ANAHEIM : Campaign Law Revisions Advance

The City Council has moved ahead with plans to strengthen a 1993 campaign spending ordinance intended to keep stricter tabs on a candidate’s campaign bank accounts.

The council gave tentative approval to restricting a candidate’s ability to transfer funds between campaign war chests.

For example, if a candidate ran unsuccessfully for an office outside Anaheim, the candidate would be limited in the amount of leftover funds that could be used in a local campaign.

At most, the candidate could transfer $1,000 per contributor, but it would probably be less, depending on a formula that takes into account the percentage spent in the election outside Anaheim, according to City Atty. Jack L. White.

“What we have tried to do here is to put everyone on the proverbial level playing field,” White said at this week’s council meeting. “It’s rather complex and difficult to explain and maybe more difficult to enforce.”

White said the new wording could be challenged in court on First Amendment grounds, but he believes the restriction would pass a legal test.

“The law is not totally settled in this area,” added White. “But I think (the revision) is defensible.”

The council also tentatively OKd two other changes to the July, 1993, ordinance. Both items would require candidates to report campaign contributions more thoroughly and to indicate what funds are being used to pay off old campaign debts.

The council is expected to give final approval to the changes June 7.

Political activists Shirley Grindle and Alexander Carrassi II, who originally proposed the modifications to the city in March, praised the council for tightening controls on candidates.