Long, Bennett Lead Fund-Raising in Supervisorial Races

Incumbent Kathy Long and slow-growth activist Steve Bennett are holding solid financial leads in their individual races for the county Board of Supervisors, as candidates enter the final stretch before the March 7 election.

Meanwhile, incumbent John Flynn has raised a comparatively modest amount--$44,088--in his bid for an unprecedented seventh term. He has spent most of it, leaving himself less than $7,000 to fend off his two challengers, an indication he is confident he can avoid a runoff.

In supervisorial races, a candidate can avoid extending the race until November if he or she grabs more than 50% of the vote in the primary.

Long has raised more than $88,000 in her bid for a second term representing District 3, according to campaign finance reports filed Thursday with the county. That is the most raised by any candidate in the three supervisorial races. Of that total, Long has just over $31,000 left to spend until the election.

During the most recent four-week reporting period--Jan. 23 to Feb. 19--Long raised $13,693, drawing heavily on special interests, including the building industry and a group representing deputy sheriffs, with negotiations underway with the county over retroactive retirement benefits--one aspect of a multimillion-dollar lawsuit that already has gone to the state Supreme Court.

The Building Industry Assn. of Southern California contributed $2,500 to Long, and the Ventura County Deputy Sheriff’s Assn. contributed $1,000. Long also received $500 contributions from the local union representing grocery store employees, and from the Camarillo chapter of the National Women’s Political Caucus. County Auditor Tom Mahon and Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) each contributed $100.

Long’s challenger, Mike Morgan, had raised about $19,600. About half of that came in during the most recent reporting period, but includes $3,000 Morgan had loaned himself. Morgan has loaned a total of $7,000 of his money to the campaign. He has drained his entire war chest, according to his report, which stated he had overspent his account by $230.

Morgan has long argued that Long is beholden to special interests, and that her statements in support of managed growth are only overtures while in reality, Morgan said, Long is an ally of developers.

Morgan said Thursday that Long’s acceptance of substantial special interest contributions from developers and others only underscores his argument. “These are groups that really want her vote . . . on contracts,” he said. “I think it’s a conflict of interest and I won’t accept those contributions, ever.”

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Long defended the contributions. She said while developers may be supporting her candidacy, she has consistently opposed the massive Newhall Ranch housing development and recently voted against the city of Santa Paula’s plans to provide room for canyon housing by expanding its borders. She said Morgan has worked as a paid consultant for an Orange County developer. Long also said she supports deputies’ request for retroactive application of retirement benefits, and would do so regardless of whether they supported her campaign.

A second challenger, Jim Shinn, raised no money during the most recent reporting period. He spent $310, and said he planned to use the balance--just under $900--for a direct-mail piece to voters just before the election.

District 3 stretches from Camarillo to the Santa Clara Valley to Ojai, and includes western Thousand Oaks.

In the District 5 contest, challenger Francisco Dominguez continued to make up ground on Flynn. The Oxnard-area district also includes El Rio and neighboring beach communities.

After getting off to a late start, Dominguez, a 38-year-old Oxnard School District trustee, has nearly cut Flynn’s fund-raising lead in half, generating $10,388 during the latest filing period to push his total contributions to $20,056.

Dominguez has spent more than $15,000 thus far, leaving $4,584 available for the stretch run.

“I’m very pleased,” said Dominguez, executive director of the Latino advocacy group El Concilio del Condado de Ventura. “We’ve been concentrating on raising enough money to get our message out and I would say we have been rather successful.”

Dominguez received money from a variety of sources, including a $500 contribution from GTE employees, $500 from Oxnard teacher Carl Leon and $100 from former Oxnard mayor and Assemblyman Nao Takasugi.

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Flynn, 67, said he is not worried his challengers are nibbling away at his fund-raising lead.

Although he only took in $8,452 during the most recent filing period, Flynn still has a commanding lead with total contributions of $44,088. He has spent nearly $23,000 to date, leaving him $6,466 to spend between now and the primary.

The bulk of Flynn’s money this period--more than $1,500--came from political action committees, including a $500 contribution from the Ventura County Deputy Sheriff’s Assn.

Flynn also reported a $500 contribution from Oxnard rancher Vivian Rosenmund, a $250 contribution from Oxnard-based Gold Coast Ambulance and a $200 contribution from retired county chief administrator Lin Koester.

“We’re right on target,” said Flynn, who is spending money on yard signs, newspaper and radio advertisements and mailers. “I feel right now . . . the best I’ve ever felt in any campaign.”

A third candidate, Port Hueneme Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Arlene Fraser, reported $655 in contributions this period, to boost her total to $1,655.

Fraser still has nearly $900 on hand, which she plans to spend on newspaper and radio advertising the next two weeks.

“I’m targeting those voters who are still undecided,” said Fraser, who hopes to raise $3,000 for her campaign.

In the open District 1 race to fill the seat being vacated by incumbent Susan Lacey, Bennett, a high school assistant principal and architect of the county’s slow-growth initiative known as SOAR, continued to hold a huge fund-raising lead against two other candidates--businesswoman Rosa Lee Measures and Ventura Councilman Jim Monahan.

Bennett raised $17,316 during the reporting period, bringing his total to nearly $84,000. Of that, $39,000 remained unspent.

Throughout the campaign, Bennett has sought a broad base of modest contributors, averaging $83.50 per contributor. Major contributors this reporting period included $1,000 from personal injury lawyer Ed Masry of Westlake Village and his wife, Joette; $500 each from producer and composer Edward Arkin of Somis, Ventura consultant David Gold and Oxnard lawyer Deirdre Frank, and $400 from Amgen researcher Shelley McCloskey.

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Measures had raised nearly $56,000, with about $19,000 still available. Camarillo venture capitalist Daniel Villanueva, one of the nation’s most influential Latino businessmen and a high school friend of Measures, contributed $1,000. Seattle-based Washington Mutual, the savings and loan giant behind the Ahmanson Ranch housing development, contributed $500. Measures supports the Ahmanson development.

Monahan had raised about $61,000 as of Saturday, with the help of a nearly $23,000 boost during the most recent reporting period. Like Long, Monahan received $2,500 from the builders’ association.

Other Monahan contributors included mobile home park owners, farmers and real estate and building executives. Tom Staben, a contractor who has been hired by the county, despite a history of code violations and accusations he has broken environmental laws, gave $300.

Monahan said he is not done raising money. He has a fund-raiser planned for this weekend at the home of Jim Fueling, a local entrepreneur who builds powerful racing engines. Monahan said actor Larry Hagman of Ojai, a close friend of Fueling, is scheduled to attend.

Candidates know the last week or two before an election is a crucial time to capture voters’ attention. But with most of the attention focused on the presidential primary and more than two dozen ballot initiatives, local candidates say they have to work hard to get voters’ attention.

“It’ll just be real intense for the next 12 days. The national spotlight will be here, with [Republican presidential candidates George W.] Bush and [John] McCain, and the propositions will get a lot of attention,” Bennett said.

“You just hope you’ve already laid a foundation down.”