LAGUNA BEACH : Group to Urge Campaign Reform

Following one of the most expensive City Council campaigns in Laguna Beach history, the city’s largest political action committee will begin a new push for campaign spending reform, Village Laguna President Johanna Felder said.

“It’s scary when you think about all these big bucks,” she said. “Campaign reform has to be done.”

According to campaign spending statements from individual candidates through Oct. 17, a total of $80,861 was spent in this year’s election, mostly on a fiercely fought race for two City Council seats, City Clerk Verna L. Rollinger said. Spending statements from political action committees through Election Day show an additional $79,412 in expenditures, Rollinger said.

By the time final figures are tallied in January, the totals will likely balloon, Rollinger said.

“Based on the activity and the number of flyers (mailed) during the last two weekends of the election, it would not surprise me to see the figure we now have double,” she said.

Village Laguna members are still smarting from what one called “low blow” tactics in this year’s race, including last-minute mailers they say were designed to confuse voters.

“You can put out a lot of misinformation and it cannot be dispelled because of timing and lack of money,” Felder said. “I think if you have enough money, you can buy any election.”

One flyer from “The Village of Laguna” was obviously designed to copy an earlier Village Laguna mailer that had endorsed candidates Kathleen Blackburn and Norm Grossman. The copycat mailer, stamped “Urgent! Candidate Endorsement Update,” said, “The Village of Laguna” had reassessed its endorsement and was backing candidate Beth Leeds, a long-shot candidate running for the sixth time.

The matter has been referred to the district attorney’s office, Felder said.

While political insiders admit campaign financing reform will not prevent illegal acts, they say it could pull in the reins on spending that is swirling out of control in their city.

Earlier this year, the City Council rejected a campaign spending ordinance proposed by Village Laguna, instead suggesting candidates voluntarily sign statements saying they would limit their spending to $30,000.

Of the eight candidates in this year’s race, only Mel Owens and Peter French chose not to sign such a statement, Rollinger said.

French, who said Friday he spent only about $2,000 on his campaign, said he did not sign the statement because he thought it was unconstitutional and an attempt by Village Laguna to keep their opponents “from launching a successful campaign.” Owens could not be reached for comment.

Campaign spending statements through Oct. 17 show Owens with the highest expenditures at $38,999. Blackburn was second with spending listed at $18,769 at that date.

A newly formed political action committee called Citizens for Responsible Government, A Coalition of Concerned Citizens, Property Owners, Mobile Home Parks, Taxpayers and Homeowners, which opposed Grossman and supported winners Blackburn and Wayne Peterson, reported spending $62,427, Rollinger said.

Grossman, who was considered a front-runner throughout the race, finished fourth behind Owens.

Village Laguna spent a total of about $10,000 on the race, Felder said.

Leeds, who said she spent less than $250 on the campaign, agreed that something should be done to level the playing field.

Laguna Beach “started out as a little community and it’s being taken over by the moneyed interests,” she said. “We don’t need to have people spending $60,000 to get a $300-per-month seat.”