ELECTIONS / FUND RAISING : Some Hopefuls Lead Council Incumbents : Challengers in Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and Oxnard attract tidy sums but current officeholders are ahead in state races.

Several aggressive challengers running for City Council seats in Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and Oxnard have surpassed the incumbents in raising money, according to statements released Friday.

But in state Assembly and Senate races in Ventura County, current officeholders remain firmly in the lead in fund raising, the records show.

In Simi Valley, bank Vice President Barbara Williamson has raised almost $21,000, far more than any of her 12 competitors, including an incumbent councilman. She has been using the funds for cable television ads, mailers and lawn signs.

“You have to get name recognition,” said Jim Dantona, a political consultant working for Williamson. “You have to let people know who you are, what you’ve done and what you plan on doing. And that’s very expensive.”

In Oxnard, businessman Andres Herrera has raised more than $32,000 in his council campaign, $10,000 more than his nearest competitor. He has spent thousands of dollars on campaign flyers and postage.

In the state races, however, special-interest groups are more likely to put their dollars behind those who already wield the power of public office, political experts say.

“The organized money givers are afraid not to give to an incumbent,” Dantona said. “Incumbents have memories like an elephant.”

Incumbent Assemblyman Jack O’Connell (D-Carpinteria), who holds a powerful post in Sacramento as Speaker pro tem, has far outpaced his Republican challenger, Lanny Ebenstein, in the 35th District.

During the most recent 16-day filing period, O’Connell raised $111,000. In the same period, Ebenstein raised just over $6,600. Since Jan. 1, O’Connell has taken in more than $415,000, compared to just over $53,000 for his opponent.

“Being part of the leadership in Sacramento, he’s able to get funding more easily,” said Ebenstein, a political science teacher at Antioch University in Santa Barbara. “There are some (political action committees) that I’m philosophically closer to than Jack, but they’re supporting him because they perceive it’s in their self-interest to do so.”

In the 19th state Senate race, another longtime state lawmaker, Assemblywoman Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) has also far surpassed her Democratic rival, attorney Hank Starr.

During the most recent filing period, Oct. 1 to 17, Wright raised $27,700. In the same period, Starr raised $8,960. Since Jan. 1, Wright has raised more than $247,000, compared to Starr’s $75,576.

Although much of this was spent on a bruising GOP primary campaign, the assemblywoman still had about $35,000 in the bank as she entered the final days of the campaign.

Starr, by comparison, had less than $5,000 on hand when the filing period closed.

Wright’s campaign manager, John Theiss, said the assemblywoman kept plenty of cash on hand in case a last-minute mailer is sent out to boost Starr’s campaign. “We would have to be ready to defend ourselves,” Theiss said.

There is no incumbent in the 37th Assembly District, but the leading fund-raiser is a widely known city leader, Oxnard Mayor Nao Takasugi. He has held office for a decade and was a councilman for six years before that.

Takasugi, a Republican, raised $30,750 during the current filing period, but used $20,000 to pay back part of the money he has loaned his own campaign. Even so, he entered the final weeks with almost $40,000 on hand.

His Democratic opponent, Roz McGrath, raised $10,500 during the most recent period. Her campaign balance was about $3,000 when the filing period closed.

The yearlong figures show an even greater disparity. Since Jan. 1, Takasugi has raised more than $250,000, and McGrath has collected just over $44,000.

Takasugi’s campaign consultant, John Davies, said the mayor’s fund-raising clout stems from the relationships he developed during 35 years as a businessman and 16 years as a city official. “People are more likely to donate to someone who they know,” he said.

Davies, who has also worked on city races, said Herrera’s fund-raising total of $32,800 was surprisingly large for an Oxnard City Council contest.

“It indicates to me that he has a great amount of support in the community,” Davies said. “People look at him as a real rising star. People like to back a rising star.”

Herrera is seeking one of two Oxnard council seats at stake Nov. 3. Both incumbents are seeking reelection.

One, three-term Councilwoman Dorothy Maron, has raised $21,350. The other, Councilwoman Geraldine W. Furr, has amassed $9,098.

Furr’s total was surpassed by two challengers: former city recreation supervisor Bedford Pinkard, who has collected almost $13,600, and Roy Lockwood, a retired fire chief who has contributed the entire $12,450 that his campaign reported.

In the race to succeed Takasugi as Oxnard’s mayor, Councilman Manuel Lopez has raised $41,500. Councilman Michael Plisky’s mayoral bid has raised almost $28,000.

Three other mayoral candidates plan to spend less than $1,000 each.

In Thousand Oaks, a candidate who led an unsuccessful recall campaign against two City Council members has raised more money than one of the incumbents.

Ken Bauer, a 43-year-old executive with Arco, collected $2,915 between Oct. 1 and Oct. 17, raising his total to $12,906.

Two seats are up for grabs in a race that has pitted seven challengers against two incumbents, Mayor Robert E. Lewis and Councilman Frank Schillo.

Bauer, an outspoken critic of the city’s $63.8-million civic center project, served as chairman for the 1000 Oaks Recall Committee, a citizens group that tried to remove Schillo and Alex Fiore from office.

Bauer trails Schillo, who has collected $13,919 to date and has led in fund raising since the campaign began. Schillo, 58, an eight-year council veteran, is running for his third term in office.

Although Lewis collected $5,239 during the last reporting period, he has collected only $11,848 to date. Lewis, 48, is running for his second term on the council.

The three men far outpaced the six other candidates, who all reported that they raised less than $7,000 each.

In Simi Valley, where 13 candidates are vying for two council seats, Williamson raised $9,500 during the most recent period, bringing her total to $20,896.

Her treasury far surpassed that of the lone incumbent in the race, Councilman Bill Davis. Davis added about $2,800 during the most recent period, bringing his donation total to about $11,000.

The remaining candidates whose statements were available early Friday reported that they had each collected less than $6,000.

Among the five men running for mayor of Simi Valley, including one write-in contender, incumbent Greg Stratton led in the fund raising. He collected about $6,600 during the most recent period, bringing his total to $19,200.

Public affairs consultant Steve Frank reported that he raised $2,200, bringing his total to $14,800, and attorney Robert L. Plunkett upped his fund-raising total to $11,910. The remaining mayoral candidates reported raising less than $1,000 each.

Times staff writers Fred Alvarez and Psyche Pascual contributed to this story.