CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS : Wilson’s Top 20 Donors Give $3 Million to Drive

You might think of them as members of Gov. Pete Wilson’s $100,000 club.

They are 20 private interests--companies, individuals and political action committees--that each have contributed at least $100,000 to help the Republican incumbent finance his reelection campaign against Democrat Kathleen Brown.

With no limits on contributions to candidates for state office, huge donations from a very few can help a governor or would-be chief executive as much as hundreds of smaller gifts that would take far longer to solicit and collect.

Although Wilson lists thousands of donors to his campaign committee, these top 20 alone have contributed more than $3 million of the record-setting $26.8 million that Wilson had reported receiving as of Oct. 21.

The group includes old friends of Wilson such as the owner of the San Diego Chargers football team, big companies such as oil giant Chevron Corp. and vintner E & J Gallo, industry groups such as the Assn. of California Insurance Cos., and one labor union, the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn.

That group, representing state prison guards, has emerged as Wilson’s top contributor in 1994, giving the governor $525,000 this year alone. The guards spent more than $900,000 on an independent advertising campaign to help elect Wilson in 1990.

Wilson’s most generous individual donor is Sam Bamieh, a Bay Area businessman whose firm, American Intertrade Group, is an international developer and financial consultant. Bamieh, who has given Wilson $259,000, told The Times earlier this year that the governor is too liberal for his tastes but he contributes anyway because he considers himself a loyal Republican.

Another big individual donor: Alex Spanos, the Stockton real estate developer and owner of the San Diego Chargers, Wilson’s hometown football team. Spanos has contributed $195,000 to Wilson’s campaign during this election.

The governor has accepted $125,000 from Henry R. Kravis and George R. Roberts--takeover specialists who hold a significant stake in RJR Nabisco, the giant conglomerate that sells food and tobacco products. Wilson does not accept contributions directly from tobacco companies, but a campaign aide said Kravis and Roberts--partners in a huge venture capital firm--have significant interests outside the tobacco firm.

Also among Wilson’s elite supporters are two oil companies--Chevron, which gave $100,125, and Atlantic Richfield, which contributed $136,421.

Two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs whose names are synonymous with the computer industry--William Hewlett and David Packard--gave Wilson big checks as individuals. Hewlett has given Wilson $101,000 and Packard has kicked in $151,000.

In addition to the $162,000 he has received from the Assn. of California Insurance Cos., Wilson has collected six-figure donations from two insurance companies: Fremont Corp., which gave him $126,000, and Mercury General, which donated $135,000.

Another state-regulated company--Pacific Telesis, which has been working to ward off competition from the cable television industry--gave Wilson $110,250.

The Irvine Co., the Orange County developer that has been a longtime supporter of Wilson and needs his help to continue building in an area that is a habitat of endangered species, gave the governor $142,000.

Others among Wilson’s six-figure contributors:

* Jerry Perenchio, Chartwell Partnership Group--$151,000.

* Thomas Weisel, chief executive of San Francisco-based Montgomery Securities, an investment banker--$109,800.

* Joseph Fenley, chairman of Los Angeles-based Gateway Freight Services--$106,600.

* AGI Management Corp. of New York--$100,000

* David Price, chairman of American Golf, a Santa Monica-based firm that contracts with public agencies to manage golf courses--$110,000.

* The California Hospitals Political Action Committee--$105,700.

* Vintner E & J Gallo--$110,000.