Candidates Feeling Pinch of Recession, Reapportionment : Fund-raising: Purse strings are tighter this year. Political action committees have spread out support for incumbents because more campaigns are highly contested.

Prospecting for campaign contributions in his run for Assembly, Redondo Beach Mayor Brad Parton has decided that this year he should forget about striking the mother lode.

“People who in the past were able to give $250 or $500 now give $50 or $75,” said Parton, a Republican. “They say, ‘Brad, it’s just really tight right now. This is the best we can do.’ ”

South Bay Assembly and state Senate candidates report slow going on the fund-raising circuit. Hard economic times, they say, have prompted donors to tighten their purse strings. And this year’s abundance of competitive legislative races has unleashed an unusually fierce demand for funds.

Said Brian Finander of Long Beach, a candidate for state Senate: “It’s very difficult out there with the recession and so many tight elections going on. It’s a double-whammy.”

To be sure, campaign finance statements filed last week show some South Bay state legislative candidates with far more money than others. Enjoying the power of incumbency, for instance, area officeholders facing reelection report large donations from businesses and political action committees, or PACs.

Leading the field among South Bay Assembly incumbents are Dave Elder (D-San Pedro) and Richard E. Floyd (D-Carson), who are competing for control of the same turf: a newly drawn district that includes Carson and Compton.

Elder raised $62,400 in the period covered by the reports--Jan. 1 to March 17--and Floyd collected $59,749. State Sen. Robert G. Beverly (R-Manhattan Beach), the only senator in the South Bay running for reelection this year, reported contributions of $27,560.

Virtually all of Elder’s donations came from businesses and PACs. His PAC contributions ranged from the Pacific Merchant Shipping Assn., which has an interest in Elder’s stands on port issues, to the California State Employees Assn., which is affected by an Assembly panel Elder chairs--the Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security Committee.

The bulk of Floyd’s donations, meanwhile, came from businesses and PACs including race track and tobacco industry groups, both of which come under the purview of the Assembly’s Governmental Organization Committee, a panel chaired by Floyd.

Incumbents assert that such donations do not affect their votes.

“I’m not going to be influenced by contributions,” said Beverly, a member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee who also reported numerous corporate and PAC donations. “I’m naturally a pro-business vote and contributors recognize that.”

Though business and PACs figure heavily in the campaign reports of incumbents, their support is spread far thinner than usual this year, candidates and PAC representatives report.

The main reason is that this year’s reapportionment, the once-a-decade redrawing of legislative boundaries, has left California with an unusually high number of competitive state legislative and congressional races.

Some of the new districts--like the 53rd Assembly, in which Parton is running--have no incumbent. Others--such as the 55th Assembly, where Floyd and Elder are competing--are contested by more than one incumbent. That has made for intense competition for political contributions.

“In previous years there weren’t nearly as many hotly contested primaries and general elections,” said Al Pross, executive director of the California Medical Political Action Committee, the PAC of the California Medical Assn. “I’m inundated with calls, campaign bios and brochures.”

Faced with this, Pross said his PAC is adopting a new strategy. “This time we’re making contributions of a smaller nature initially and then watching each race as it develops,” he said.

Individual contributors, meanwhile, are giving less due largely to the recession, candidates report.

“It’s decidedly slower. People are begging off,” said Assemblyman Gerald Felando (R-San Pedro).

The leading fund-raisers among non-incumbents in the South Bay are Assembly candidates Parton, former Torrance Councilman Dan Walker, Carson Councilwoman Juanita McDonald and Marina del Rey public-affairs adviser George R. Young, according to fund-raising records.

Walker, a Republican running in the 53rd Assembly District, reported raising $77,449 from Jan. 1 to March 17--more than $10,000 of it from donors in the real estate and development industries.

Young, another Republican running in the 53rd Assembly District, reported $84,564 in contributions. But $24,000 of that amount was in loans and more than $50,000 was in-kind contributions such as brochure design and print work that he said business associates performed for free.

Parton’s $35,579 in contributions included numerous small donations from individuals and several from businesses. His largest during the period was a $5,000 donation from the socially conservative Family PAC.

McDonald, a Democrat competing in the 55th Assembly District, raised $70,063 during the same period, but $50,687 of it was a loan from her husband, James McDonald. McDonald said she took out the loan because she had a hard time finding a professional fund-raiser.

“With the cadre of candidates out there this year, it was difficult to get a fund-raising person,” she said. “I needed this loan to jump-start the campaign.”

Campaign Finance

Candidates for state legislative office filed campaign finance statements last week. Chart shows amounts raised in South Bay Assembly and Senate races from Jan. 1 to March 17, the period covered by the statements.

25th Senate District (Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lynwood, Paramount) Democratic Paul H. Richards: $53,361 Teresa Hughes: $0 Republican Cliff McClain: * Peace and Freedom Hattie Marie Benn: *

27th Senate District (Palos Verdes Peninsula, San Pedro, Long Beach, Lakewood, Bellflower, Downey, Cerritos) Democratic Brian Finander: $14,188 Joel H. Lubin: * Republican Robert G. Beverly (incumbent): $27,560 John L. Ward: $9,639 Glenn Posey: $1,200 Don J. Bullock: * Libertarian David J. Rosen: * Peace and Freedom Patrick McCoy: *

51st Assembly District (Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale) Democratic Curtis R. Tucker Jr. (incumbent): $29,778 Libertarian Clark W. Hanley: * Peace and Freedom Xenia Geraldine Williams: *

52nd Assembly District (Gardena, Lynwood, Paramount) Democratic Willard Murray Jr. (incumbent): $16,250 Evelyn Wells: $7,007 Patricia A. Moore: *

53rd Assembly District (Marina del Rey, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Lomita) Democratic Debra L. Bowen: $4,949 Republican George R. Young: $84,564 Dan Walker: $77,449 W. Brad Parton: $35,579 Barbara Doerr: $1,695 Steven J. Zak: ** Ross Moen: * Marleah L. Sena: * Green Roger Donaldson: * Libertarian William N. Gaillard: * Sal Princiotta Jr.: *

54th Assembly District (Palos Verdes Peninsula, San Pedro, Long Beach, Signal Hill) Democratic Betty Karnette: $1,000 Republican Gerald Felando (incumbent): $25,201 Don L. Bullock: * American Independent Joseph G. Fields: **

55th Assembly District (Carson, Compton) Democratic Juanita M. McDonald: $70,063 Dave Elder (incumbent): $62,400 Richard E. Floyd (incumbent): $59,749 Libertarian Shannon Anderson: * * Report not received by the county as of March 27.

** Filed form stating that campaign plans to collect less than $1,000.

Source: Los Angeles County registrar-recorder’s office