Roberti Well-Financed for Bid in 20th District : Elections: The Democratic senator has about $500,000 if he runs for Alan Robbins’ vacated seat.

If he eventually decides to run for the state Senate seat vacated by Alan Robbins, Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles) will have by far the richest campaign kitty, according to reports filed Friday.

Roberti, one of the most prolific fund-raisers in the Legislature, is among three well-known Democratic incumbents contemplating a run for the 20th Senate District. Robbins resigned the seat in November after agreeing to plead guilty to federal corruption charges.

The other potential candidates are Assemblymen Terry B. Friedman (D-Los Angeles) and Richard Katz (D-Sylmar). Both are still deciding whether to run in the April 7 special election in the heavily Democratic district, which covers south-central portions of the San Fernando Valley.

Although a federal judge in 1990 threw out voter-approved campaign contribution limits for candidates in regular elections, the restrictions still apply in special elections. Individual donors can spend no more than $1,000 in either the April election or the June 2 runoff, while political committees are limited to $5,000.

Those limits are expected to reduce by about one-third the amount of money each candidate will be able to spend on the 20th District race.

But even with the limits, Roberti has about $500,000 available for the race, spokesman Bob Forsyth said.

Katz said he has about $100,000 that qualifies under the limits, while Friedman said he has about $135,000 on hand.

Two other Democrats--Encino political activist Glenn Bailey and Sherman Oaks attorney Fred N. Gaines--have announced their candidacies. Bailey said he has raised less than $1,000 for the race, while Gaines declined to say how much he has raised.

Under a redistricting plan approved this week by the state Supreme Court, Roberti’s Hollywood-based district was carved up among several new districts, leaving him in the politically dicey position of having to run in an unfamiliar district and possibly against another incumbent.

Roberti has said that in addition to the 20th District, he is considering races in the nearby 21st and 23rd districts.

In the Republican-leaning 21st, however, he would have to face veteran GOP Sen. Newton Russell of Glendale, while in the 23rd he would have to run against veteran Democratic Sen. Herschel Rosenthal of Los Angeles, an ally. Many political observers thus believe Roberti will run in the 20th District, even though he recently lost a court bid to have the district renumbered so he could serve there until 1996, rather than 1994.

Roberti plans to meet today with Latino community leaders in the 20th District, which under the new redistricting scheme has a Latino population of 46%. Forsyth said the level of Latino support Roberti can expect will be a major factor in his decision on which district seat to pursue.

A Democratic political consultant said Friday that either Friedman or Katz might be able to beat Roberti even if they raise substantially less money, although the consultant believes Katz will pass up the race to run for mayor in 1993.

The consultant, who asked not to be identified, said Roberti is politically vulnerable because he opposes abortion rights and because he must move into the 20th District, opening himself to accusations of carpet-bagging.

“I don’t know how much money it’s going to take to save him against a young, aggressive Democratic challenger, either Terry or Richard,” the consultant said.