4 Lawmakers Spent $740,000 in Low-Risk Primaries : Politics: Many area legislators who paid out large sums in June say reapportionment required them to introduce themselves to constituents.

Four San Fernando Valley-area state legislators spent nearly $740,000 in campaign funds in last June’s primary election although they faced little or no opposition, campaign finance reports show.

And David A. Roberti, the state Senate president pro tem who was fighting for his political life in a new all-Valley district, outspent his Republican opponent 12 to 1 to win a June special election by less than four percentage points, the statements indicate.

Assembly members Pat Nolan (R-Glendale), Barbara Friedman (D-Los Angeles), Richard Katz (D-Sylmar) and Paula L. Boland (R-Granada Hills) spent a total of $738,400 in the June 2 primary election despite having nominal or no opposition.

The lawmakers said much of their spending was on campaign mailers to introduce them to voters in newly reapportioned districts where they face general election races this fall. The districts were redrawn in a court-ordered reapportionment to reflect population changes since 1980.

The top spender was Nolan, who paid out $257,061 on campaign mail, fund-raisers, a publicist and other items between Jan. 1 and June 30, although he was unopposed on the June ballot.

Nolan, whose new district includes much of Burbank, said part of that money was used to help liquidate debts left over from his 1990 reelection, but he could not say how much.

He also poured more than $25,000 in cash and non-cash contributions into the campaign of fellow conservative Bill Hoge, who won the GOP primary in the adjacent 44th Assembly District.

Nolan said that more than half of the voters in his new 43rd Assembly District have not been represented by him before, and part of his spending went for a series of campaign brochures sent to his new constituents.

“The purpose was to let the Republicans know who I am so I have a strong base going into the general election,” he said. “The Republicans don’t know who I am or what my record is.” But GOP voters outnumber Democrats by more than 7,000 in the district, and Nolan is unlikely to be dislodged in November.

In the 40th Assembly District, Assemblywoman Friedman spent more than $238,000 in the six-month reporting period--including $200,000 to defeat three lightly regarded opponents, who together drew 29% of the vote.

Friedman ran in the mid-Valley district after her old district, covering the area east of downtown Los Angeles, was carved up in reapportionment during her first term of office. She was elected last year with the support of the political organization headed by U.S. Reps. Henry A. Waxman and Howard L. Berman.

The Valley district is 54% Democratic and is considered safe for Friedman in November.

Friedman noted that about 20% of her total spending went to other Democratic candidates, including state Sen. Herschel Rosenthal (D-Los Angeles), another Waxman-Berman ally who was in a tough reelection battle that he ultimately lost.

While acknowledging that her primary opponents were underfunded, Friedman said she decided to spend generously because “it was a new district and I didn’t want to take anything for granted.”

She sent several mailers to all Democrats in the district and also paid to get her name on several slate mailers, Friedman said.

In the 39th Assembly District, incumbent Richard Katz spent $167,580, although he was unopposed. The Sylmar Democrat has represented the northeast Valley district since 1980.

Republican Nicholas Fitzgerald, a Panorama City businessman, also was unopposed in the June 2 primary, but spent only $460.

Katz, who has also filed papers to raise money in anticipation of a run for mayor of Los Angeles, said he had such high expenditures in a no-contest primary because he had an eye on the fall Assembly election.

“This is a year when voters are giving a hard look at all officeholders,” he said, “and I am not taking any chances.”

He also said that the increasing use of attack mailers by special-interest groups not affiliated with a candidate “means that you no longer can plan a campaign just by who your opponent is.”

Katz said he is not planning his general-election campaign to enhance his prospects in a mayoral bid. The 39th District has less than 10% of the city’s voters, he said, and state law does not allow money raised for a state legislative race to be transferred to a local election.

In the 38th Assembly District, incumbent Republican Paula L. Boland--who was also unopposed in June--spent $75,174. She said the bulk of it was put toward reducing a debt of $100,000 left over from her 1990 election campaign.

She said that 60% of the district is new territory for her, and that she also spent money to send out a campaign mailer. But the new district is overwhelmingly Republican, and Boland is expected to hold onto her seat easily in November.

