Mayor Spends $188,000 on Delgadillo

As the spirited race for Los Angeles city attorney enters the final weekend before Tuesday’s runoff election, Deputy Mayor Rocky Delgadillo got another big financial boost from his boss the mayor, who spent $188,000 on Delgadillo’s behalf, documents filed Friday show.

In addition, the Delgadillo campaign continues to raise money at a breakneck pace, according to other campaign finance documents filed Friday with the city Ethics Commission. Delgadillo reported raising $226,624 in just 11 days, (May 20-30). That amount does not include contributions collected Thursday, one day after the filing period ended, during a fund-raiser hosted by San Fernando Valley biomedical mogul Alfred E. Mann.

Councilman Mike Feuer, who does not accept contributions from lobbyists, raised slightly more money than Delgadillo during the most recent reporting period, collecting $226,925. He also had considerably more cash on hand heading into the final days of the campaign: $118,350 to Delgadillo’s $2,690. But in overall fund-raising during the runoff campaign, Delgadillo remained ahead, pulling in a total of $860,272 to Feuer’s $656,913.

Both candidates have received just over $300,000 apiece in matching public funds.

Delgadillo has spent most of his money on broadcast television ads, an expensive but crucial medium in a citywide campaign. Feuer has not matched Delgadillo’s television time, although he, too, has had a spot on the air regularly.

But the biggest difference in the two candidates’ resources lies in the so-called independent expenditures--spending done by groups or well-heeled individuals outside the campaigns themselves.

On Friday, Mayor Richard Riordan, for whom Delgadillo heads up city economic development programs, reported spending $188,000 on telephone banks; a “media buy” (unspecified, but probably television); and political mailings to support Delgadillo’s candidacy. That is on top of the nearly $77,000 Riordan spent on mailers earlier in the runoff campaign.

Also Friday, Ronald N. Tutor, whose Tutor-Saliba construction firm is a major public works contractor in the city, reported that he has spent $25,000 on a 200,000-piece political mailing on Delgadillo’s behalf. The Apartment Assn. of Greater Los Angeles also spent about $3,500 on ads supporting Delgadillo.

Earlier in the campaign the outdoor advertising industry--which has objected to Feuer’s attempts at stronger sign regulations--put up some $424,000 in billboards for Delgadillo.

Feuer, too, got a little outside help, when the Senior Citizen Voter Political Action Committee reported it is spending about $7,800 on radio spots to support his candidacy.

Feuer Gets Help From State Democratic Party

Feuer also has received substantial help from the California Democratic Party, which has included him on several mailings and other activities on behalf of all their endorsed candidates in Tuesday’s runoff, and from some labor union mailings and telephone calls to members. None of those efforts, however, appear to come close to the outside spending being done to help Delgadillo.

Delgadillo, a Democrat who has spent the last eight years in Republican Riordan’s administration, has positioned himself as a pro-business moderate. He has made school reforms--especially safer schools and more campuses, a central theme of his campaign.

Feuer, who ran a public interest law service, Bet Tzedek, before his 1995 election to the City Council, has stressed experience, independence and integrity during his campaign. He promised to champion the causes that he has on the council--gun safety, the environment, and protections for the elderly and poor.

During his April campaign, Delgadillo spent $1.2 million to Feuer’s $1.07 million; those amounts include the $300,000 each received in matching funds.