Spending in Zeanah Recall Fight Topped $500,000

Dueling groups raised more than half a million dollars--and spent almost that much--on a failed recall attempt last fall against controversial Councilwoman Elois Zeanah.

The group that unsuccessfully advocated the councilwoman’s ouster, Yes! Remove Elois Zeanah, spent a staggering $360,740 over the course of the election, according to campaign finance reports filed Monday. The group received contributions totaling $425,831, according to the report that covers Oct. 19 to Dec. 31, 1997.

Meanwhile, last year’s frantic campaign fund-raising schedule has paid off for Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman, who on Monday reported collecting three times as much cash as his leading Republican opponent, Thousand Oaks businessman Randy Hoffman.

But Hoffman still has more money on hand, thanks to a $275,000 loan Hoffman made to himself last year when he launched his bid to represent the 24th Congressional District, which stretches from Thousand Oaks to Malibu and Sherman Oaks.

The race is expected to be one of the most expensive and hotly contested campaigns of the year--costing each side up to $1.5 million, according to both candidates.

As expected in the Thousand Oaks council recall campaign, local pizza magnate Jill Lederer was the biggest spender in the fierce contest, which cost much more than any individual had previously spent to win a Thousand Oaks council seat.

Lederer’s contributions added up to $390,899 in checks, bill payments and loans to the recall group. In fact, of the $126,307 the group raised in the final weeks leading up to the election, only one contribution was reported from someone other than Lederer. That was a $500 contribution from homemaker Marion Schillo, the wife of county Supervisor Frank Schillo.

On the documents, the group lists $63,690 in debts, labeled “our legal bills!”

Group spokesman Peter J. Turpel attributed the extraordinary spending to the fact that recall advocates had to collect signatures for the measure twice, after a judge threw out the first petition.

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“The amount of money that we were forced to spend in this campaign was a lot more than anyone ever expected it to be,” he said. “People need to understand that the vast majority of the money was spent on legal fees because Elois Zeanah attempted to avoid the recall in the courts and we were forced to circulate the petition twice.”

But Councilwoman Linda Parks, who campaigned to keep Zeanah in office, saw the spending as proof that the recall was the doing of developers who don’t like Zeanah’s slow-growth stances.

“To the average person, it is a phenomenal amount of money,” Parks said. “To a developer, it’s just the price of one house they may not have to take out of a project if they had gotten a pro-development majority. It was an investment for them--and, obviously, one that didn’t pay off.”

In contrast, the more active of the two anti-recall groups--the Committee Against the Recall of Elois Zeanah--received contributions of $89,938, according to its finance report. The report, obtained by The Times, was not filed at the city clerk’s office by a 5:30 p.m. deadline because of computer problems in the Zeanah household.

The same group, known as CARE, spent slightly more--$90,866--during the 11-month campaign. In total, Zeanah spent $16,700 of her own money to fend off the recall, while Thousand Oaks attorney Ed Masry proved her biggest donor, writing a $50,000 check earlier in the campaign.

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A third group, Residents for Slow Growth, raised about $19,500 to defend Zeanah and spent about $19,000, according to a spokeswoman.

In the upcoming congressional race, Sherman reported raising $153,500 between July and December, while Hoffman raised $50,200, according to finance statements released Monday.

Still, when Hoffman’s personal loan is added, he has a campaign coffer of $256,600. Sherman, who had nearly $8,000 left over from the previous reporting period, has $161,200 on hand.

Because Hoffman, a millionaire who runs a San Dimas electronics firm, is expected to continue to contribute heavily from his own pocket, Sherman worked hard during the congressional winter break to raise funds.

The congressional race is also expected to be hotly contested because the Republican Party has targeted the district in hopes of increasing the GOP’s numbers in Washington. The district is a “swing” district and Republicans believe Sherman would be vulnerable to the challenge of a strong GOP candidate.

Although Sherman, a freshman from Sherman Oaks, raised more contributions in the July-to-December period, Hoffman said it was because he only began in earnest with his fund-raising in November.

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“I’m extremely pleased with the money I’ve been able to raise in the last six week of the year,” he said.

Hoffman and Sherman combined are expected to spend up to $3 million in the race--surpassing the $2 million that was spent in 1996 when Sherman beat Republican Richard Sybert for the post.

Sherman still has a $630,000 debt from the previous campaign, most of which he owes to himself and close friends.

Republican William Westmiller of Thousand Oaks is also vying for the congressional seat.

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Times staff writer Hugo Martin contributed to this story.