ELECTIONS 24th and 25th CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS : McClintock Funding Tops Big Spenders

Assemblyman Tom McClintock leads fund-raising efforts in the newly created 24th Congressional District, collecting more than either of his two main rivals for the Republican nomination, both of whom are veteran candidates known for spending lavishly, federal reports show.

And in fund-raising among Republicans in the 25th Congressional District, which covers northern Los Angeles County, Santa Clarita Councilman Howard (Buck) McKeon is well on his way to amassing a hefty war chest.

Under federal law, candidates were required to file reports April 15 if they raised more than $5,000 during the first three months of the year. Candidates must include names of individuals who contributed $200 or more, cash from political action committees, loans and campaign-related expenditures.

Campaign finance statements filed this week show that McClintock, a Thousand Oaks Republican, collected $54,857 during the first three months of the year, while Jim Salomon, a trade adviser with strong ties to wealthy Westside contributors, raised $37,190 and Calabasas businessman Sang R. Korman gathered $23,605.

Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Los Angeles), unopposed for his party’s nomination, raised $35,443 during the same quarter.

The GOP race in the 24th District, which includes the southwestern San Fernando Valley, Malibu and Thousand Oaks, is expected to be among the most fiercely contested in the June 2 primary.

Beilenson, a liberal who has served eight terms in a district anchored in Los Angeles’ Westside, is facing a difficult race in the new Republican-leaning district.

Other Republican candidates are Robert Colaco, a Van Nuys businessman; Stephen M. Weiss, a Calabasas attorney; Nicholas T. Hariton, a Sherman Oaks attorney; Rob Meyer, a Los Angeles attorney; Harry Wachtel, a Chatsworth attorney, and Robert Spillare, a Thousand Oaks pilot.

Based on past spending records of Korman and Salomon, early financial returns in the 24th District could prove misleading.

Korman, a Korean-born businessman, spent nearly $500,000 of his own money in two failed races for his party’s congressional nomination.

In 1988 and 1990, Korman waged well-financed campaigns to wrest the nomination from Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley), who this year is running for the GOP nomination in the new 23rd Congressional District, which encompasses all of Ventura County except Thousand Oaks.

In a recent interview, Korman said that after conferring with his campaign consultant, he is resolved to “spend as much as he asks for to win this race. I have to win this time.”

As was the case in his two previous campaigns, about half of the money contributed by others to Korman’s war chest during the first quarter came from Korean-Americans from outside the district, his campaign report shows.

In 1988 and 1990, Salomon demonstrated prodigious fund-raising abilities as the GOP nominee against Beilenson in the old 23rd Congressional District. In both contests, he was one of the few challengers in the nation to outspend an incumbent.

Salomon said Friday that his April 15 report paints a misleading picture of his money-raising capabilities, “because we really couldn’t get started until the district boundaries were set in December.”

Salomon said he still is aiming to raise $250,000 during the primary.

On April 1, Salomon said, he raised $70,000 that does not show on his first-quarter report. The funds were raised at a $1,000-a-plate dinner in Century City hosted by actors Charlton Heston and Chuck Norris.

Greg Maw, McClintock’s campaign manager, declined to say how much the 10-year Assembly veteran hoped to raise during the primary, but he said McClintock “would not be surprised if he is outspent” by Korman and Salomon.

In the 25th District race, McKeon, the Santa Clarita City Council member and the owner of a chain of Western wear stores, raised $76,251 during the quarter, outdistancing former Congressman John H. Rousselot, who collected $17,254.

The report of Assemblyman Phillip D. Wyman (R-Bakersfield), who is expected to be a prime contender along with McKeon and Rousselot, was not available.

Another possible contender, former Los Angeles County Assessor John J. Lynch, the only candidate who has held office throughout the newly configured district, raised $1,650 during the year’s first quarter.

Other GOP candidates are Larry Logsdon, a Palmdale teacher, and Tom McVarish, a Granada Hills cost estimator.

James H. Gilmartin, a Saugus attorney, is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination in the heavily Republican district.