Inquiry Into Mailer Is Sought

An assemblyman asked Monday for a state investigation of a mailer received by Calabasas voters before the spring election, saying he suspects that Soka University was secretly promoting three candidates for the City Council.

A previously unknown group, the Calabasas Taxpayers Assn., financed the mailing that endorsed three candidates for the April 14 City Council election. Two of the three were perceived as being less opposed to development than the rest of the council.

Assemblyman Terry B. Friedman (D-Los Angeles) asked the California Fair Political Practices Commission, in a letter delivered Monday, to investigate. He said he became concerned about the legality of the mailing after a story in The Times reported that the “taxpayers’ association” actually was run by Mike Lewis, an Orange County lobbyist for developers who represent Soka University.

Campaign finance reports filed in July showed that the $5,100 cost for the mailing and $2,500 for a telephone bank were paid by one of Lewis’ former partners, Tim Carey, who also is a longtime development lobbyist.

But Friedman said he suspected that the actual source of the money was Soka, a Japan-based school with a branch campus just outside Calabasas city limits that has been lobbying the City Council to reverse its opposition to the school’s expansion plans.

By law, campaign finance reports must show the true source of money.

Carol Thorp, spokeswoman for the FPPC, said she could not discuss Friedman’s allegations. “All of our investigations are confidential until we notify someone in writing that he or she is under investigation,” she said.

Lewis is representing Soka University in its quest to obtain county permission to expand from 150 to at least 2,400 students. But on Monday, he said the “taxpayers’ association” was unrelated to his work for the school, and was financed by donations from himself, his wife, Lorraine, and his partner, Jeff Jenkins.

He said the money was transferred to Carey, who arranged for the mailer and phone bank.

Soka administrators also maintain that they knew nothing about Lewis’ effort. Jeff Ourvan, school spokesman, said late Monday that Soka University would send its own letter to the FPPC, supporting an investigation “to clear our name.”

Friedman’s suspicions are “absolutely outrageous,” Ourvan said.

The assemblyman, who represents the Calabasas area, said he remains unconvinced.

“Soka operates in a secretive manner . . . there’s good reason for suspicion,” Friedman said, referring to a past history of quiet involvement in politics by two groups related to the school.

In Japan, the religious group Soka Gakkai has long had ties with the Komeito political party, though controversy caused those ties to be officially severed a few years ago. Also, the religion’s American branch illegally donated money to Mayor Tom Bradley in 1985 and 1986.

Soka University has gone to great lengths to distance itself from the religious organizations, even though school administrators acknowledge that they share with the religious groups the same founder and philosophy. Ourvan said he is weary of what he called the persistent guilt-by-association accusations.

“We should be judged on our performance in Calabasas as Soka University of Los Angeles,” he said. “We are bending over backward to try to establish our credibility here.”

Even if Soka University was not behind the “taxpayers’ association” letter, Friedman said he suspects other developers might have secretly donated money to the cause.

During the campaign, Lewis was accused by incumbent Councilman Marvin Lopata of having solicited local developers for donations to the campaigns of newcomers Barry Sullivan, a real estate attorney, and Keith Ward, the husband of a Soka supporter.

At that time, Lewis said he was not involved in the campaigns and didn’t “even know any of the people in Calabasas.” On Monday, he said he decided to get involved soon after those allegations surfaced, after “ I was made an issue.”

The Calabasas Taxpayers’ Assn. was officially formed on April 10--about a week later--finance reports show, and the mailer was postmarked April 11.

Interestingly, the mailer urged voters to support Lopata--in the end, the only one of the three candidates who won--as well as Ward and Sullivan. Lewis said he included his chief critic because Lopata is generally “level-headed.”