Election Heats Up Over Gifts From Developers : Cityhood: Charges by El Toro candidates break unwritten agreement to eschew political attacks. Residents will vote on whether to incorporate.

The election campaign in El Toro heated up Thursday with charges that land developers were pouring money into the campaign and had endorsed a slate of candidates in next week’s referendum.

The charges signaled a break in an unwritten agreement among the 11 candidates that they would not verbally attack each other.

Residents of El Toro will vote Tuesday on whether to create a new Orange County city. Voters will also choose five city council members.

At issue are contributions given to five candidates by Foothill Ranch and Baker Ranch Properties, two major developers in South County.

“How can you not be influenced by people who are helping you?” asked Ray Wallenthin, a candidate who has refused to accept contributions from special interest groups. “That’s what it’s all about. . . . It’s human nature.”

Baker contributed $1,000 each to candidates Jon Smith, Richard Dixon, Helen Wilson and Marcia Rudolph, $500 to Philip Dean, and $350 to the Community Coalition for Incorporation. Foothill gave $250 each to Wilson, Rudolph and the coalition.

The candidates who have received money from developers said their votes cannot be bought by the contributions.

“I’m not for sale,” said Rudolph, a schoolteacher. “I think they (developers) support me because I am acquainted with the planning process. It takes money to run a campaign and the realities of politics is that you get 90% of money from 10% of the contributors.”

“That ($1,250) amount shows it’s not really pouring in,” Wilson said. “Developers’ agreements are already in place so there’s little influence they can wield. I’m proud of where my money is coming from.”

But the candidates who refused to accept contributions from developers disagreed.

“Some of the candidates have . . . not just the city’s interest at heart,” said candidate Bob Forsberg, a millionaire businessman who has refused to accept campaign contributions.

“Developers want something in exchange,” added candidate Dana Derosiers, a retired ex-Marine. “How could people come to you with their problems if you’re accepting money from the other party?”

Wallenthin and Forsberg questioned a flyer sent out by the South Orange County Political Action Committee, a group affiliated with the South Orange County Chamber of Commerce, endorsing Wilson, Dixon, Dean, Smith and Tim Link.

Wallenthin said the “slate” violated an agreement among the candidates that they would support cityhood but run separate campaigns.

“I got blindsided,” Wallenthin said. “I thought we were a team, that everyone was friendly. But I guess that’s politics.”

Wilson said that Dixon, Smith and she had pooled their resources to form a “mini-slate,” noting that the endorsements by the chamber were made separately.

Forsberg said the chamber and developers are supporting candidates who favor more growth in the greater El Toro area. “It’s the business of the chamber to push for more density,” Forsberg said. “But we in old El Toro and Lake Forest want sensible growth.”

The political action committee’s chairman, Joe Hernandez, denied that the chamber was playing a major role in the campaign.

“A slate to me would be if we were definitely pushing them all the way,” he said. “ We merely endorsed five of the 11.”

Hernandez, who is also treasurer of Dixon’s election committee, said he had refrained from participating in the endorsement of candidates for the El Toro election, citing a conflict of interest.

“It’s very expensive to run a campaign,” Hernandez said. “Business people like Baker are supporting the election in the best interest of the community. “The people of El Toro and not the developers are going to determine who will be elected,” Hernandez added.