Zeanah Foes Get $27,700; Cash Flowing in West County Race

Domino’s Pizza entrepreneur Jill Lederer pumped another $27,700 into the battle to recall Thousand Oaks Councilwoman Elois Zeanah, and cash began to flow into school bond campaigns and the race for four seats on the Ventura City Council, according to finance reports released Thursday.

Lederer’s latest contributions bring the total raised by the committee Yes! Remove Elois Zeanah to $175,420--more than three times the largest amount ever spent to elect any council member in Thousand Oaks.

However, the group spent far more than that in its nine-month quest to unseat the outspoken councilwoman--a stunning $264,482--and is now carrying $114,038 in debt, according to the campaign report, which covers July 1 to Sept. 20.

Most of the group’s money clearly came from Lederer, although the exact sum was unclear in Thursday’s disclosure reports. A separate major donor report filed by Lederer stated she had contributed $152,453, including loans.

But that appeared to contradict a July 31 report that came before the latest $27,700 in donations and listed Lederer’s total recall-related expenditures and contributions as $145,453.

Neither Lederer nor her treasurer could be reached for clarification or comment Thursday. Peter J. Turpel, spokesman for Yes! Remove Elois Zeanah, said he believed Lederer’s contributions to be in the $150,000 range.

“The money is a fraction of what Zeanah has cost us over the years,” Turpel said. “I can only say we are glad that we had the money to counter Zeanah’s shifty moves . . . It would be a shame to come this far and let it slip away. We’re not going to let that happen.”

Zeanah said she was dumbfounded by the seemingly endless resources being spent to oust her. She believes Lederer must have some yet-undisclosed plan to recoup her money or make a profit from future Thousand Oaks politics.

“Whoa!” Zeanah said after hearing the latest sums amassed by Yes! Remove Elois Zeanah. “They’re getting so big that I can hardly fathom these figures anymore. Think of all the things this money could have done to feed the poor or provide housing. I don’t know what to say.”

“Time will tell what Jill Lederer’s real interest is,” she added. “You just don’t spend this kind of money without expecting something in return. You could buy a house with that.”

In Ventura, eight of the 10 candidates vying for four open City Council seats filed their campaign finance reports by 5 p.m. Thursday, with five-term incumbent Jim Monahan emerging as the fund-raising front-runner. All disclosure reports had to be postmarked by Thursday at midnight.

The Nov. 4 election will be the first to be affected by Ventura’s Campaign Finance Contribution Limit Law, passed by 81% of the voters in 1995.

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The law limits campaign donations to $125 per donor, unless the candidate agrees to a voluntary spending cap of $21,000. In that case, the candidate may accept up to $225 from an individual donor.

In addition, all donors contributing $25 or more to a candidate must disclose their name, address, occupation and employer. Previously, candidates could accept undisclosed donations of up to $99.

Three of the four candidates who emerged as the top fund-raisers so far chose not to agree to the $21,000 voluntary spending cap. Only CHP officer Paul W. Thompson agreed to the voluntary spending cap.

Monahan, the lone council veteran in a wide-open field of political newcomers, reported raising $8,432 in the reporting period, with almost all of his contributions arriving in checks of more than $100. That included a $125 contribution from Councilman Jim Friedman--the maximum allowable for Monahan under the new campaign law.

Donna De Paola, who lost her bid for a City Council seat in the 1995 election by a mere 425 votes, reported $6,790 in contributions--with $5,850 of that flowing from personal loans.

Thompson reported a total of $6,670 in contributions so far. Five thousand of that is his own money, in the form of a personal loan.

Restaurateur Sandy Smith came in right behind De Paola and Thompson, reporting $6,628. Slightly less than one third--$2,000--comes from a personal loan.

Smith, who is also a planning commissioner, received contributions from a number of Ventura public officials, including $99 from Planning and Redevelopment Director Tom Figg, $50 from Ventura Unified School District Supt. Joseph Spirito, $125 from Councilman Friedman, and $50 from former Mayor Tom Buford.

Businessman Brian Brennan rushed off to redo his cover sheet and shoot it off in the mail by the midnight deadline--so his reports are still unofficial. But Brennan said he has raised $5,125 so far--only $600 of which is his own money.

He said he stands ready to pump in more of his own money later.

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“I’ll loan whatever it takes at the end,” Brennan said. “I’m committed.”

County Planner Carl Morehouse reported raising $3,892, with $2,500 of that coming from a personal loan.

Businessman and consultant Doug Halter reported $1,175 in contributions. Motorcycle magazine editor Mike Osborn and perennial City Council candidate Carroll Dean Williams reported raising no money so far.

Researcher Brian Lee Rencher’s campaign finance report was not in by 5 p.m., but Rencher said he had raised $752--about half that coming from a personal loan.

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De Paola said more money has begun to flow in just in the last few days--since endorsements from around the city have started to flood in. But she says the new campaign finance law has forced her to alter her fund-raising strategies since the last election.

“When the most people can give you is $125--instead of $500, or $1,000--you need to make a lot more phone calls, and do a lot more fund-raising,” she said.

Meanwhile, the independent Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee reported raising $6,801 to date, which will go toward supporting their three endorsees: Monahan, Smith and Brennan.

In Thousand Oaks, two groups defending Zeanah from recall also reported a showering of contributions to their war chests, though on a much smaller scale than their opponents.

Residents For Slow Growth/Stop the Recall of Elois Zeanah received a total of $18,712, including $5,000 contributions each from Patagonia co-founder Yvon Chouinard and his wife Malinda.

The Committee Against the Recall of Elois Zeanah, or CARE, also received an influx of cash, bringing its total contributions to $19,248. Much of the money received in the latest period, $7,565, came in the form of $100 contributions from Thousand Oaks residents.

The three candidates hoping to take Zeanah’s place if she is ousted by voters also submitted campaign reports Thursday.

Engineer David Seagal stated he planned to spend less than $1,000 on his campaign. Homemaker and student Roni Fenzke listed $1,216 in contributions, most of which came from an $850 personal loan. And Cal Lutheran administrator Dennis Gillette reported $1,595 in contributions, most of which also came from a personal loan of $900.

Of the five Ventura County school districts seeking voter approval for bond measures, only two districts had financial disclosure statements on file with the county elections division by the end of the day Thursday.

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The campaign in support of a $15-million issuance in the Ojai Unified School District reported receiving $8,144 in contributions, including $5,000 from architect Lynne Merrick, who is based in the city of Orange. The campaign reported expenditures of nearly $4,000.

In the Rio Elementary school district, the campaign in favor of a $20-million measure reported receiving no cash and spending no money.

The other districts on the November ballot are Conejo Valley with a $97-million measure, Pleasant Valley Elementary with a $49-million bond and Moorpark Unified, which is asking voters for $16 million.