ELECTIONS : Officeholders Lead Opponents in Fund Raising

Veteran politicians in Ventura County flexed their fund-raising muscles over the summer, outpacing their opponents in most key city and state races, according to campaign finance reports released Tuesday.

The reports, covering July 1 through Sept. 30, showed that state Assembly members Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) and Jack O’Connell (D-Carpinteria) collected tens of thousands of dollars more than their opponents.

Wright is running for an open state Senate seat in the 19th District, while O’Connell is seeking reelection representing the redrawn 35th Assembly District.

Another well-known political figure, Oxnard Mayor Nao Takasugi, showed that he is a strong fund-raiser in his bid for the 37th District Assembly seat. After paying expenses from a costly Republican primary, he has managed to enter the final stretch of the campaign with twice as much money as his opponent.

Some campaign officials said the most recent figures are deceptive because the money was raised and spent on primary election battles.

For example, Wright raised more than $300,000 this year, but most of it was spent in a bruising three-candidate GOP primary campaign, said her spokesman, John J. Theiss.

Similarly, much of the $246,000 that Takasugi raised this year went to a GOP primary involving eight candidates, said John L. Davies, Takasugi’s campaign spokesman. Still, the reports showed that since July 1, Takasugi’s new contributions and loans totaled four times more than the sum raised by his opponent, Democrat Roz McGrath, during the same period.

“The money doesn’t concern us at all,” Gary Goldhammer, McGrath’s campaign spokesman, said Tuesday. He said McGrath is relying largely on volunteers. “We’re going to have enough money to do what we need to do to win,” he said.

Following are some highlights from the campaign finance reports released this week.

19th Senate District

Wright raised $70,331 between July 1 and Sept. 30, including $5,000 from a political action committee representing insurance companies and $10,000 from the California Correctional Police Officers Assn.

Campaign spokesman Theiss said much of this was used to pay debts from the primary campaign. He said the campaign had about $40,000 in the bank this week and was raising more money to pay off remaining debts and to send out political mailers.

Democrat Henry Phillip Starr reported that he had raised $33,439 since July 1 and had collected a similar amount prior to that. This total--$66,616--included $44,700 that Starr and his wife Virginia have loaned to the campaign.

Among the most recent donations was $2,000 from United Teachers of Los Angeles.

The Senate district stretches from Oxnard into the San Fernando Valley, and encompasses most of Ventura County’s heavily populated areas.

37th Assembly District

Takasugi, a retired grocer who has been mayor of Oxnard for the past 10 years, raised $83,504 between July 1 and Sept. 30, including $20,000 he donated to his own campaign. Since the beginning of the year, the candidate has amassed $246,252, including $70,000 in loans from himself.

The most recent donations included $3,000 from the California Apartment Assn. and $5,000 from the Peace Officers Research Assn.

His opponent, McGrath, reported that she has raised $33,693 this year, including $18,358 during the most recent period.

Her major contributors have included several labor organizations, including the Gold Coast District Council of Carpenters, which donated $4,500.

The 37th Assembly District includes Camarillo, Moorpark, Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Thousand Oaks.

35th Assembly District

In the 35th Assembly District race between veteran Democratic state lawmaker O’Connell and Republican Lanny Ebenstein, the incumbent collected more than six times more than his challenger from July 1 through Sept. 30.

O’Connell, 40, of Carpinteria, the Assembly speaker pro tem, raised $136,252 in the three-month reporting period. This brought his total reported funds to $304,195, with expenditures during the same period totaling $173,539. He showed a campaign cash balance of $162,104.

Ebenstein, 33, of Santa Barbara, a college lecturer, collected $21,448 in the three-month period, according to his report. His total collection for the campaign was $47,254. But expenditures have left him with a cash balance of $4,305.

The redrawn district covers parts of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, including the cities of Ventura, Santa Paula and the Ojai Valley.

Thousand Oaks Council

In the race for Thousand Oaks City Council, incumbent Frank Schillo led the fund raising among nine candidates competing for two seats.

Schillo collected $12,864, with the largest contribution--$1,000--coming from the operator of the Westlake Golf Course. Schillo was also the only candidate who has not financed any part of his campaign out of his own pocket.

Fellow incumbent and Mayor Robert E. Lewis raised $6,609, including $3,500 he loaned to his campaign.

Challenger Ken Bauer raised $9,991 for his campaign, $2,500 of it from his own pocket. Most of the contributions ranged from $100 to $250, Bauer said, because he had asked voters to limit their donations to $250.

Four of the candidates said they expected to spend less than $1,000.

City of Oxnard

In Oxnard’s mayoral race, Councilman Manuel Lopez raised $33,683, including a $1,000 contribution from the McGaelic Group, builders of the controversial Shopping at the Rose project in the northeast part of the city.

By late Tuesday, city officials had not received the campaign statement of mayoral candidate Michael Plisky, although the councilman said it was mailed by Monday’s deadline.

Mayoral candidates Oscar Karrin, Anthony De La Cerda and John Quigley all filed papers stating they did not intend to receive more than $1,000 in contributions.

In the Oxnard City Council race, three challengers have out-raised incumbents Dorothy Maron and Geraldine Furr.

Andres Herrera led the group by raising $25,537, including a $2,500 contribution from the McGaelic Group.

Candidate Roy Lockwood has contributed $12,450 to his own campaign. Candidate Bedford Pinkard has raised $11,753. Maron has raised $10,610, including a $5,500 loan to herself, while Furr has raised $6,289, including a $1,500 loan to herself.

