State GOP Leader Hurtt Is High on List of Donors : Politics: O.C. senator and his PAC surpass traditional interest groups in giving to legislative campaigns, Common Cause says.

As it seeks to place a campaign reform initiative on next year’s ballot, California Common Cause reported Wednesday that state Senate GOP Leader Rob Hurtt of Garden Grove and his conservative allies have become the No. 2 and No. 3 largest donors to state legislative races.

The political watchdog group’s analysis of campaign finance reports for 1993 and 1994 shows that Hurtt individually and his firm, Container Supply Co., gave $1.2 million to get Republicans elected to the Legislature.

Allied Business PAC, of which Hurtt is a member, gave an additional $1.08 million to legislative races.

Combined, the donations from Hurtt and the separate political action committee surpass the largest single donor, the California Teachers Assn., which gave $1.3 million, primarily to Democrats.

Individually, Hurtt ranked second and Allied was third, ahead of political heavyweights such as the California Medical Assn., the California Trial Lawyers Assn. and the Assn. of California Insurance Cos.

“The top-10 list is distinguished by the extraordinary rise and political influence of Rob Hurtt and Allied Business PAC,” said Ruth Holton, director of California Common Cause.

*

Donations from Hurtt and Allied amounted to the lion’s share of funds raised by several candidates, including Orange County Assemblyman Jim Morrissey, a Santa Ana Republican elected in 1994. Morrissey got more than $180,000 for Hurtt and Allied.

Another lawmaker, Sen. Ray Haynes (R-Riverside), a leader of antiabortion forces in the state Senate, received $319,000 for his 1994 campaign, with $166,000 coming from Allied, which now is called California Independent Business PAC.

“The fact that one person and their company can essentially buy members of the Legislature is, I think, a frightening prospect,” Holton said.

Hurtt, responding to the criticism, pointed out that even with his money, the top 10 givers on Common Cause’s list donated more money to Democrats than to GOP candidates.

He called the system “skewed” toward Democrats, adding: “I’m trying to unskew it. It’s so blatantly skewed now it’s obscene. The whole system is rotgut. All I’m trying to do is get it to a level playing field.”

*

Hurtt said he simply asks that in exchange for his largess, candidates adhere to Republican ideals such as lower taxes and smaller government. In contrast, he said, other major donors have specific concerns, ranging from better pay and benefits for union members to more profits for their various industries.

Hurtt’s goal as Senate GOP leader is to seize a majority in the upper house in 1996. Republicans already control the Assembly. Senate President Pro Tem Bill Lockyer, Hurtt’s Democratic rival, called the Common Cause report “frightening in its implications for working people.”

“In this case, it’s even more frightening because the rich guy in question is the leader of the extreme radical right in California,” Lockyer said.

Common Cause’s report, an annual event, comes as the organization pushes to place an initiative on the ballot in November, 1996, to limit donations to $100 for local races, $250 for legislative races and $500 for statewide races.

Under the proposal, candidates could receive donations of twice those sums if they agreed at the start of a campaign to strict spending limits, ranging from $200,000 for an Assembly general election to $8 million in a general election for the governor’s office. As it is, California places no limits on campaign donations or spending.

The initiative also would increase disclosure requirements by donors, ban fund-raising by politicians in non-election years and prevent one candidate from transferring money to another candidate.

*

Common Cause is the largest donor to the initiative, at more than $100,000. Other major supporters include the American Assn. of Retired Persons, the League of Women Voters and United We Stand America member Lois Rozet of Los Angeles, who has given $75,000 in donations and loans.

Common Cause’s initiative would not apply to initiatives, because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that places no spending or donation limits on ballot measures.

In all, the Common Cause report shows, the top 10 donors gave more than $9 million to state legislative races in the 1993-94 election cycle. Former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown received the most, $612,000, which he doled out to other Assembly Democrats.

Most of Brown’s money came from traditional special interests, ranging from teachers to insurance companies. Those donors continued their practice of giving mostly to incumbents and spreading their money to both parties.

Hurtt and Allied gave most of their money to challengers, all of whom were Republicans. Most are conservatives. Hurtt, who wrested the Senate Republican leadership post from moderate Sen. Ken Maddy of Fresno in August, also gave $440,000 to the California Republican Party.

“When you have no limits on campaign contributions, you have a system which allows a few wealthy interests to change the makeup of the Legislature,” Holton said.

Holton said legislative term limits are doing little to limit large donations. Freshman Assemblymen Phil Hawkins (R-Bellflower), Steve Baldwin (R-El Cajon) and state Sen. Dick Montieth (R-Modesto) each received more than $120,000 from Hurtt and Allied.

“I think I frighten her,” Hurtt said of Holton. “I give a lot of hope to a lot of other people. I think I’m setting the example for other Republican business executives. They certainly have it within their ability to become a very integral part of the political system.”

*

Hurtt is one of five donors to Allied Business PAC. The largest is Howard Ahmanson, a wealthy conservative Christian who spends heavily on conservative causes, think tanks and lawmakers.

Danielle Madison, executive director of the political action committee, said its goal is to elect fiscally and socially conservative Republican candidates, but not to control their votes once they are elected.

“We’re not buying seats,” Madison said. “We’re funding people who represent the views of the constituents. We’re just giving the underdogs enough money to get their message out.”

While Morrissey was reaping big contributions from Hurtt and Allied, former Assemblyman Tom Umberg of Orange County saw a big influx of cash from the California Teachers Assn. as he made an unsuccessful run last year for state attorney general.

The California Teachers Assn. contributed nearly $122,000 to the Garden Grove Democrat’s bid for statewide office. The only candidate who got more from the group was Democrat Kathleen Brown, who failed to unseat Gov. Pete Wilson despite more than $124,000 in contributions from the teachers.

Times staff writer Eric Bailey contributed to this story.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

County Contributions

The top three contributors to California politicians are state Senate GOP leader Rob Hurtt, the California Teachers Assn. and a political action committee that Hurtt once ran, Allied Business PAC. A look at how much money Orange County politicians have received, according to an analysis of campaign finance reports for 1993 and 1994:

*--*

California Allied Teachers Rob Business *Total Officeholder Assn. Hurtt PAC Contributions Doris Allen $2,582 0 0 $14,741 Rob Hurtt 0 0 $54,842 100,592 Jim Morrissey 0 35,622 146,125 202,901 Curt Pringle 0 3,375 0 30,071 Previous Officeholders Tom Umberg $121,939 0 0 $205,166

*--*

* Totals include other contributions.

Source: Common Cause