8 in Primary Topped $200,000 : Politics: Despite the recession, many area candidates spent freely in seeking legislative seats.

California was in a deep recession and the state government was broke, but there was no shortage of cash to fuel the primary campaigns of candidates seeking to represent the San Gabriel Valley in Sacramento.

Campaign statements filed with election officials by the July 31 deadline show that eight candidates running for legislative seats spent more than $200,000 apiece in the June primary.

In the competition for funds, some candidates dipped into their personal fortunes for support, some borrowed heavily from political allies and some were the beneficiaries of donations from special interests--most significantly the real estate, education, gun and medical lobbies.

Voters passed an initiative in 1988 that barred the transfer of funds from one candidate’s campaign to another’s, but a court ruled the measure unconstitutional in 1990. The ruling also lifted limits on campaign contributions. And many San Gabriel Valley candidates took full advantage of the liberalized rules.

Donations for the June primary generally reflected registration differences. Almost all of the money from state lobbying groups went into the majority party primaries in each district.

The most expensive election was the Republican primary in Pasadena’s new 44th Assembly District, where more than $1 million was spent by 10 candidates.

The winner, Pasadena insurance agent Bill Hoge, could face another expensive race in November against Democrat Jonathan S. Fuhrman, a Pasadena business manager. Although Fuhrman spent less than $6,000 to edge two rivals in the Democratic primary, he said he will need $150,000 to run a strong campaign against Hoge in November. He has the fund-raising experience to accomplish that goal: He is campaign treasurer for County Supervisor Gloria Molina.

Hoge, who spent $236,329 in the primary, said he is still drawing up his budget for the fall. “We’re going to conduct a very aggressive campaign,” he said. “We’re taking nothing for granted.”

Most of the money from special interests and political leaders in the district went to the two top Republican vote-getters, Barbara Pieper, the former mayor of La Canada Flintridge who had Gov. Pete Wilson’s endorsement, and Hoge, who ran with the backing of neighboring assemblymen Pat Nolan (R-Glendale) and Richard L. Mountjoy (R-Monrovia).

Hoge received more than $25,000 worth of help, including some non-cash contributions, from Nolan; $17,000 from the National Rifle Assn. and $9,000 from Assemblywoman Andrea Seastrand (R-Salinas).

Pieper received $20,267 from the California Medical Assn., $12,068 from the Assn. of School Administrators, $30,000 from Assemblyman Charles W. Quackenbush (R-Saratoga), and $4,000 from a gun control group. She spent $270,421 on her campaign, $34,000 more than Hoge.

Two losing Republican candidates in the district both spent freely even without significant special-interest contributions. Robert Oltman, who owns a warehouse storage business, spent $229,000 of his own money, or more than $40 for each vote he received, in a third-place finish. T. H. Choi loaned himself $110,234 for the campaign, but finished fifth.

Political observers consider the 44th District safe for the GOP because Republicans outnumber Democrats slightly, and Republicans are traditionally more reliable voters. But Fuhrman said the strength of the national Democratic ticket, the recession, the growing number of independent voters looking for change and other issues--including abortion--could scramble the usual political calculations this year.

It will take a dramatic shift in voting patterns to give Fuhrman a victory in November, but his race is more competitive than most in the San Gabriel Valley. In nearly all other state Senate and Assembly districts in the region, Democrats or Republicans have a lopsided registration advantage.

A tough Republican primary in the 60th Assembly District--including West Covina, Walnut and Diamond Bar--produced the highest expenditure by a San Gabriel Valley legislator. Assemblyman Paul V. Horcher (R-Hacienda Heights) spent nearly $300,000 in the first half of this year, most of it fighting off a bitter challenge from Diamond Bar Councilwoman Phyllis Papen. She had not filed a final campaign report by midweek but an interim report in mid-May listed $38,153 in expenditures.

Horcher received $10,000 from Assembly Republican leader Bill Jones of Fresno, $5,000 from Assemblyman Paul A. Woodruff (R-Yucaipa), $11,500 from the California Society of Industrial Medicine and Surgery, $9,272 from the California Medical Assn., $7,500 from the California Trial Lawyers Assn., and $10,000 from a coalition of teachers and state employee groups. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. reported spending $12,724 on a mailer for Horcher.