Candidates Deborah De Moss, Fred Schwartz and Larry Stein filed papers saying their campaigns would not receive more than $1,000. City officials had not received a campaign statement from candidate William Winter.

City of Simi Valley

In the five-candidate race for mayor, incumbent Greg Stratton and public affairs consultant Steve Frank each reported raising a little more than $12,500. Frank’s total included $4,000 he had loaned to his campaign, plus non-monetary contributions, including computers and office supplies, valued at $3,446.

Attorney Robert Plunkett reported $7,910, including $7,000 he had loaned to his campaign. Retired banker Ken Ashton, a local school board member, said he has collected $675. Write-in mayoral candidate Thomas Ditty said he plans to raise less than $1,000.

Among the 13 candidates vying for two Simi Valley City Council seats, Planning Commissioner Barbara Williamson reported the largest campaign treasury, with $11,425 in donations.

Close behind was businessman Larry Dennert, who has spent $10,601 on his campaign. Incumbent Councilman Bill Davis reported $8,294 in donations. Real estate agent Cheryl Carillo stated that she has raised $3,434, including a $2,000 loan to her own campaign.

Candidates Tim Hodge and Harold Fick had not submitted reports by Monday’s deadline. The remaining candidates have each raised less than $2,000.

Port Hueneme Council

Realtor Toni Young has pulled far ahead of seven other candidates seeking election to two seats on the Port Hueneme City Council. Young collected $2,230 by Sept. 30, nearly double the $1,119 raised by her next closest competitor, retired military officer Alvah E. Ingersoll Jr.

Much of Young’s larger contributions came from beach-area property owners. Young has criticized the city’s plan to build a recreational vehicle park on 10 acres of beachfront property, a proposal that many beach-area residents have vehemently opposed.

Six-term incumbent Orvene S. Carpenter and four other candidates--business owner Valorie J. Morrison, maintenance supervisor Henry M. Knowles, accountant Gary L. Songer and businessman David M. Kanter--filed papers stating they would raise less than $1,000.

Engineer Terry L. Bruno had not filed his financial statement by late Tuesday, said City Clerk Karen Jackson.

Santa Paula Council

In the race for two seats on the Santa Paula City Council, Robin S. Sullivan led the fund raising among five candidates. Sullivan is the president of the city’s Chamber of Commerce and reported raising nearly $4,500.

Mayor Alfonso C. Urias reported that he collected less than $2,000 during the three-month period. Incumbent Les H. Maland and challengers Flo Zakrajshek and Mark T. Florio each said they raised less than $1,000.

The contest attracting the most donations in Santa Paula was Measure P, an initiative that would limit mobile home rent increases to a flat $25 when a coach is sold. It would also limit the repair costs that can be passed through to tenants.

The Coalition Against New Taxes, the opponents of Measure P, reported raising $47,476 during the period. The largest contributors were park owners and a statewide owners association, including the owners of Four Hundred Mobilestates, with $15,015; Rancho Santa Paula Mobile Home Park, $13,559, and Anacapa Mobile Home Park, $7,189.

United Mobile Home Owners Assn. of Santa Paula, representing park tenants who qualified the initiative for the ballot, did not file the first pre-election statement by Monday’s deadline.

In an earlier report filed with the state, the group reported raising nearly $2,800 since the beginning of the year to promote Measure P.

City of Moorpark

Incumbent Moorpark Mayor Paul W. Lawrason Jr. led five City Council and three mayoral candidates in fund raising, collecting $3,716 mostly in small donations.

Helen Taylor, one of Lawrason’s opponents, received $661 in donations and loaned herself $500. Edward R. (Pete) Peters, the third mayoral candidate, said that he does not expect to raise more than $1,000 over the campaign.

In the City Council race, incumbent Bernardo Perez led all candidates with $1,519 raised. He was followed by incumbent Roy E. Talley Jr. with $1,087, and challenger Patrick Hunter with $880, including $780 from himself.

Former Councilwoman Eloise Brown took in $834, including $500 that she loaned to herself. She also had $1,133 left from her last campaign.

Incumbent Scott Montgomery raised $793.

City of Camarillo

In the Camarillo City Council race, candidate Bill Brown is the leading fund-raiser among the candidates for two seats, having collected $3,321.72.

One-term incumbent David M. Smith has raised $1,470. The race’s other incumbent, three-term Councilman Michael D. Morgan, has reported $690 in campaign funds.

The fourth candidate, Manuel A. Eneriz, reported that he has not raised or spent any money.

Fillmore City Council

Not much money is being spent in the Fillmore races for three City Council seats, in keeping with the relatively quiet character of the election, City Clerk Noreen Withers said.

Withers said Councilman Michael McMahan is the only one of four candidates who expects to spend more than $1,000 on the campaign, and has contributed $500 of his own money.

The other three council candidates--incumbents Roger Campbell and Scott Lee and challenger Tom Robertson--all filed statements indicating they don’t expect to spend more than $1,000.

Ojai City Council

In Ojai, the most fund raising in the race for two council seats was done by Councilman James Loebl. Loebl and his wife have loaned his campaign $1,000 and contributed at least $150 of their own money. The candidate has received $2,647 in other contributions.

The other two candidates, incumbent Robert McKinney and Robert Laszlo, each filed statements indicating they don’t expect to spend more than $1,000.

Also contributing to this story were Times staff writers Fred Alvarez, Psyche Pascual, Ron Soble and correspondents Maia Davis, James Maiella Jr., Patrick McCartney, Michelle Quinn and Kay Saillant.