Measure O Backers, Candidates Bolster Campaign Coffers

Backers of Measure O have spent almost $1.6 million to gain control of $260 million in tobacco settlement money, while candidates in county supervisorial and legislative races have collected huge sums for a final monthlong push to the Nov. 7 election.

In documents filed Thursday, Community Memorial Hospital reported spending $1,589,847 this year on the controversial initiative, and more than $1 million since June, mostly on mailers that promote the plan to wrest control of tobacco funds away from Ventura County government and give it to private hospitals.

Already, Community Memorial has spent about the same as it did in 1996 to block construction of a new wing at the rival county hospital.

Meanwhile, fund-raising records continued to tumble in the 1st District supervisorial race between Ojai educator Steve Bennett and veteran Ventura Councilman Jim Monahan, as total contributions reached $410,000, compared with the former record of $254,000.

Monahan, a strong business advocate, has now raised $227,386, while Bennett, a slow-growth activist, has generated $182,244. Bennett has $56,000 in remaining cash, compared with $2,714 for Monahan, who has received $40,000 from Ventura thrift store magnate Ray Ellison and his son, Matthew.

In District 3, Supervisor Kathy Long boosted her big lead over Camarillo Councilman Mike Morgan with donations totaling $171,471, four times as much as Morgan’s $43,982.

In two local Assembly races, incumbents Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) and Tony Strickland (R-Moorpark) held commanding fund-raising leads--Jackson with nearly $214,000 in prepaid ads from the Assembly’s Democratic leaders.

As of Sept. 30, Jackson had raised $555,536 this year, and had $155,083 cash on hand, while her Republican opponent, Robin Sullivan, a Santa Paula councilwoman, raised $157,826 and had about $11,000 left in the bank. But she also reported debts of nearly $68,000.

Strickland is also far ahead in his rematch with 1998 opponent Roz McGrath, a Somis schoolteacher. He had raised about $457,000 by Sept. 30. McGrath, recruited into the race by state Democratic leaders, reported contributions of $216,040 for the year and $24,145 left. But she said her Democratic Party commitments are strong, and she expects to spend $700,000 by election day.

In a race to replace retiring state Sen. Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley), Assemblyman Tom McClintock (R-Northridge) received a second $100,000 loan from Senate Republican leaders and had a cash balance of $204,059 compared with Simi Valley Democrat Daniel Gonzalez’s $2,150 in the bank.

Gonzalez had been suspended from practicing law, but he said the state bar reinstated him a week ago after he cleared up what was essentially an address snafu that kept him from responding to client complaints filed with the bar.

* Measure O: The Measure O campaign has rapidly become the most costly and controversial on the fall ballot.

Despite the $1.6 million in spending, Community Memorial Executive Director Michael Bakst said they had to spend so much to counter “lies and distortions” about the initiative spread by the news media and county officials.

“How much is your right to vote worth?” he asked. “I think we have set the agenda for health care in Ventura County. We have put it on the radar screen. I would not have had to spend a dime if the supervisors had been honest and forthright.”

Bakst said his board of directors has approved the expenditures, which paid not only for mailers but consultants and legal expenses to put the measure on the ballot.

He said the intensive campaign was not going to let up.

“I’ve never worried about overdoing anything,” he said.

The coalition against Measure O has raised $61,000 and spent $24,000.

“Obviously we hoped to raise more,” said Neal Andrews, chairman of the campaign against Measure O. “When people know the truth about Measure O, they support us.”

The biggest contributor was the $25,000 from Service Employees International Union, Local 998, which represents about 4,000 county employees.

* 1st District Supervisor: Despite maintaining his fund-raising lead, and a $20,000 contribution, Monahan lost ground to Bennett during the last quarter.

Bennett refuses to take contributions over $500 but managed to raise $52,000 to Monahan’s $49,000 since June 30.

Actor Larry Hagman hosted a get-together that drew 385 people to his Upper Ojai mountaintop mansion at $100 each.

Bennett’s contributors are mostly retirees, lawyers, teachers and county employees. He has the support of the county’s largest union, Service Employees International Union, with 4,200 members.

Monahan, who owns American Welding on Ventura Avenue, has received most of his large donations from developers, real estate interests and businesses. He has also attracted many smaller contributions from retirees. He received more than $4,000 from current and past members of the Community Memorial Hospital Board of Directors. Community Memorial is sponsoring Measure O, which Monahan supports.

