Campaign Puts a Friendship Under Fire

In the foyer of St. Monica’s church is a plaque listing financier Bill Simon Jr. and his wife as “Archangels” for their contributions to the Santa Monica parish.

The stone church itself was rebuilt after the Northridge earthquake partly with money from the pocket of Richard Riordan, who then was mayor of Los Angeles.

Simon and Riordan, friends and former political allies, share a devotion to their parish and much more. But today, the vicissitudes of the Republican gubernatorial campaign have pushed the two wealthy, Westside Catholic businessmen and philanthropists to spend the final days of the campaign pointing out each other’s weaknesses.

Where once Riordan urged Simon to run, now he questions his fitness for office; where once Simon, 50, expressed admiration for Riordan, 71, now he suggests that the former mayor is ambivalent about tax hikes. Where once they greeted one another with hugs, now they only exchange pleasantries when they meet on the campaign trail.

The tension continued Sunday. In response to reporters’ questions about his attacks on his friend, Riordan said voters deserved to know “what kind of person he [Simon] is.” For his part, Simon said he was “saddened” by an attack ad Riordan is airing.

It is a bitter turn to the two men’s relationship, nurtured in the more dignified business of high-end philanthropy, tested in the rough-and-tumble of a political campaign.

The awkwardness was apparent at St. Monica’s Sunday morning.

“We’re proud of both of them,” Msgr. Lloyd Torgerson said tersely about the candidates. Asked about their squabble, the pastor replied: “I don’t want to talk about that.”

As Simon and Riordan enter the final full week of the Republican campaign, each blames the other for straining the friendship.

Riordan notes that Simon was the first to be critical when he attacked Riordan’s tax record during a debate at the GOP convention in San Jose earlier this month. “He started some ... negativism on me at the convention, distorting my record,” Riordan said Sunday. “I felt people should know what kind of person he is.”

For his part, Simon notes that the former mayor encouraged him to run and has praised him before. “I don’t think it’s any coincidence,” Simon said. “I guess you could reasonably ask the question, ‘What’s changed in the past 10 days other than a narrowing in Dick’s lead?’”

Riordan and Simon used to cross paths in more pleasant circumstances.

The two men move through similar social circles and got to know each other through fund-raising for their church. Both run philanthropic foundations. Simon’s wife, Cynthia, is on the board of LA’s BEST, an after-school program that Riordan promoted when he was mayor. Riordan’s home is in Brentwood; Simon’s in nearby Pacific Palisades. Both have long vacationed in Sun Valley.

Over the years, Riordan and Simon struck up a friendship, though the former mayor’s campaign says it is a casual one and that the two do not socialize regularly.

As the Simon campaign tells it, Riordan entered politics first, and he encouraged Simon to get involved in his own campaigns. Simon gave money to Riordan’s effort to oust members of the Los Angeles school board, his campaign said. At the former mayor’s urging, Simon hosted a fund-raiser at his own home for Riordan’s handpicked successor as mayor, Steve Soboroff.

Riordan’s campaign says he does not recall the fund-raiser.

Riordan was also one of the various Republican luminaries who urged Simon to run for governor. Even though the former mayor’s name was being mentioned as a possible GOP contender, Riordan squired Simon about town, introducing him and another possible candidate--actor and fellow St. Monica parishioner Arnold Schwarzenegger--to various power brokers.

Simon began campaigning early last year. And even then, Riordan continued to give input, recommending that his friend hire the woman who ultimately became the press secretary of the former mayor’s own campaign.

But then Riordan chose to enter the race himself.

The two friends spoke occasionally even after Riordan announced his candidacy. And while their aides occasionally sniped at each other, the candidates resolutely would not. Riordan was considered the front-runner and made a point of never mentioning Simon or Bill Jones, who has raised less money than the two Los Angeles millionaires.

At First, Friends Refuse Negative Comments

Simon took a similar tack, refusing to attack his friend despite goading by reporters and some of his own campaign staff, though strategist Sal Russo says the plan was always to hold off on criticizing Riordan until closer to election day.

Simon’s initial reluctance to go after his friend helped spur Gov. Gray Davis to launch a stinging preemptive advertising onslaught against Riordan. The governor’s advisors said they could not afford to let Riordan coast through the primary.

As Riordan’s support was tested by the Davis onslaught, some Simon backers helped engineer the former mayor’s nasty reception at the Republican convention in San Jose. They slipped anti-Riordan fliers under candidates’ doors at the convention hotel and arranged for a college Republican to dress in a rhino outfit--a reference to the view among some activists that Riordan, who has supported Democrats in his career, is a “Republican In Name Only.”

It was at a debate there that Simon challenged Riordan’s record on taxes, leading the former mayor to angrily upbraid his friend, saying:

“You and I belong to the same church ... you have to be ashamed at the folklore that came out of your mouth.”

Things have gone downhill ever since.

Simon no longer shies away from criticizing Riordan on the trail. Last week, Riordan hit his friend with an ad highlighting Simon’s failure to vote in several elections and criticizing Simon’s business acumen.

Among other things, Riordan’s ad said Simon had invested in a savings and loan that ultimately cost the taxpayers $92 million. To illustrate that investment, the ad uses an image of a headline from The Times referring to the “Simon-led” bank. That headline actually referred to Simon’s father, who was running the family investment firm with his sons at the time. The younger Simon was in charge of monitoring the S&L; investment.

Simon cited that clip Sunday when he said he was “disappointed” at the attack. “There were certain elements about it that made me say, ‘Geez, that’s not true,’” he said.

The Simon campaign had long promised it would air a negative spot on Riordan, and hit back the next day with an ad in which Simon asserts Riordan is “ashamed to be a Republican.”

Both campaigns have prepared more of the same, and could roll them out in the days between now and March 5.

On Sunday, the two men had slightly different takes on whether their friendship would survive the primary. Simon said he expected the two will remain friends.

Riordan laughed when he was asked the question. “In politics,” he said, “you just have to wait until after the election and ask then.”