Utility in Merger Struggle Gave $25,000 to Help Fund the Inaugural for Wilson

Despite a pledge to avoid contributions from Southern California Edison because of its pending merger with SDG&E;, Gov. Pete Wilson’s inaugural committee accepted $25,000 from the Rosemeade utility before he took office, according to documents obtained by The Times.

SCE spokesman Lew Phelps confirmed late Friday that the company donated the money to the Pete Wilson Inaugural Committee in December, a month before Wilson took office and three months before he named two new Public Utilities Commission members to deliberate SCE’s controversial request to merge with San Diego Gas & Electric.

The commission’s vote on the merger is scheduled for Wednesday.

A merger opponent called the use of SCE money for Wilson’s inaugural festivities “hypocritical” in light of the governor’s campaign promise.

“I fail to see how taking money to help put on the party to celebrate the fact that you are elected is any less of a problem than taking money to help get elected,” said Audrie Krause, executive director of the San Francisco-based Toward Utility Rate Normalization. The consumer organization opposes the merger.

But Wilson spokesman Bill Livingstone said Friday the inaugural contribution did not violate the governor’s promises to steer clear of “misperceptions” by taking money from either utility during the campaign.

Livingstone said Wilson’s campaign could have taken contributions from SCE or SDG&E;, but decided against it “just because of the on-going discussions on the merger. He didn’t want the perception that in any way the contributions were implying any position.”

The SCE money given to the inaugural committee, however, would not raise similar concerns because the nonprofit group was soliciting the money and the beneficiaries were citizens of California, who were able to attend the majority of the seven inaugural events for free. SDG&E; did not donate to the inaugural, the records show.

“It has nothing to do with campaigning,” said Livingstone. “There is an inaugural committee, which is set up to raise funds from individuals and businesses. The funds were used to subsidize the cost of putting on the gala, from the cost of setting up all the stage work to the chair for the inaugural address.”

SCE’s Phelps drew the same distinction.

“The inaugural operation is funded, typically, through a committee, which is set up to stage an inaugural so there’s no public expense. There’s no benefit to the politician.

“When you are giving money to the campaign, you are giving money for advertising to directly affect a political contest,” he said.

The SCE contribution was on a 12-page list of donors distributed earlier this week by Wilson’s inaugural director, Martin R. Wilson, who is no relation to the governor but is a longtime supporter that currently serves as his deputy chief of staff. The committee was under no legal obligation to release the list, which showed that companies and individuals gave more than $1.5 million for the festivities.

Among the inaugural donors were Wilson’s longtime friend, San Diego attorney John Davies ($23,040); the San Diego Chargers ($10,000); Waxie’s Enterprises ($10,000); flower grower Paul Ecke Sr. ($10,000); as well as several San Diegans who gave $2,000 and $1,000.