Personal Loans Fuel Campaigns for Seats on City Councils : Politics: Financial statements show that the self-funding accounted for almost $50,000 in a two-month period for upcoming elections in the San Fernando, Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys.

Personal loans from candidates to their own campaign committees were the prime method of fund raising for municipal races in the San Fernando, Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys, according to finance statements filed by candidates.

The campaign statements, filed Friday, cover fund-raising activity from Jan. 1 to Feb. 29 and show that a total of nearly $50,000 in personal loans were made by candidates for the April 14 City Council elections in Lancaster, Palmdale, Santa Clarita, Calabasas and San Fernando.

In Lancaster, 12 candidates are vying for two City Council seats. In Palmdale, four hopefuls are running for mayor, while eight candidates are vying for two City Council seats. In Santa Clarita, 16 candidates are running for two seats on the City Council. The first election in Calabasas since the city’s incorporation drew five candidates into the race for three council seats. In San Fernando, four council candidates are running for two seats.

Following are summaries of the financial statements:

Lancaster

The largest campaign loan was made by George Theophanis, an incumbent Lancaster city councilman who lent his campaign committee $15,400. Theophanis raised an additional $9,900 in contributions for a total of $25,300 to lead all candidates in total campaign funds.

The other candidates in the Lancaster City Council elections are:

* George Runner, Desert Christian School executive director, who raised $13,700, including a loan of $7,000 he made to his committee and contributions of $6,500, nearly half of which were in amounts less than $100.

* Frank Roberts, dean of the technical education division at Antelope Valley College, who raised $11,800, including a $10,400 loan he made to his committee.

* Tara Gates, Lancaster Planning Commission chairwoman, who listed contributions of $8,200, primarily from realtors and billboard advertising agencies.

* Michael Singer, a Los Angeles County fire captain and homeowner activist, who raised $1,700, including a $900 loan he made to his committee. All of his contributions were less than $100 each.

* Ronald Thomason, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, who raised $1,400.

* Deborah Shelton, co-secretary of the Lancaster Coalition of Neighborhood Organizations, who raised $1,100, including a $500 loan from herself.

The following council candidates filed statements indicating that they had raised no more than $1,000 and, under state law, were not required to itemize the contributions or name the contributors: Richard Brown, a Lancaster School District supervisor of operations; Glenn Martin, an Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency board member, and Paul Malone, a retired U. S. Air Force mechanic.

Lancaster City Clerk Barbara Howard said Friday that candidates Behrooz Farhangi and William Seargeant had not yet filed their contribution statements. She sent letters informing them that they could face fines for failing to file.

The main issues debated among the Lancaster candidates are gangs, crime, jobs and controlling development.

Palmdale

In Palmdale, Councilwoman Janis DeLaTorre has raised the most money--$5,200--in her bid to become the city’s next mayor.

DeLaTorre, who will give up the City Council seat she won four years ago to run for mayor, listed a $1,200 loan to her committee and contributions of $4,000, including $280 from Kaufman & Broad, a large residential construction firm, and a total of $1,250 from three Palmdale real estate brokers.

The other candidates running for mayor reported the following:

* Inez Neilson, a real estate broker, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 1988, lent her committee $600. Listed are $1,100 in donations primarily from developer interests and $2,600 from contributions of less than $100.

* Kamal Chalabi, a retired engineering professor, real estate broker and civil engineer who ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 1988 and mayor in 1990, lent his committee $2,000.

* Jim Ledford, elected to the council two years ago, will retain his council seat unless he is elected mayor. He listed a transfer of $1,600 in unused campaign funds from his previous campaign and contributions of $100.

The candidates running for City Council and their financial statements are:

* Teri Jones, Palmdale planning commissioner and real estate broker, raised $3,100, including a $1,100 loan she gave to her committee.

* David Myers, Palmdale planning commissioner, raised $1,500, including a $1,100 loan he made to his committee.

* Celeste Eckley, president of the Inco Neighborhood Assn., who ran unsuccessfully in 1990, raised $650, including a $500 loan she made to her committee.

* Joseph Davies Jr., one-term incumbent, raised $600.

* John Mayfield, Palmdale Planning Commission chairman, reported no contributions.

The following council candidates filed statements saying they did not expect to raise or spend more than $1,000 during their campaigns: Albert Beattie, a reserve Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy; Dominic Bellasperanza, a retired engineer, and Patrick Conover, a free-lance writer and college student who ran in 1988.

The issues in Palmdale involve gangs, flood control, jobs and controlling development.

