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| Office of the Chancellor / Public Affairs |
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
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Los Angeles Times 8-27-03 Davis Leads Fund-Raising Drive |
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Labor unions, entertainment industry figures, developers and an array of other interests with a stake in what happens in Sacramento are lining up behind Gov. Gray Davis as he battles the effort to bounce him from office. Since the recall measure was placed on the ballot, the governor's anti-recall receipts have eclipsed all fund-raising by those supporting his ouster. Davis' two committees collected more than $2.4 million in contributions of $1,000 or more so far this month, according to reports filed with the secretary of state. Fund-raising by pro-recall groups has slowed markedly since late July, when the question qualified for the Oct. 7 ballot. Only $418,000 has been reported by pro-recall groups in August. Davis — known as a champion fund-raiser — has been drawing large checks from stalwart supporters, particularly in organized labor, which pumped millions of dollars into his election campaigns. The Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees have given $250,000 each in recent days. Labor leaders meeting Tuesday in Manhattan Beach reiterated their opposition to the recall effort, while backing Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante as their choice should Davis lose his job. Dean Tipps, head of the SEIU, which represents 500,000 members in California, explained organized labor's generosity. "Labor spends money," he said. "We want to make sure turnout is not skewed against working people." The state Building and Construction Trades Council of California has provided $155,619 in August to fight the recall. The union representing California Highway Patrolmen donated $25,000. The Amalgamated Transit Union, which is locked in contract talks with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, has sent $20,000 to the Davis committees this month. The governor recently called for a 60-day cooling off period to head off a strike by MTA mechanics. State law generally limits contributions to gubernatorial candidates to $21,200, but Davis is not a candidate on the recall ballot and is not subject to any caps. The governor's anti-recall effort this month received $100,000 checks from financier R. Allen Stanford and from his Houston-based Stanford Financial Group. Norman Pattiz, chairman of broadcaster Westwood One Inc., also sent $100,000. So did Beverly Hills-based developer Casden Properties. An identical sum came from Robert Gumbiner of Long Beach, a collector of Latin American art and the founder of the health maintenance organization FHP International Corp. Two companies with large timber holdings in California, Sierra Pacific Industries of Redding and Simpson Investments of Seattle, each gave $25,000 to Davis' anti-recall effort this month. Both companies supported Republican Dan Lungren for governor in 1998 but switched sides once Democrat Davis was elected. The anti-recall effort received $25,000 from the Newport Beach law firm of Robinson, Calcagnie & Robinson, which represented Davis in a major lawsuit against the tobacco industry in the 1990s. In addition to seeking donations to his anti-recall committees, Californians Against the Costly Recall of the Governor and Taxpayers Against the Governor's Recall, Davis has been raising money for his old reelection committee. "A lot of donors who donated to the governor in the past are accustomed to giving to the Gray Davis Committee," said campaign spokesman Gabriel Sanchez. "The limits do not apply" to those gifts. During August, the Gov. Gray Davis Committee received $100,000 from the state's second-largest workers' compensation carrier, Zenith Insurance of Woodland Hills. The committee collected the same amount from the Sacramento development firm of Angelo Tsakopoulos, a longtime donor to Democrats. Entertainment mogul Haim Saban and Hollywood producer Steven Bing both gave $100,000 to the governor earlier this year. Supporters of the recall have their own committees, which are not subject to contribution limits. Two Orange County businessmen — Newport Beach home-builder William Lyon and Paul Folino, chief executive of Costa Mesa-based Emulex, a supplier of computer network equipment — have given nearly $200,000 to the Total Recall Committee established by GOP gubernatorial contender Arnold Schwarzenegger. Folino donated almost $100,000 to that committee. No donations from Schwarzenegger to the committee have been reported to the state. Folino said he contributed the maximum $21,200 to Schwarzenegger's campaign for governor and wanted to do more toward the recall effort. "I felt strongly enough about my support for Arnold that I wanted to support that as well," Folino said. The recall committee Rescue California received $50,000 this month from Schwarzenegger, who is also raising money separately for his gubernatorial effort. The group received $35,000 this month from the congressional campaign committee of Republican Rep. Darrell Issa. His company, Greene Properties Inc., contributed