Hoffman Has Resources to Test Sherman

With his deep pockets and a bevy of mainstream endorsements, Republican businessman Randy Hoffman has the resources and support to mount a serious challenge to incumbent U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) in the November elections.

The Thousand Oaks businessman has raised $636,000 to date and enjoys the support of local GOP heavyweights such as Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley), Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich and L.A. Police Commissioner Herbert Boeckmann.

But before he can set his sights on Sherman, Hoffman in the June 2 primary must beat two other GOP candidates who are determined to overcome Hoffman’s huge financial advantage by campaigning hard and challenging him with stands on tough issues.

“I don’t need to get into an arms race with Randy Hoffman because I will lose,” said Republican candidate Joe Gelman, a former newspaper columnist. “But I need to get my message out as aggressively as I can.”

Gelman and businessman William Westmiller have already hit hard at Hoffman.

In campaign events and interviews, Gelman has called Hoffman an “empty suit” and accused him of being “all fluff and no substance.”

Hoffman’s supporters shrug off the criticism, saying the attacks are a desperate attempt to garner publicity.

“Unfortunately for our opponents, they have not generated enough interest in their campaign to get them off the ground,” said Todd Blair, Hoffman’s campaign director. “They will do anything to get some attention and some press.”

Westmiller and Gelman say they are working hard in the final days before the primary to get their names known throughout the district, which stretches from Thousand Oaks to the west San Fernando Valley. The district has more than 300,000 registered voters, but only about half are expected to vote in the primary.

Neither has full-time campaign staff members and both rely mostly on volunteers and friends to help.

“I’ve been doing everything I can to communicate with voters,” said Westmiller, who is using volunteers, a list of e-mail addresses and “lots of precinct walking” to get his message out.

Westmiller, the owner of a paper store in Thousand Oaks, said he has raised about $9,000, more than half of which has come from his own pockets. He said he has distributed about 6,000 campaign brochures.

Gelman, who helped lead the campaign for Proposition 209, the 1996 measure to eliminate affirmative action in government programs, has raised about $8,500, most of it in personal loans he gave to his campaign. So far, he said, he has sent about 28,000 campaign mailers to voters.

But Gelman vows to eventually get a campaign brochure in the hands of every Republican voter in the district.

“There will not be a Republican in this district who will not hear from me,” he said, declining to reveal his strategy.

Hoffman, former president of Magellan Systems Inc., a San Dimas-based company that makes satellite navigation devices, has $358,288 on hand, according to campaign records. But $425,000 of his total of $636,000 has come from a personal loan and $85,000 from in-kind contributions he gave his campaign. The campaign has mailed more than 120,000 campaign brochures to date, Blair said.

Hoffman has the resources to pour even more money into the campaign. His net worth is reportedly between $2 million and $7 million.

Hoffman’s Finances Cited as Big Factor

Gelman and Westmiller complain Hoffman is considered the front-runner simply because of his personal fortune. But political consultants say funding often determines the success of a campaign.

“You have to have money, like it or not, to communicate your message,” said Rick Taylor, a veteran campaign consultant who has worked with several local candidates and measures. “No matter how much free media you get, it’s still not enough.”

Several studies, including a 1996 analysis by Common Cause, a campaign watchdog group, show about 90% of the candidates who spend the most win.

Sherman, a former member of the state Board of Equalization, does not face a Democratic challenger in the primary. But he already has $246,258 on hand, according to campaign records.

If Hoffman wins the primary, the campaign against Sherman is expected to be one of the most expensive in the state. In the 1996 race, Sherman spent $1.4 million to beat Richard Sybert, a toy company executive. More than $600,000 of Sherman’s money came from a loan to his own campaign.

Sherman’s seat is crucial to the Republican Party, which is desperate to retain its majority in the House of Representatives. The party has already targeted Sherman as one of the top 10 incumbents in the nation that the party wants to unseat this year.

The district is considered winnable by either party because 45% of voters are registered Democrats and 39% are Republican.

Gelman is a self-described “mainstream Republican” who was appointed by Mayor Richard Riordan to head the city’s Civil Service Commission. But Gelman was forced to resign when his involvement with the Proposition 209 campaign drew the ire of several council members. He is a senior advisor on the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group.

As a former columnist, Gelman does not shy away from taking stands on controversial issues. He supports making English the nation’s official language and promises to seek a national version of Proposition 209 if elected.

To help keep the federal budget balanced, Gelman said, he would consider increasing the out-of-pocket Medicare costs for older Americans who can afford it.

Gelman, Westmiller Boast Endorsements

Gelman is endorsed by the conservative California Republican Assembly, former GOP U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Herschensohn and radio talk show host Larry Elder.

Westmiller is a former radio and television announcer who fled to Canada in 1969 after the local draft board refused his request for an educational deferment. While in Canada he co-founded the Libertarian Party of Canada. He supported Proposition 215, which allows patients with certain serious illnesses to possess marijuana for medical use.

“I did smoke marijuana in college, and I inhaled, and I enjoyed it,” he said.

Westmiller has created a Web page that lists his position on dozens of issues, including his position on 97 votes and 45 bills by Sherman. Westmiller supports a federal version of Proposition 209 and has endorsed a 15% flat tax to replace the federal income tax system.

Westmiller has been endorsed by the Republican Liberty Caucus, Simi Valley Councilwoman Sandi Webb and Elliott Graham, founder of the American Pistol & Rifle Assn.

Hoffman is a Harvard graduate who has been appointed by Gov. Pete Wilson to the Domestic Violence Advisory Council, a panel that recommends contracts for domestic violence shelters.

Domestic violence is an issue that hits home with Hoffman because he was raised by an alcoholic stepfather who abused his mother. In his campaign brochures, he says he is committed to reducing violent crime. He makes reference to a home invasion years ago in which his mother and sister were bound, gagged and attacked by an intruder. But Hoffman provides few suggestions for legislation to reduce crime.

Hoffman has campaigned to help break up the Los Angeles Unified School District and says his top priorities involve improving the nation’s public schools. His children attend private schools.

All three Republican candidates say they support a woman’s right to an abortion and support a proposition to do away with bilingual education in public school systems. Gelman and Westmiller support a Valley secession, while Hoffman says he would like voters to decide the matter.

* Q&A;: Interview with the Republican candidates aiming to unseat Rep. Brad Sherman. B15