ELECTIONS / L.A. CITY COUNCIL : Hall Takes Big Fund-Raising Lead Over Alarcon in Battle for Valley Seat

Buoyed by a wave of eleventh-hour donations from unions, developers, lobbyists and other City Hall insiders, Los Angeles City Council candidate Lyle Hall has taken a large fund-raising lead over opponent Richard Alarcon in their battle for a northeast San Fernando Valley seat.

In the southwest Valley, meanwhile, Councilwoman Joy Picus maintained a slight edge over challenger Laura Chick as their runoff struggle heads into its final 12 days, according to campaign finance statements filed Thursday with the city Ethics Commission.

The reports showed that Hall has almost $43,000 in cash available for last-minute campaign mailers and other activities, while Alarcon’s campaign kitty contains about $9,000.

Hall, a retired city fire captain, and Alarcon, a onetime aide to Mayor Tom Bradley, are competing in the 7th Council District for the seat being vacated by Councilman Ernani Bernardi, 81. Bernardi is retiring after losing a bid for mayor earlier this year.

According to the finance reports, Hall raised nearly $81,000 between April 15 and May 22, while Alarcon collected about $47,000. Hall’s total included more than $31,000 in city matching funds, while Alarcon reported almost $21,000 in matching money. The use of taxpayer funds in local political campaigns was approved by Los Angeles voters to dilute the influence of special interests at City Hall.

Hall, 53, said he was pleased with his fund-raising yield, adding that his campaign “spent a lot of time and effort trying to raise money and we were successful.”

His contributors included a number of individuals, firms and groups that have financial interests at City Hall.

His campaign received $500 apiece from several labor union locals representing firefighters, garbage workers, parking-control officers and others who are employed by the city or work on city-financed projects.

Hall also received $500 donations from the Atlantic Richfield oil company, the Occidental Petroleum Co. and the Tobacco Institute, which has fought municipal efforts to ban smoking in restaurants and other places.

Several well-known City Hall lobbyists gave him $500 each, including Alma Fitch and Ken Spiker.

Another $500 contributor was Nelson Rising, a partner in a development firm that is trying to win city permission to build the massive Playa Vista project near Marina del Rey. As proposed, Playa Vista would be a residence for more than 28,000 people and a workplace for 20,000.

Although he is a Democrat, Hall’s campaign drew contributions from some conservative Republicans active in Valley politics, including Jane Boeckmann, publisher of Valley magazine, and Vic Sampson, owner of Don Ricardo’s restaurants.

By contrast, Alarcon received a contribution from just one union, Laborers’ International Local 300, which gave him $500. The local, which represents construction workers, has a heavily Latino membership.

Alarcon also received $400 from retiring Los Angeles school board member Roberta Weintraub; $100 from Anton Calleia, a top Bradley aide; and $300 from the Los Angeles chapter of the Mexican-American Political Assn.

Alarcon also got contributions from three local attorneys closely associated with business and development interests, including Benjamin Reznik, chairman of the Valley Commerce and Industry Assn.

Alarcon said Hall’s contributor list indicates that he is a captive of special interests.

“It’s basically just what I’ve been saying all along: that Lyle’s the candidate of the status quo. And the downtown interests want to ensure that he’s on their team,” Alarcon said.

He also alleged that Hall is getting fund-raising assistance from Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City). Berman, with Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles), heads a potent political organization rooted in Los Angeles’ Westside that has raised money for liberals and Democrats nationwide.

“I think Congressman Berman is trying to prevent this community from having its own representative, yes. And he’s using whatever techniques he can,” Alarcon said, renewing his allegation that Berman and his allies are engaging in “machine politics.”

Berman recently endorsed Hall but said he did not have enough time to help his campaign raise money, given his Washington duties. On Thursday, he said through a spokeswoman that he has made no calls to either raise money for Hall or deny it to Alarcon.

“Not every obstacle encountered by a candidate for public office is the result of my actions,” he said.

Hall denied that he is under the thumb of special interest donors.

“I’m campaigning to represent the citizens of this district,” he said. “I welcome support from people who want to help me attain that goal. But my only obligation is to the people I represent.”

Referring to the Tobacco Institute contribution, Hall said he is a nonsmoker and believes that “businesses should make allowances” to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke. But he stopped short of saying he would vote for a proposed city law to ban smoking in local restaurants.

Hall charged that Alarcon, too, had solicited money from numerous special interests. He also noted that Alarcon had sought Berman’s endorsement but was turned down.

“He’s playing this game where he doesn’t get a contribution so he starts yelling ‘special interest’ or ‘machine politics’ or something else,” Hall said.

Alarcon said that although he is behind Hall in fund raising, he expects to collect enough money “to finish this race.”

He said he received another $10,000 in city matching funds this week, but the check arrived too late to be included on the finance statements released Thursday.

In the Picus-Chick race in Council District 3, campaign statements showed that the 62-year-old incumbent had raised a total of $113,216, including $35,392 in public matching funds, since late April.

Chick, 48, a former aide to Picus, has raised $102,355, including $33,708 in matching funds, according to a summary of her disclosure report provided to reporters by Chick’s campaign.

Before the April 20 primary election, the two women also ran neck and neck in fund raising. Picus and Chick were thrown into the runoff fight after neither could score more than 50% of the primary vote.

Times staff writer John Schwada contributed to this story.