In addition to spending heavily on his own campaign, Horcher gave $5,000 to Assemblywoman Carol Bentley of El Cajon, who lost a Senate Republican primary battle in San Diego, Riverside and Imperial counties to another Republican Assembly member, David G. Kelley of Hemet.

Also topping $200,000 in campaign expenditures to win tough primary contests were Norwalk Councilwoman Grace M. Napolitano, who spent $216,264--more than half of it her own money--in the 58th Assembly District Democratic primary, and Chino Mayor Fred Aguiar, who spent $216,096, more than doubling the outlays of his two unsuccessful rivals in the 61st Assembly Republican primary. Aguiar, a building executive, raised much of his money from real estate interests, including $15,000 from the California Real Estate Assn.

In contrast, state Sen. Frank Hill (R-Whittier), facing no primary opposition in his 29th District reelection campaign, gave liberally to Republicans outside his district. He gave Hoge $2,000, but he was even more generous to Oceanside attorney Bill Morrow, who won a narrow victory in the Republican primary in the 73rd Assembly District, which straddles San Diego and Orange counties. Hill loaned Morrow $107,000.

Hill raised $123,650 this year, but spent more than $200,000, dipping into his surplus from earlier years. Even with his donations to other candidates, he began the fall campaign with $51,203 in cash for his race against the Democratic nominee, businesswoman Sandy Hester of Claremont.

The eighth candidate who spent more than $200,000 was Nolan, who was also unopposed in the primary. He ended June with $32,042 in the bank despite spending $257,061, much of it to aid other candidates.

Open primary contests in two heavily Democratic mid-valley Assembly districts brought major backing from the region’s rival party leaders.

In the 49th Assembly District, which includes Alhambra and Monterey Park, attorney Richard P. Fajardo reported $41,000 in campaign contributions from Supervisor Gloria Molina. But he was matched in fund raising by the Democratic primary winner, Diane Martinez, who received $7,000 from state Sen. Charles M. Calderon (D-Whittier) and $7,639 worth of help from Assemblyman Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles).

In the 57th Assembly District, La Puente Councilman Edward L. Chavez received $5,000 from Polanco but lost the Democratic nomination to Rio Hondo College board member Hilda Solis. Chavez had the endorsement and $10,000 from retiring Assemblywoman Sally Tanner (D-Baldwin Park) but couldn’t match Solis’ broad-based fund-raising effort. She raised $130,707, $28,000 more than Chavez. Her donations included $5,000 from Molina.

Solis will face Republican Gary Woods, a Citrus College trustee, and Libertarian candidate Bruce Dovner in November. Neither raised more than $1,000 for the primary election. In the 49th District, Martinez will face Alhambra school board member Sophie C. Wong and Libertarian Kim Goldsworthy in the general election. Wong spent more than $50,000 on the primary, including a $17,000 loan from her husband.

Democrats have more than 55% of the registered voters in both districts, virtually guaranteeing both primary winners victory in November.

The Price of Politics

The GOP primary in the new 44th Assembly District attracted 10 candidates who poured more than $1 million into the race, making it the most costly in the San Gabriel Valley this June. Following is a breakdown of what they got for their money:

CANDIDATE VOTES EXPENDITURE COST PER VOTE Stephen Acker 4,543 $108,097 $23.79 Roy Begley 604 * * Bob Bell 900 ** ** T. H. Choi 3,253 $124,000 $38.12 Bill Hoge 15,236 $236,329 $15.51 Robert Oltman 5,396 $229,924 $42.61 Maurine Petteruto 431 * * Barbara Pieper 11,351 $270,421 $23.82 Lee David Prentiss 1,728 $17,848 $10.33 Wilbert L. Smith 2,722 $76,012 $27.92

* Candidate planned to spend less than $1,000 and was not required to file exact amount

** Campaign spending reports incomplete

*

Legislative Campaign Financial Figures

Here are amounts raised and spent by state legislative candidates in the first six months of this year and the campaign cash they had on hand June 30, including surplus funds from prior years. In some cases, contributors provided office space or paid for other items directly; these donations are reported by the candidates as contributions, not as expenditures. Figures are from reports filed by campaign committees with state and county election officials.