more than $1.5 million — mostly in loans — to bankroll the petition drive that put the recall question on the ballot. Issa's company also gave $50,000 in August. The same committee reported receiving $34,000 on Sunday from Raveesh Kumra, president of Western Cellular Management Inc. in Santa Clara County. Investment banker Bill Simon Jr., who lost the governor's race to Davis last year and on Saturday abandoned his second quest to replace him, gave $10,000 to Rescue California on Friday. Lungren, who was state attorney general when he lost the 1998 gubernatorial contest, contributed $10,000 to the Davis Recall Committee. Rather than pump money directly into the pro-recall effort, businessman Peter V. Ueberroth, state Sen. Tom McClintock, both Republicans, and Bustamante have been raising money for their own campaigns to replace Davis in case he is recalled. * (BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX) Funds to Back Davis Contributions to the anti-recall campaign committees during August 2003: American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees PAC, Washington...$250,000 California State Council of Service Employees, Sacramento...$250,000 Democratic Governors Assn., Washington...$250,000 State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, Sacramento...$155,619 Casden Properties, Beverly Hills...$100,000 E & J Gallo Winery, Modesto...$100,000 Norman Pattiz, Beverly Hills, Chairman, Westwood One Inc....$100,000 R. Allen Stanford, Houston, Chairman, Stanford Financial Group Co....$100,000 Stanford Financial Group, Houston...$100,000 Robert Gumbiner, Long Beach...$100,000 Operating Engineers Local No. 3, Alameda...$75,000 Political Action for Classified Employees-CSEA, Sacramento...$50,000 Stanley M. Zimmerman, Los Angeles, President, Home Budget Loan...$50,000 Democratic State Central Committee, Sacramento...$45,524.12 California Professional Firefighters PAC, Sacramento...$25,000 California Cable and Telecommunications Assn., Oakland...$25,000 California State Pipe Trades Council, Sacramento...$25,000 Cotchett, Pitre, Simon, & McCarthy, Burlingame...$25,000 Eugene La Pietra, Los Angeles, Owner, Arena Circus...$25,000 George M. Marcus, Palo Alto, Chairman, Marcus & Millichap...$25,000 Machinists Nonpartisan Political League, Upper Marlboro...$25,000 Robinson, Calcagnie & Robinson, Newport Beach...$25,000 Sierra Pacific Industries, Redding...$25,000 Simpson Investments, Seattle...$25,000 Steamfitters Local 342, Concord...$25,000 Wine Institute Fund, San Francisco...$25,000 Playa Capital Co., Los Angeles...$20,000 Signature Properties, Pleasanton...$20,000 California Labor Federation, Oakland...$15,000 Amalgamated Transit Union, Washington...$10,000 California Conference Board-Amalgamated Transit Union, Sacramento...$10,000\ Source: Contribution reports filed with the secretary of state through Aug. 26; Compiled by Times researcher Maloy Moore Los Angeles Times * Contributions race These contributions were reported by major candidates on the recall ballot who have received sums of at least $100,000 for their gubernatorial campaigns. Totals are for contributions larger than $1,000, the minimum that must be reported at this time. Donations must be reported within 24 hours of receipt. Cruz Bustamante Total reported: $ 526,200 from 75 contributions Amount reported for 24 hours ending Tuesday: $99,700 from 12 contributions • The California State Employees Assn., one of the state's largest unions, contributed $21,200.* Nutricion Fundamental Inc., which owns a chain of food stores in California, also contributed $21,200. Arianna Huffington Total reported: $222,000 from 63 contributions Amount reported for 24 hours ending Tuesday: $37,500 from nine contributions. • Huffington contributors continued to be largely from the entertainment industry. Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, producers of the films "I Am Sam" and "Traffic," contributed $10,000 each. Tom McClintock Total reported: $325,875 from 79 contributions Amount reported for 24 hours ending Tuesday: $4,375 from two contributions • Lively, Ackerman and Cody — "a partnership of Christian attorneys," according to partner Scott Lively — contributed $2,375. Arnold Schwarzenegger Total reported: $3,212,600 from 96 contributions Amount reported for 24 hours ending Tuesday: $124,300 from 23 contributions • Schwarzenegger's mother-in-law, Eunice Shriver, gave $15,000. A San Diego construction firm, Douglas E. Barnhart Inc., gave $21,200. Kirk Roller and Paul Folino, executives at Emulex, a networking technology firm, contributed $26,200. Peter V. Ueberroth Total reported: $2,417,535 from 130 contributions Amount reported for 24 hours ending Friday: $59,700 from 12 contributions • Parker S. Kennedy, an executive at a real estate insurance company, contributed $21,200. Herbert A. Allen, a New York City investment banker, added $5,000. *Contributions to candidates from each outside source are limited to $21,200. There is no cap on the amount candidates can give their own campaigns. Reported by Times staff writer Joel Rubin and Times researcher Maloy Moore. Source: Campaign reports filed with the California secretary of state
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