ELECTIONS / CAMPAIGN SPENDING : Gallegly’s $315,353 War Chest Dwarfs Opponent’s

Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) has almost six times more campaign cash on hand than Democratic opponent Anita Perez Ferguson, as the two prepare for their general election showdown, according to campaign finance reports filed Wednesday.

Gallegly and Perez Ferguson of Oxnard are competing for a congressional seat representing the 23rd District, which covers all of Ventura County except most of Thousand Oaks.

Perez Ferguson’s report also shows full repayment of an illegal $4,000 contribution that she received from a Puerto Rican group in her unsuccessful congressional campaign two years ago. In his financial statement filed with the Federal Election Commission, Gallegly reported a cash surplus of $315,353 to begin his reelection campaign.

In contrast, Perez Ferguson has $56,763 in her campaign war chest for her effort to unseat the three-term incumbent.

Although her campaign strategists expect Perez Ferguson to be outspent by Gallegly, she exhibited strong fund-raising potential in the final weeks leading up to the June 2 primary election and since then.

In that time frame, Perez Ferguson raised $67,871 compared to $25,425 raised by Gallegly. The contributions and expenditures reports covered the period May 14 through June 30.

Political action committees accounted for about 38% of contributions to Gallegly’s reelection campaign in this period. Of his individual contributions, 69% were big donors, defined by the Federal Election Commission as people who give $200 or more. Of these 20 contributors, six live in the congressional district.

About 38% of the money raised by Gallegly in this latest period was generated by special-interest political action committees, including those representing aerospace, real estate and the health care industries.

The largest PAC contribution to Gallegly in this period was $4,950 from the National Rifle Assn. Political Victory Fund.

On the spending side of Gallegly’s ledger, he donated $1,000 to the congressional campaign of Assemblyman Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks), who is running in the neighboring 24th Congressional District. That district covers most of Thousand Oaks and stretches into the San Fernando Valley and Malibu.

Political action committees generated 45% of Perez Ferguson’s contributions in the latest reporting period, including several union organizations.

Of her individual contributions, 35% were in the big donor category. Of those 28 contributors, five live in the congressional district.

Perez Ferguson’s report showed that a controversial $4,000 contribution that she received two years ago was repaid.

On Tuesday, Gallegly attacked Perez Ferguson for keeping a “$4,000 illegal contribution that she has refused to repay for two years.” Earlier, a complaint had been filed against Perez Ferguson by her Democratic primary opponent, Kevin Sweeney, concerning her failure to return the illegal donation.

The money was part of a $5,000 contribution from the pro-business Puerto Rican group, the 50th Anniversary Popular Democratic Party, during her unsuccessful campaign to unseat Rep. Robert J. Lagomarsino (R-Ventura).

Under federal campaign laws, the Puerto Rican group was allowed to contribute a maximum of $1,000. In January, 1991, the Federal Election Commission urged Perez Ferguson to refund the illegal $4,000 to the group. She did so 17 months later when a $4,000 check was issued May 29.

In the 24th Congressional District race, longtime incumbent Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Los Angeles) reported a cash surplus of $165,319.

His Republican opponent, McClintock, reported $17,404 left over from his contested race in the Republican primary.

Beilenson received $158,077 in contributions during a Democratic primary campaign. He was unopposed. McClintock reported receiving $154,145 in contributions, and spent $197,054 to defeat eight others for the Republican nomination.