Reports Show Cash Flowing Into Area Races

Leaders of the two major political parties have funneled money to key San Fernando Valley races, providing some candidates with massive cash infusions with a month to go to the election, according to campaign finance reports filed Thursday.

One of the most expensive state races is in the 21st state Senate District, where Assemblyman Jack Scott (D-Altadena) reported raising $1.86 million so far this year, including $1.1 million from the Senate Democratic Leadership Fund.

Republican opponent Paul Zee, a South Pasadena city councilman, raised $838,783. Zee had $362,659 in the bank as of Sept. 30, compared to $731,965 for Scott.

“I will have enough money for the kind of campaign I want to have,” Scott said.

Zee said he is heartened by having raised $317,251 to Scott’s $143,666 during the three months ending Sept. 30.

“Obviously my fund-raising is a little tougher because he is in office,” said Zee, who has loaned his campaign $150,000, including $50,000 during the last three-month reporting period. He also received $100,000 from Republican legislative leaders.

Scott benefited heavily from contributions from labor groups, including $4,000 from the United Teachers of Los Angeles political and education fund, $15,642 from Consulting Engineers and Land Survey Political Action Committee, and $24,700 in printing costs picked up by the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 12.

The assemblyman spent much of his money on cable television ads, mail and phone banking in the district, which includes parts of Glendale, Burbank, Sunland-Tujunga, San Marino and South Pasadena.

In the 43rd Assembly District, Republican attorney Craig Missakian of Glendale reported raising $425,000 through Sept. 30, with $95,000 in the bank at the end of the period, compared with Democratic attorney Dario Frommer’s $614,000 raised so far and $103,000 in the bank.

Frommer, a Los Feliz resident, out-raised Missakian during the three months ending Sept. 30, taking in $250,000 to Missakian’s $166,000.

Both candidates got help from party leaders. Frommer received $33,400 from the Assembly Democratic Leadership 2000, as well as $4,000 from Assemblyman Tony Cardenas (D-Sylmar) and $10,000 from the Democratic Business PAC.

Missakian’s campaign funds during the last period included a $20,000 loan from Creative Promotions Unlimited in Glendale, $10,000 each from state Sens. Tim Leslie (R-Tahoe City) and Bill Campbell (R-Orange) and $8,750 from the Assembly Republican Political Action Committee.

Ted Lehrer, a spokesman for Missakian, said the two candidates had about the same cash on hand as of Sept. 30. Lehrer said he is confident Missakian can be competitive in a district where Democrats have an edge in voter registration.

In the race to claim the seat vacated by Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) in the 41st Assembly District, Democrat Fran Pavley has surged ahead of her Republican rival, Jayne Murphy Shapiro, in fund-raising during the latest quarter. The district, which includes Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades and Malibu and straddles the Santa Monica Mountains to Calabasas, Agoura Hills and part of Woodland Hills, has been safely Democratic for the past two decades. Libertarian Colin S. Goldman, a management consultant, is also running.

Pavley, a teacher and former mayor of Agoura Hills known for her environmental work, collected almost three times as many dollars from contributors as Shapiro raised in the last three-month reporting period. Pavley reported raising $129,000 since July, while Shapiro, who has contributed heavily to her own campaign, took in $45,000.

Shapiro, a nurse who heads an advocacy group for children’s safety, has $68,000 on hand. She raked in a $2,000 contribution from the ExxonMobil Corp. and $3,500 from the Pacific Ranch Co. in Camarillo.

But Pavley reports having nearly twice as much cash--$132,000--on hand. Her major contributors include Zenith Insurance Co. of Woodland Hills, United Teachers-Los Angeles, the California League of Conservation Voters and restaurateur Peyman Bolandhemat, who each gave $5,000 in the most recent period.

Overall, Shapiro has raised more. She loaned herself $276,500, bringing her total count to $485,000. Pavley, who loaned herself about $20,000, has raised $348,000 altogether.

In the 44th Assembly District, Democrat Carol Liu, a La Canada Flintridge city councilwoman, reported raising $164,000 during the last three months, bringing her total this year to $887,414.

Liu, who has loaned her campaign $634,000 so far, including $30,000 during the last reporting period, had $75,224 in the bank as of Sept. 30.

Contributions to Liu’s campaign included $5,000 from the Women’s Political Committee, $15,000 from the law firm of Girardi & Keese.

Her Republican opponent, television commentator Susan Carpenter McMillan of Pasadena, said she did not raise as much but she did not release a report. She had $130,000 in her campaign account in July.

In the 19th Senate District race, Assemblyman Tom McClintock (R-Northridge) reported raising $229,972 during the last three-month period, bringing his total for the year to $537,000.

His Democratic opponent, Daniel Gonzalez, did not return calls for comment.

McClintock, who had $204,059 in the bank as of Sept. 30, reported help including a $4,200 contribution from the California Building Industry Assn. PAC, $8,500 from Realtor Joseph Anthony of Ventura, an $8,000 loan from Anthony and a $5,000 loan from Galpin Motors Inc. in North Hills.

Kuehl, whose real fight was against Assemblyman Wally Knox (D-Los Angeles) in the Democratic primary, collected a $35,000 contribution from the Consumer Attorneys of California in her bid to succeed Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles) in the 23rd Senate District. Other major donors, who each gave $5,000, included the Entertainment Industry Development Corp., the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn., the Los Angeles County Council on Political Education, attorney John Quinn and philanthropist Anita May Rosenstein.

Kuehl raised $236,000 in the latest period. She is facing Republican Daniel Rego, a chemist, who has raised just $1,099 in his campaign.

Rego said he collected a $1,000 contribution from New Mexico Republican Sen. Pete V. Domenici’s political action committee, and the rest was donated by the Los Angeles County Republican Party. Libertarian Charles T. Black, a physician, is also vying to represent this district, which extends from the southwest San Fernando Valley to West Los Angeles.

In the 38th Assembly District, Republican physician Keith Richman leads the race to replace McClintock in an area where registration is 43% Republican and 39% Democratic. He raised $75,000 in this reporting period and $669,000 to date. The bulk of Richman’s money comes from a $420,000 loan he made to his campaign.

Richman’s biggest donor this round was the California Medical Political Action Committee, which gave $16,039--more than his Democratic opponent raised this period. Democrat Jon Lauritzen, a computer and math teacher, collected $15,710 since July. That amount includes $10,000 he loaned the campaign, as well as a $2,500 contribution from the California Teachers Assn. Lauritzen has raised $36,000 to date.

Meanwhile, Libertarian Philip Baron has raised less than $1,000 for his race, including $225 he loaned himself. “It ain’t much,” said Baron, a real estate broker. “It’s a lot less than my opponent, I’ll tell you that.”

And in the heavily Democratic 42nd Assembly District, Democrat Paul Koretz, a West Hollywood city councilman, is the clear front-runner. Koretz could not provide copies of his campaign’s most recent financial data Thursday, but a spokesman estimated he had raised roughly $250,000 over the past three months. That puts him well ahead of Republican Douglas Cleon Taylor, who said he raised about $1,000 in the latest period.

Libertarian Mark Allen Selzer, Green Party candidate Sara Amir and Natural Party candidate Ivka Adam are also running for the seat.

The reports are the second-to-last campaign finance reports before the Nov. 7 election. The last report is due Oct. 26.