Spitzer’s Anti-Airport Bash Doubles as Fund-Raiser

Supervisor Todd Spitzer’s Aug. 10 tribute to about 60 “unsung” airport opponents and other volunteers boasts a reception, awards presentation and country singer Marc Corey Lee.

Invitees are encouraged to sponsor the event for up to $1,000, and general admission of $100 must be paid in advance.

But in a press release announcing the event, sponsors are asked to mail checks to the “Spitzer for Supervisor Committee,” making the event a fund-raiser for the 3rd District supervisor, who many believe has aspirations for state Assembly when his term is over in 2004.

Spitzer said the Aug. 10 event is a harmless attempt to recoup $56,000 for his political campaign, a sum donated to the Safe and Healthy Communities initiative, Measure F, in the late stages of the March election.

“This was to help the Safe and Healthy Communities during the last 30 days of the campaign because they were short and needed help with last mailings,” Spitzer said. “I made the ‘in kind’ donation and they said that after the [March 7] election, they would help me raise the money back.”

The event will honor about 60 people, volunteers who delivered results on behalf of getting Measure F passed but who received little or no media recognition, he said.

“These are the unsung heroes, like block captains,” said Spitzer, who did not disclose the identities of any honorees.

Fred Smoller, a political science professor at Chapman University, said that he understood that politicians need to raise money to survive, but that Spitzer’s exploitation of the county’s anti-airport fight to raise money did not exactly engender the public’s trust.

“Given the fund-raising abuses of [former state Insurance Commissioner Chuck] Quackenbush and the Clinton-Gore campaign, there is a heightened awareness in the community of the process by which political careers are funded. And you can be skating on thin ice when you appear to raise money for purposes other than what is intended.”

But Spitzer denied any “sleight of hand” dealing with the tribute. He said he could have had a simple, boring fund-raiser but decided to have some fun in the summer and at the same time, recognize Measure F volunteers.

Some anti-airport leaders, who did not wish to be identified, advised Spitzer against combining a tribute with a fund-raiser, saying it was not a good idea. But they were unable to change his mind.

Voters approved the initiative by 67% in March. The initiative requires two-thirds voter approval for the construction of new airports, large jails and landfills.

Robert M. Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies, a Los Angeles-based research organization, didn’t see anything illegal about the tribute/fund-raiser.

“Actually on the positive side, [Spitzer] will have to disclose all of this on campaign finance reports,” Stern said. “He’s not the first politician to use an issue for a campaign.”

Tickets will be provided free to the honorees and also to every elected city official in South County. More than 200 are expected to attend the event, which includes an hourlong reception, half-hour awards presentation and Lee’s 75-minute concert.

“Many of those people who were invited are prior contributors to my campaign who knew it was a fund-raiser,” Spitzer said.