Fund-Raising a Key Issue in Council Race

Campaign fund-raising has become a major issue in West Hollywood’s City Council election, in which three incumbents and a fourth candidate have been criticized for accepting donations from real estate interests.

Nearly one-third of the $122,469 in contributions to Mayor Steve Martin, Councilman Sal Guarriello, Councilman John Heilman and city Public Safety Commissioner Ruth Williams have come from developers and other real estate interests, according to the most recent campaign finance records, which cover contributions through Feb. 13.

The field of 13 candidates seeking three seats in Tuesday’s election is the largest group since West Hollywood’s 1984 incorporation election.

City planners say that more than 1.2 million square feet of office, hotel and commercial-retail space are either in the advanced planning stages or have been approved in West Hollywood. The two main projects are the 650,000-square-foot Millennium project, mostly retail and hotel space, and the 400,000-square-foot La Brea Gateway project, which will consist of retail, office space and a theater. The Gateway project, to be built on the city’s east side, is controlled by city redevelopment officials.

From last July through this January, three firms that were bidding for city designation as developers of the Gateway project--Crown Realty / Costco Cos., Regent Properties and J.H. Snyder Co.--gave a total of $6,500 to Guarriello, $1,300 to Williams, $6,600 to Martin and $5,000 to Heilman, according to candidate finance reports.

City redevelopment officials awarded development rights on the Gateway project to J.H. Snyder on Feb. 1.

The subject of campaign finance was raised at a Century Cable candidates’ forum last week. In response to whether developers influence the politicians they support, Heilman suggested that one incumbent, whom he declined to identify, has “been unduly motivated by contributions, and I think that’s unfortunate.”

Heilman said in a subsequent interview that he was referring to Councilman Paul Koretz, who has two years left on his council term and is running for a state Assembly seat. Koretz characterized himself as a strong supporter of West Hollywood’s business community, and said that only through economic development could the city fund its necessary social programs.

West Hollywood resident Simon Harvey complained at a recent council meeting that candidates who accept contributions from developers “are really out there looking out for the businesses that gave them money and that will be paying for all those glossy fliers we will be getting in our mailboxes over the next two weeks.” Harvey is a supporter of candidate Chris Patrouch, a Green Party member.

Another West Hollywood resident and Patrouch supporter, Steven Greene, complained at the same council meeting that billboard companies--omnipresent on Sunset Boulevard--had contributed to Martin, Guarriello and Williams. The council is due to vote soon on whether double-sided billboards should be allowed on Sunset. Martin, Guarriello, Heilman and Williams had taken a total of $10,500 in campaign contributions from billboard companies as of Feb. 13. An angry Guarriello told Greene and Harvey that his predecessors routinely engaged in the same kind of fund-raising.

According to the most recent campaign finance reports, Martin had raised $45,848, Guarriello $24,419, Heilman $26,762 and Williams $25,440. Patrouch had raised only $6,400, none from billboard companies, developers or real estate interests. He said no developers had offered contributions.