GOP Takeover of Assembly Boosts Donations to Members

Republicans are boasting that their fund-raising success has spiraled since they took over the state Assembly, going up 42% while donations to Democrats dropped.

“What a difference a majority makes,” said Assemblyman Jim Brulte of Rancho Cucamonga, the former GOP leader, who compiled the totals on campaign fund raising by Assembly members.

Assemblywoman Sheila J. Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) countered that the numbers show only that special interest contributions go where the majority is.

“I don’t see any trend by party. All I see is a shift in contributions by those concerned about who is in charge,” Kuehl said, speaking for the Assembly Democratic Caucus.

The GOP accounting showed Democratic contributions down 32% since Democrats lost Assembly control.

“What is there to crow about if the point is that special interest money follows the majority, no matter who has it?” Kuehl said.

The figures compare fund-raising during the first six months of the Legislature’s 1993-94 session, when Democrats had a 47-33 majority, and the first six months of the 1995-96 session, in which Republicans have a 40-39 majority with a temporary vacancy in a GOP district.

The contribution reports, which are required by state law, show Sacramento-based trade associations and lobbyists again topping the list of contributors. Electronics, legal, medical, restaurant and tobacco interests were among the biggest spenders.

The GOP account said contributions from Jan. 1 through June 30 of 1993 to the 47 Democratic members of the Assembly at the time averaged $82,245 per member. During the same period this year, the current 39 Assembly Democrats received an average $67,203 per member.

Contributions to Republican Assembly members in the first half of 1993 averaged $70,934 per member in 1993, compared to $83,348 per member this year.

The trend in cash-on-hand totals was even more dramatic. It jumped from $842,695 to $1,597,321 for Republicans and dropped from $2,219,277 to $918,424 for Democrats.