven to the dinner at Nordeck’s restaurant in a chauffeured limousine.

“Prior to the dinner, I briefly mixed with the businessmen who were invited to meet Peter,” Slates wrote in the statement to Wieder. “It was evident to me, based upon my years of experience, that it would be best if I just expressed my support of Peter, exchanged pleasantries and excused myself from the room.

“I estimate that I spent no more than 10 minutes total with the group in the roughly three hours I was in the restaurant,” Slates continued. “In fact, I was having dinner in a completely public portion of the restaurant.”

In conclusion, Slates wrote Wieder, “Again, I apologize for the negative press but reaffirm that I have not done anything wrong. While visiting with my friends and associates and stating my support for a very fine candidate, I was followed by reporters for the purpose of producing a news story.

“I did ride with an associate and elected officials from Huntington Beach to the Trabuco Oaks Steak House and I did briefly express my support for Peter von Elten, nothing more, nothing less.”

In The Times’ report of the dinner, Councilmen MacAllister and Erskine gave a different view of Slates’ participation in the dinner.

MacAllister stated that “Roger (Slates) obviously and Steve Nordeck--the two of them, they sponsored the dinner--were indicating it would be nice if (the guests) wanted to contribute (to von Elten’s campaign). But there was no pressure.”

Erskine told The Times that Slates had invited him to attend, and that he paid no one for his meal, assuming that Slates had picked up the tab. Erskine said he planned to report the dinner as a gift from Slates on financial disclosure statements required by law.

Wieder said Friday that in light of the district attorney’s inquiry, “I will accept this explanation (from Slates) unless an investigation proves otherwise.”