Other donations include a $2,000 gift from the Tony Strickland Leadership fund, a $1,000 gift from Pardee Construction in Los Angeles, $2,500 from the Building Industry of America and $1,000 from Esther Wachtell, a farmer.

* 3rd District Supervisor: In a replay of her 1996 campaign against Morgan, Democrat Long of Camarillo raised about $41,000 of her $171,000 between July 1 and Sept. 30 and had $38,605 left after campaign expenses.

Morgan, a Republican, raised $17,018 in the three-month period to bring his total to almost $44,000. That includes a $7,000 personal loan. He had just $7,508 left Sept. 30.

He said he hoped to raise $10,000 more before the election, which should be enough “to get the message across.”

Morgan’s top contributors since July were retired Oxnard lawyer Leo O’Hearn, a critic of Long’s, $3,000; Bud Arosteguy of Camarillo, a BMW sales manager, $2,000; Camarillo physician Paul Dougherty, $1,390; and Woodland Hills tree nursery owner and Republican backer John Boething, $1,000.

Retired environmentalist Florence Clapp of Ojai was Long’s top individual contributor, giving $5,000 in July, while actor Hagman gave $1,150 in cash and in-kind donations.

Malibu developers Crumpler & Kruger, who built the Tierra Rejada golf course and want to build another course near Santa Paula, have given Long $1,450.

Organized labor and Santa Clara Valley agricultural interests continued to donate. The United Food and Commercial Workers Union provided $600 of rental space monthly for Long’s campaign office. Ranchers, farmers, nursery owners and mining companies gave at least $5,950 combined.

* Assembly 35th District: Among the legislative races, the Jackson-Sullivan face-off could be the most expensive, since the campaigns have already raised more than $700,000.

Jackson, a Democratic Party leader in her first term, raised $326,505 for the three months ending Sept. 30, spent $373,223 and had $155,083 left for the final five weeks.

The $213,809 contribution from Assembly Democratic Leadership 2000 pays for ads on network television, cable TV and radio.

“This shows the support that the party is giving me,” Jackson said.

After the giant Democratic Party contribution, Jackson’s biggest contributions for the last three months are from the Consumer Attorneys PAC, $11,750 ($12,750 for the year); Clapp, the retired Ojai environmentalist, $5,000; Women’s Political Committee, Los Angeles, $5,000; Operating Engineers PAC, $4,078; and the California Teachers Assn., $2,500 ($7,500 cumulative).

Sullivan, recruited to face Jackson partly to lure Republican women to the polls, said she is confident she can draw enough support to win.

Over the last three months, she raised $49,040. The Assembly Republican Caucus provided $6,000 for a voter poll. The biggest contributions otherwise were: Los Padres Agriculture and Land PAC, an agricultural group in Santa Barbara County, $5,000; National Federation of Independent Businesses, $1,000; and ABATE, an anti-helmet motorcycle group, $1,000.

“Basically, our recent polling told us this race is a winnable seat,” said Jamie Fisfis, political director for the Republican Assembly Caucus.

* Assembly 37th District: Strickland’s $457,000 in fund-raising--more than twice that of McGrath--was achieved without support from either the Assembly Republican Caucus or the state GOP.

“We didn’t get anything big like Hannah-Beth Jackson or Tom McClintock,” said Joel Angeles, spokesman for McClintock. “We’re hoping for something like that.”

Although boosted by a $100,000 loan from religious broadcast mogul Edward Atsinger III last spring, among the biggest contributors this period were east county businessmen Jewel Sires, $10,000, and Rick Chiviaroli, $7,500.

McGrath said her contribution total is a fraction of what she intends to spend once promised Democratic Party support lands this month.

“I know that we’ll have everything we need to win this race,” McGrath said.

McGrath’s biggest contributors over the last quarter were labor groups, which contributed about $33,000 total, and the Assembly Democrats, which pitched in about $14,000, she said.

She has received about $75,000 from Assembly Democrats since January.

* State Senate 19th District: In what has long been a Republican seat, McClintock generated nearly $230,000 in loans and contributions since June, including the Senate GOP leadership’s $100,000. The total also includes a $1,000 loan from the Gun Owners of California Campaign Committee and an $8,000 loan from Joseph Anthony of Ventura, owner of Anthony Realty.

Gonzalez, who lost a bid for Congress in 1998, reported loans and contributions this period of $19,128. The Simi Valley lawyer said he continues to walk precincts and participate in forums despite his fund-raising disadvantage.

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Times staff writers Margaret Talev and Fred Alvarez contributed to this story.