LOCAL ELECTIONS / COUNTY SUPERVISORS : War Chests Grow in Hard-Fought Battles for 2 Seats

As campaigns for two seats on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors have grown intense in recent weeks, a steady stream of contributions has flowed into the coffers of four candidates facing off in the two hard-fought runoff elections.

Nearly $3.5 million has been raised by the four candidates campaigning for election Nov. 3--most of it coming over the last month as the two supervisorial races have grown increasingly rancorous.

Campaign reports show that Yvonne Brathwaite Burke leads Diane Watson in fund raising in a historic race that will mark the county’s first election of a black supervisor. And Supervisor Deane Dana enjoys more than a 2-1 fund-raising advantage over his challenger, Rolling Hills Mayor Gordana Swanson.

Burke served on the board for 18 months after she was appointed to the post in 1979, but no black official has ever been elected to the job.

Burke raised $259,219 between July 1 and Sept. 30, compared to $201,651 for Watson. Since the 2nd District campaign got under way last fall, Burke has raised about $1 million--part of it from retiring Supervisor Kenneth Hahn. Watson has raised $877,000--a large chunk of it from labor unions.

The 2nd District extends from Koreatown through South Los Angeles to Carson and from Compton to Culver City and Inglewood.

Documents show that Burke received $6,000 from her law firm, Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, which is employed by the county to lobby in Washington; $8,000 from the law firm of O’Melveny & Myers and $7,500 from the Assn. of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs.

In the latest period, Watson received large sums from labor organizations, including $10,000 from the L.A. County Probation Officers Assn., $5,000 from the L.A. County Council on Political Education and $5,000 from the L.A. County Homecare Workers Union. Other contributions include $2,000 from attorney Melanie E. Lomax, $3,000 from the investment banking firm of Bear Stearns & Co., $2,500 from Kemper Securities Group and $1,500 from Los Angeles Police Commissioner Stanley K. Sheinbaum.

In the 4th District race, incumbent Supervisor Dana--who has obtained hefty contributions from business and real estate interests--has raised nearly $1 million this year.

Swanson has raised $392,166 this year. But $219,000 of that is her own money, according to the reports.

Dana has raised funds at a furious pace since being forced into a runoff in June in the 4th District. According to the documents, Dana raised $501,843 between July 1 and Sept. 30, as compared to $187,155 for Swanson.

The challenger, whose election would create a women’s majority on the Board of Supervisors, picked up some contributions from women’s groups. She also received donations from some former Malibu residents who no longer live in the redrawn 4th District but have not forgiven Dana for his support for a sewer system that they bitterly opposed.

Dana’s 59-page report lists more than a dozen individual contributions of more than $10,000. There are no contribution limits in supervisor’s races.

Contributors to Dana included Tutor Saliba Corp., $15,000; Richard J. Riordan and his law firm, Riordan & McKinzie, $15,000; the law firm of Parker, Milliken, Clark, O’Hara & Samuelian, $10,500; Alexander Haagen Co. Inc., $10,000; Dale Poe Development Corp., $10,000; and the law firm of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, $9,500. Other contributors included the County Firefighters Local 1014 and the County Probation Officers, $15,000 each. Dana also received $4,000 from former Republican Gov. George Deukmejian’s campaign fund.

In contrast, Swanson’s 38-page report lists herself and her husband as her single largest contributors--lending the campaign $219,499. Her next-largest contribution was $11,000 from the United Transportation Union.

Contributors to Swanson include the Sierra Club, at $500, and the League of Conservation Voters, at $250. Swanson also received contributions from several Hollywood celebrities, including actors Jack Lemmon, Burgess Meredith and Bob Newhart.

Dana collected 42% of the vote in the June primary but fell short of the 50% required to win. Swanson finished second among five challengers with 25%. The 4th District extends along the coast from Marina del Rey to Long Beach, then runs inland along the Orange County border to Diamond Bar.