Santa Clarita

In the race for two Santa Clarita City Council seats, Councilwoman Jan Heidt raised the most funds--$5,568. Lee Schramling, 49, a marketing consultant, raised $3,208, and George Pederson, 67, a retired captain in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, raised $2,794.

High on the list of concerns among the candidates was Measure A, a local slow-growth initiative on the April 14 ballot that would allow for the construction of only 475 new housing units in the city annually through 2002. Heidt and Pederson oppose the measure, while Schramling supports it.

Heidt, 53, who is seeking her second term, received $100 each from John Fuller, a leading opponent of Measure A; Planning Commissioner Pat Modugno, whom Heidt appointed in 1987; Councilwoman Jo Anne Darcy, and Los Angeles Deputy Police Chief Mark Kroeker, a local resident and candidate to replace Police Chief Daryl F. Gates.

Schramling lent himself $1,000, about one-third of his contributions.

Pederson also lent himself $1,000 and received $100 apiece from Newhall Land & Farming Co.’s President Gary Cusumano and Chief Administrative Officer Tom Lee. He also received $250 from Ronald Gastelum, a lawyer for BKK Corp., the firm proposing to put a huge public landfill in nearby Elsmere Canyon. Pederson said Friday that he is returning the unsolicited contribution to Gastelum because he opposes the dump.

The remaining candidates raised $2,550 or less:

* William H. French, a representative of a carpenters union. He raised $2,550, consisting of a $950 loan to himself and $1,600 in contributions from members of the Los Angeles District Council of Carpenters, most of whom live outside the Santa Clarita Valley.

* Vera Johnson, 65, a retired preschool director, raised $2,025, including a $1,000 loan to herself.

* Mike Lyons, 45, a salesman and a parks commissioner appointed by Heidt, raised $1,690, including a $600 loan to himself.

* Linda Storli, 43, a high school teacher and parks commissioner appointed by former Councilman Dennis Koontz, raised $1,550, including a $150 loan to herself.

* Linda Calvert, a real estate agent, raised $1,310, including a $600 loan from a friend.

* Ken Dean, 52, an interior designer, raised $1,220, including a $185 donation from himself.

* Gary Johnson, 39, owner of a small business, raised $50.

The following candidates filed statements indicating that they did not receive more than $1,000: Bruce K. Bell, 46, a technical editor; Wayne Carter, 64, a retired maintenance supervisor; Gregory M. Goyette, 33, a computer programmer; Andy Martin, 67, an office manager; Randall D. Pfiester, 40, a research scientist, and Ed Stevens, 66, a salesman.

Calabasas

In Calabasas, the top fund-raiser was Karyn Foley, an incumbent councilwoman who raised $3,912, including a $2,000 loan she made to her committee.

Her largest contributors were Beverly Hills real estate broker Jon Douglas and Richard Mooneyhan, owner of a Calabasas construction company, each of whom gave $500.

Lesley Devine, another incumbent seeking reelection, raised $2,438, including a $1,200 loan she made to her committee. Devine’s campaign manager Emma G. Wilby said Devine raised her donations at a Feb. 16 fund-raising dinner where guests paid $25 a plate. State law does not require candidates to identify contributors of less than $100.

The third incumbent, Marvin E. Lopata, raised less than $1,000.

Keith Ward, an engineer, also raised less than $1,000 and did not itemize his campaign finance statement. He lent himself $250, according to his campaign statement.

High on the Calabasas candidates’ list of concerns is the proposed expansion of Soka University to accommodate 4,400 students. Ward is married to the spokeswoman for a citizens group called Friends of Soka University. But Ward has said his wife’s affiliation with the group does not mean that he supports the expansion.

San Fernando

In San Fernando, incumbent Councilman Salvador Ponce was the leading fund-raiser of three candidates vying for two seats on the City Council.

His campaign manager, Edward Gusman, said Ponce had raised around $2,000 in small contributions. Rosa Chacon, 42, a city planning commissioner who also is seeking a council seat, said she has raised $1,800. The other challenger, Raymond Ojeda, 53, a self-employed businessman, said he has raised $1,567.

Ponce was appointed to the City Council in September, 1990, to replace Councilman Jess Margarito, who resigned to accept the position of director of parks and recreation. Councilman James Hansen, who served for two years as a planning commissioner and most recently nearly two years as a councilman, is leaving office.

Hidden Hills

Incumbents H. Brian Herdeg and Kathleen Bartizal are running unopposed.

Staff writers Tracey Kaplan and Greg Braxton and Times correspondent Blaine Halley contributed to this story.