Roberti, the powerful leader of the state Senate, spent more than $1.4 million to defeat Republican Carol Rowen, a political neophyte who spent $118,000 and repeatedly attacked Roberti for his opposition to abortion rights.

Despite his enormous spending advantage, Roberti beat Rowen by just 3.7% to win election in the all-Valley 20th Senate District, where he ran after reapportionment eliminated his Hollywood-area district.

Rowen on Monday called Roberti’s spending “obscene” and said that she would have won if she had had only $30,000 or $40,000 more.

Roberti said he had to spend as much as he did to offset heavy spending by special-interest groups such as taxpayers, gun owners and apartment owners.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Committee, for example, spent more than $144,000 to defeat him, according to the secretary of state’s office. In addition, gun owners flooded the district with tens of thousands of attack mailers.

Spending also was heavy in other closely contested Valley-area races.

Assemblywoman Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) spent more than $434,000 to defeat former Assemblywoman Marian W. La Follette for the GOP nomination in the 19th Senate District. La Follette spent $338,000 for the seat now occupied by Republican Ed Davis, who is retiring.

In the 36th Assembly District, covering the northern half of Los Angeles County, Assembly aide Hunt Braly lost the GOP nomination to former Palmdale Mayor William J. (Pete) Knight, despite outspending him almost 2 to 1. Braly paid out $241,000 while Knight spent only $122,000.

Former Santa Monica councilwoman and mayor Christine Reed spent $128,057 to eke out a victory over a field of Republican men in the 41st Assembly District, which straddles the Santa Monica Mountains, stretching from Santa Monica to Tarzana and Westlake Village.

Reed, a GOP moderate who was embroiled for years in the struggle over rent control in her home city, received $5,500 from the Apartment Assn. of Greater Los Angeles, on whose behalf she several times sought to modify Santa Monica’s strict control of rents.

Reed’s victory puts her in a tough November contest with Assemblyman Terry B. Friedman (D-Los Angeles), who was unopposed in the primary. Friedman spent less than $4,000 while amassing a general-election war chest of more than $100,000.

Ten Republicans in the new 44th Assembly District, in which no incumbent was on the ballot, got into a costly donnybrook, spending more than $1 million to determine who would carry the GOP banner in November.

The victor, Pasadena insurance agent Hoge, could face another expensive race in November against Democrat Jonathan S. Fuhrman, a Pasadena business manager.

Although Fuhrman spent less than $6,000 to edge two rivals in the Democratic primary, he said he will need $150,000 to run a strong campaign against Hoge in November.

As campaign treasurer for County Supervisor Gloria Molina, Fuhrman may have the fund-raising experience to realize that goal.

Hoge spent $236,329 in the primary and pledged to wage a “very aggressive campaign” this fall.

Most of the money from special interests and political leaders in the district went to the two top Republican vote-getters, Barbara Pieper, the former mayor of La Canada Flintridge who carried Gov. Pete Wilson’s endorsement, and Hoge, who ran with the backing of neighboring Assemblymen Pat Nolan and Richard L. Mountjoy (R-Monrovia).

In addition to aid from Nolan, Hoge got $17,000 from the National Rifle Assn. and $9,000 from Assemblywoman Andrea Seastrand (R-Salinas).

Pieper received $20,267 from the California Medical Assn., $12,068 from the Assn. of School Administrators, $30,000 from Assemblyman Charles W. Quackenbush (R-Saratoga) and $4,000 from a gun-control group. She spent $270,421 on her campaign, $34,000 more than Hoge.

Two losing Republican candidates in the district also spent freely, even without significant special-interest contributions. Robert Oltman, who owns a warehouse storage business, spent $229,000 of his own money, or more than $40 for each vote he received in his third-place finish. T. H. Choi loaned himself $110,234 for the campaign but finished fifth.

With Republicans slightly outnumbering Democrats in the 44th, political observers consider the district safe for the GOP, especially since Republicans are traditionally more reliable voters.

But Fuhrman contends that the strength of the national Democratic ticket, the recession, the growing number of independent voters looking for change, and other issues--including abortion--could scramble the usual political calculations this year.