21st State Senate District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH Newton R. Russell,inc. Republican, Glendale $136,668 $87,899 $221,485 Rachel J. Dewey Democrat, Pasadena 675 286 389

*

29th State Senate District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH Frank Hill, inc., Republican, Whittier $123,650 $213,954 $51,203 Sandy Hester Democrat, Claremont * * *

*

43rd Assembly District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH Pat Nolan, inc., Republican, Glendale $187,147 $257,061 $32,042 Elliott Graham Democrat, Glendale 100 0 100

*

44th Assembly District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH Jonathan S. Fuhrman Democrat, Pasadena $4,332 $6,935 0 Daniel I. Hurst Democrat, Pasadena * * * John Vollbrecht Democrat, Los Angeles 3,433 5,834 0 Stephen Acker Republican, Pasadena 91,103 108,097 24 Bob Bell Republican, La Crescenta * * * T.H. Choi Republican, Pasadena 127,077 124,000 3,077 Bill Hoge Republican, Pasadena 225,303 236,329 17,786 Robert Oltman Republican, Pasadena 246,110 229,924 14,047 Barbara Pieper, Republican La Canada Flintridge 252,635 270,421 1,921 Lee David Prentiss Republican, South Pasadena 31,699 17,848 793 Wilbert L. Smith Republican, Pasadena 96,744 76,012 79

*

49th Assembly District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH Richard Amador Democrat, El Sereno * * * Richard P. Fajardo Democrat, Alhambra $119,757 $136,422 $2,489 Robert Gomez Democrat, Alhambra 46,280 43,465 365 Diane Martinez Democrat, Monterey Park 113,072 115,438 1,159 Beth Fujishige Republican, Alhambra 26,139 25,345 1,246 Sophie C. Wong Republican, Alhambra 51,230 50,383 847

*

57th Assembly District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH Edward L. Chavez Democrat, La Puente $102,935 $90,572 $4,050 Anthony Fellow Democrat, El Monte 52,346 48,740 0 Hilda L. Solis Democrat, El Monte 130,707 98,229 24,668 Michael K. Stark Republican, El Monte 19,963 18,073 0

*

58th Assembly District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH Armando Duron Democrat, Montebello $152,213 $161,154 $5,673 Grace M. Napolitano Democrat, Norwalk 207,854 216,264 8,037 Raul Pardo Democrat, South El Monte 56,409 * * Albert Perez Jr. Democrat, South El Monte * * * Rick D. Sanchez Democrat, Norwalk 13,539 8,300 0

*

59th Assembly District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH Richard L. Mountjoy, inc. Republican, Monrovia $36,824 $57,616 $28,384 Louise Gelber Democrat, Arcadia 30,012 21,682 4,351

*

60th Assembly District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES Paul Horcher, inc. Republican, Diamond Bar $204,973 $299,395 Phyllis Papen Republican, Diamond Bar * * Stan Caress Democrat, West Covina 1,725 639 Robert Lewis American Independent, Rowland Heights 10,513 3,665

CANDIDATE CASH Paul Horcher, inc. Republican, Diamond Bar $20,031 Phyllis Papen Republican, Diamond Bar * Stan Caress Democrat, West Covina 561 Robert Lewis American Independent, Rowland Heights 2,735

*

61st Assembly District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH Bob Erwin Democrat, Chino $14,064 $11,496 $68 Larry S. Simcoe Democrat, Chino Hills * * * Fred Aguiar Republican, Chino 207,976 216,095 3,983 Gus James Skropos Republican, Ontario 77,830 86,349 2,331 Donna Smith Republican, Pomona * * *

*Reports not on file with county election officials or accounting is incomplete.

NOTE: Several candidates filed statements declaring their intention of raising and spending less than $1,000 on their campaigns. These candidates include: Libertarians James R. (Bob) New in the 21st Senate District, Anthony G. Bajada in the 43rd Assembly, Ken Saurenman in the 44th Assembly, Kim Goldsworthy in the 49th Assembly, Bruce Dovner in the 57th Assembly and John P. McCready in the 58th Assembly; Peace and Freedom candidates Jan B. Tucker in the 21st Senate District; Republicans Roy Begley and Maurine Petteruto in the 44th Assembly, Gary Woods in the 57th Assembly and Ken Gow in the 58th Assembly; Democrat Curtis Machlan in the 61st Assembly and Green Party candidate Cynthia Allaire in the 61st Assembly.