Campaigns Deluged With Donations as Election Nears

As election day nears, political donors ranging from tobacco firms and wealthy Christians to high-tech companies and gun enthusiasts are dumping hundreds of thousands of dollars a day into campaigns for California candidates and ballot measures.

While the biggest money is being spent on statewide television blitzes for and against ballot measures, candidates in primaries and special elections Tuesday are spending the money on last-minute mailers, phone banks and local television and radio ads to sway public opinion.

In some cases, the late infusions of cash have caught candidates unaware that they were targets for defeat. Assemblyman Howard Kaloogian (R-Carlsbad), for instance, scrambled to collect more than $87,000, mainly from Assembly Republicans. He did this after his challenger, Dolores Clayton, received sudden donations of more than $70,000, primarily from organized labor.

In another surprise, former Assembly Speaker Brian Setencich (R-Fresno), who had more than $200,000 in his campaign coffer, realized he was under attack when his primary opponent received a big donation. Political unknown Robert Prenter, 31, reported receiving $198,000 in the past two weeks from the California Independent Business PAC, a group that includes Howard Ahmanson and other conservative Christian business executives.

Setencich angered the GOP last year by becoming speaker with Democratic votes. He was dumped earlier this year when the GOP gained another lower-house seat. Prenter, a surgical instruments salesman who has never run for office, is using the money for ads attacking Setencich as a traitor to the Republican cause. Even Prenter, who had hoped for half that sum, was surprised by the level of support.

“I don’t have a problem with it, obviously,” Prenter said. “What Brian did was wrong. He made a deal for his own self and personal power.”

California Common Cause has calculated that a fourth of the money spent on the 1994 election--$21.5 million--flowed during the final days of the primary and general election campaigns.

“Questionable money always comes in late,” said Tony Quinn, who edits the Target Book, a comprehensive report on legislative races. “The Political Reform Act is made irrelevant by late contributions because they’re so hard to find.”

For the most part, incumbents in contested primaries receive large sums from groups with interests in legislation. Among the largest donors to incumbents are physicians, teachers unions, lawyers and businesses.

Earlier this week, Assemblyman Brett Granlund (R-Yucaipa), who chairs the Assembly Health Committee and faces a primary challenge, took $20,000 from Philip Morris and $2,000 from RJR Reynolds, the nation’s two largest cigarette makers.

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“They’ve been taking my money all my adult life. It doesn’t hurt to take some back,” said Granlund, a smoker, defending his decision to accept the contributions. He said Philip Morris is “a broad-based company” that gives to many charities and politicians.

Altogether, Philip Morris has given more than $92,000 to Republican and Democratic candidates in the closing days of the primary. RJR Reynolds has given $36,000.

The biggest money being spent this election is on ballot propositions. Backers of the three anti-litigation initiatives, Propositions 200, 201 and 202, have received more than $1 million in late money, including $300,000 from Intel Corp., pushing the computer chip maker’s total to $800,000. In all, proponents have raised $11 million, largely from high-tech and Wall Street firms that have been sued.

Opponents have raised $9 million, primarily from lawyers who file suits. Those attorneys are getting late help from lawyers who defend civil lawsuits and whose income also would drop if the measures pass. The Defense Counsel Issues PAC this month has reported raising at least $700,000, specifically to defeat Proposition 200, which would create no-fault auto insurance.

“Firms are concerned about that [loss of income], but I think firms are primarily concerned that it is a bad law,” said David Lynch, an insurance defense lawyer with the San Francisco firm of Low, Ball & Lynch, which gave $20,000 to defeat the no-fault initiative.

Other races affected by contributions in the last 10 days include the following:

* The National Rifle Assn. gave $100,000 to the campaign in favor of Proposition 197, which would repeal parts of a 1990 initiative that banned mountain lion hunting.

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Opponents cite the NRA donation, and others from hunting groups, as evidence that Proposition 197 is aimed at renewing cougar hunting. The No on 197 campaign got late money from the Humane Society, the Fund for Animals and other environmentalist and animal protection groups.

* In a contest that could decide control of the state Senate, where Democrats have a one-seat majority, Assemblyman Byron Sher (D-Stanford) was out-raising Republican rival Patrick Shannon. As of Friday, Sher had more than $1.3 million, mainly from the Democratic Party, labor and environmentalists, to Shannon’s $738,000. They are seeking an open seat.

* The Democratic Party, breaking its tradition of neutrality in primaries, gave more than $41,000 to incumbent state Sen. Teresa Hughes (D-Inglewood) in her race against Assemblyman Curtis Tucker (D-Inglewood). That followed the surprise revelation that Senate Republican Leader Rob Hurtt (R-Garden Grove) jumped into the Democratic primary and gave Tucker $40,000. Tucker also received several smaller donations from the tobacco industry and pro-growth groups.

* Hoping to increase their numbers in the Legislature, Latino lawmakers are putting tens of thousands into contested primaries. State Sen. Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles) gave $15,000 and the Latino Issues PAC gave $10,000 to Assembly candidate Tony Cardenas in his San Fernando Valley race against Jim Dantona and Valerie Salkin to replace Assembly Democratic Leader Richard Katz (D-Sylmar).

* The California Teachers Assn. gave $85,000 to candidates in a single day. Trying to be less aligned with Democrats, teachers gave much of the money to Republicans, including $20,000 to Sheryl Barbich in a Republican-dominated district in Bakersfield. The teachers union also gave $50,000 to Proposition 203, the $3-billion bond for school construction.

Times staff writers Carl Ingram, Tony Perry and Max Vanzi contributed to this story.