Candidate Spending

Amounts raised and spent during the first six months of 1992 by major party legislative candidates in the Antelope, Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys. The cash on hand is as of June 30, 1992. In-kind contributions are reported as contributions but not expenditures. Information is from reports filed with county election officials as of Aug. 14. Candidates who did not spend $1,000 and were not required to file are not listed.

36th Assembly District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH ON HAND Kurt C. Boese $825 $534 $291 Republican, Canyon Country Hunt Braly 202,012 241,636 12,799 Republican, Santa Clarita John Drew 16,100 15,063 1,037 Republican, Newhall William J. (Pete) Knight 136,587 122,821 4,765 Republican, Palmdale Richard Irmer 1,453 1,453 0 Republican, Lancaster Forrest L. McElroy 70,031 61,555 480 Republican, Palmdale Arnie Rodio 11,800 4,822 6,777 Democrat, Lancaster

38th Assembly District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH ON HAND James Blatt $43,244 $40,174 $5,462 Democrat, Northridge Paula L. Boland 103,485 75,174 26,174 Republican, Granada Hills Howard Cohen 10,237 8,150 1,032 Democrat, North Hills

39th Assembly District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH ON HAND Nicholas Fitzgerald $409 $460 $46 Republican, Panorama City Richard Katz 113,172 167,580 87,459 Democrat, Panorama City

40th Assembly District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH ON HAND Barbara Friedman $191,677 $238,830 $33,001 Democrat, Los Angeles Horace H. Heidt 27,727 17,098 6,118 Republican, Sherman Oaks Jon Robert Lorenzen 23,687 20,592 0 Republican, Reseda Brian Perry* N/A N/A N/A Republican, Canoga Park

41st Assembly District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH ON HAND Fred Beteta $16,795 $16,741 $150 Republican, Santa Monica Terry B. Friedman 53,000 3,580 103,401 Democrat, Sherman Oaks Scott Meehan* N/A N/A N/A Democrat, Malibu Christine Reed 130,566 128,057 7,649 Republican, Santa Monica

42nd Assembly District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH ON HAND Robert K. Davis $3,249 $1,896 $1,353 Republican, West Hollywood John J. Duran 62,854 43,881 984 Democrat, West Hollywood Burt Margolin 123,853 150,495 12,042 Democrat, Los Angeles

43rd Assembly District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH ON HAND Elliott Graham $100 $0 $100 Democrat, Glendale Pat Nolan 187,147 257,061 32,042 Republican, Glendale

44th Assembly District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH ON HAND Jonathan S. Fuhrman $4,332 $6,935 0 Democrat, Pasadena Daniel I. Hurst* N/A N/A N/A Democrat, Pasadena John Vollbrecht 3,433 5,834 0 Democrat, Los Angeles Stephen Acker 91,103 108,097 24 Republican, Pasadena Bob Bell* N/A N/A N/A Republican, La Crescenta T. H. Choi 127,077 124,000 3,077 Republican, Pasadena Bill Hoge 225,303 236,329 17,786 Republican, Pasadena Robert Oltman 246,110 229,924 14,047 Republican, Pasadena Barbara Pieper 252,635 270,421 1,921 Republican, La Canada Flintridge Lee David Prentiss 31,699 17,848 793 Republican, South Pasadena Wilbert L. Smith 96,744 76,012 79 Republican, Pasadena

17th State Senate District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH ON HAND Don Rogers $100,326 $58,934 $128,268 Republican, Tehachapi William Olenick* N/A N/A N/A Democrat, Lancaster

19th State Senate District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH ON HAND Marian W. La Follette $341,449 $338,570 $600 Republican, (approx.) Thousand Oaks Henry Phillip Starr 33,177 32,457 345 Democrat, Bell Canyon Cathie Wright 249,917 434,427 9,133 Republican, Simi Valley

20th State Senate District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH ON HAND David A. Roberti $1 million $1.46 $13,263 Democrat, Van Nuys million Carol Rowen 141,579 118,306 13,026 Republican, Tarzana

21st State Senate District

CANDIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH ON HAND Newton R. Russell $136,668 $87,899 $221,485 Republican, Glendale Rachel J. Dewey 675 286 389 Democrat, Pasadena

* Reports not on file with county election officials or accounting is incomplete.