Walker’s $47,300 Leads in Torrance Fund-Raising Race

Developers, public employee groups and companies doing business with the city made major contributions to Torrance City Council members during the first six months of this year, according to campaign finance reports filed with the city clerk.

Three Torrance council members and Mayor Katy Geissert are up for reelection next March, but the biggest fund-raiser was three-term Councilman Dan Walker, who won’t face reelection until 1992. Walker reported receiving $47,300 between Jan. 1 and June 30 and spending about the same amount to fund a direct-mail initiative campaign to restrict the use of hydrofluoric acid at the Mobil Oil Corp. refinery.

He also reported spending $3,000 in fees to political consultant Allan Hoffenblum of Los Angeles.

A public relations consultant who has expressed ambitions for higher office, Walker reported having about $25,977 in campaign funds on hand as of June 30. Real estate companies, developers and builders contributed about $13,000 during the reporting period, and unions gave $2,000, with most of the remainder coming from attorneys, medical office building management companies and other South Bay businesses.

No Contributions to Hardison

Among those up for reelection in March, 1990, Councilman Bill Applegate far outpaced his colleagues in fund-raising. Applegate reported receiving $28,294, compared to $10,637 for Councilman Mark Wirth and $3,910 for Geissert. Councilwoman Dee Hardison reported receiving no contributions.

Applegate, who owns a company that negotiates commercial and industrial real estate sales, reported contributions of $8,700 from real estate companies, developers and builders. City employee unions added about $1,500, with the remainder coming mostly from South Bay businesses.

Applegate, who is seeking his fourth term, reported having $26,416 on hand at the end of the reporting period, plus $5,090 that he raised before Jan. 1.

Wirth, a business telephone installer and two-term incumbent, reported having $8,778 on hand at the end of the reporting period. Of the $10,637 he raised, about $3,400 came from real estate companies, developers and builders, $1,200 from local unions, and the rest from management companies and other local businesses.

The $3,910 Geissert raised during the reporting period included $2,100 in contributions from real estate companies, builders and developers. Most of the rest came from retired Torrance residents. Geissert, who is seeking her second term as mayor, also has $12,715 left from previous reporting periods.

Hardison, a special education teacher at Calle Mayor Middle School, reported no expenses and no contributions during the six-month period. She reported having $183 on hand. Hardison said this week that she has not decided whether to run for reelection.

Councilman George Nakano, a school administrator in Inglewood, will be up for reelection in 1992. He collected $15,593, and reported a balance of $13,516. Contributions from attorneys, bankers, accountants and other business people accounted for most of the funds he raised. About $4,000 came from developers and real estate companies and $2,500 came from union groups.

Councilman Tim Mock, a paralegal with a Long Beach law firm, is also up for reelection in 1992. He raised $16,800 and reported a balance of $18,288. Developers and real estate companies gave about $6,900, unions gave $1,300, and most of the remainder came from local businessmen.

Brian Hannon, a junior high school teacher in San Pedro who is considering running for a council seat, reported no campaign contributions for the period and a balance of $427.

Campaign funds raised before Jan. 1 have been reported separately because of Proposition 73, a campaign-reform initiative approved by voters last year that imposes limits on contributions in state and local campaigns.

Proposition 73, which took effect on Jan. 1., says individuals can give no more than $1,000, small political action committees can donate up to $2,500, and larger, established PACs can give a maximum of $5,000 to a candidate each fiscal year.

Ten Court Cases Filed

According to Torrance Deputy City Clerk Dora Hong, funds raised before Jan. 1 that exceed the limits imposed by Proposition 73 cannot be used for future campaigns. The money can be used to pay off debts from previous campaigns and for certain officeholder expenses, she said.

But the question of how campaign funds raised before Jan. 1 can be spent is still unclear. Ten court cases have been filed challenging various provisions of Proposition 73, one of two campaign-reform measures on the ballot in June, 1988.

The other measure, Proposition 68, would have established public financing of legislative campaigns. It was also passed by voters but received fewer votes than did Proposition 73, and as a result did not take effect.

A preliminary injunction issued by a U.S. District Court judge allows candidates to use money raised before Jan. 1 for future campaigns as long as the contributions are within the new limits.

Multiple Contributions

A number of developers, unions and companies that do business with the city made multiple contributions to Torrance officials during the current reporting period.

A political action committee associated with Santa Monica developer Ray Watt, developer of the giant Park del Amo project, gave $500 each to Applegate and Wirth and $1,000 each to Nakano, Walker and Mock.

Western Waste Industries, which operates a garbage transfer station used by the city, gave $1,000 to Walker, $800 to Mock and $400 to Wirth.

James A. Jones, an executive with the Torrance Co., owners of Del Amo Fashion Center, gave $500 to Nakano, $1,000 apiece to Walker, Wirth, Applegate and Geissert, $600 to Mock and $800 to Wirth.

Kelt Oil and Gas, a Torrance-based company that maintains an oil-drilling project near Del Amo Fashion Center, gave $900 to Mock and $1,000 to Walker.

Arthur J. Valdez, president of Val-Co Enterprises, a Torrance-based real estate developer, gave $200 each to Nakano and Wirth, $250 to Applegate and $1,000 to Walker.

Bayco Financial, a prominent developer of office buildings in the city, gave $1,000 to Wirth and $350 to Nakano.

Oxford Properties, developer of a high-rise office complex at Torrance and Hawthorne boulevards, gave $200 to Wirth and $500 to Applegate.

Real Property Resources Inc., another local development firm, gave $400 to Nakano and $1,000 apiece to Mock and Walker.

The union representing Torrance police officers gave $1,000 to Walker and $500 each to Applegate, Mock and Nakano.

The union representing Torrance firefighters gave $1,000 each to Walker, Nakano and Applegate and $400 to Mock.

Torrance-based contractor Dan Butcher gave $600 to Mock, $500 to Applegate, $1,000 to Walker and $400 apiece to Nakano and Wirth.

Isco Industries Inc., a Lawndale development company, gave $1,000 each to Applegate and Nakano and $200 to Wirth.

Surf Management Inc., a Torrance-based company that manages industrial and commercial developments mostly in the South Bay, gave $1,000 to Walker, $500 apiece to Applegate and Wirth, $200 to Nakano and $400 to Mock.

Pioneer Theatres, which employs Walker as a consultant on swap meets and flea markets held at its drive-in theaters, gave $1,000 each to Walker, Wirth, Mock, Nakano and Applegate.

Neil Gascon, owner of Gascon Mar Ltd., which is developing a business park on the former Armco steel plant site, gave $1,000 to Walker and $250 to Applegate.

Van Lingen Body Shop Inc., which has a towing contract with the city, gave $250 to Applegate, and Inez Van Lingen, owner of the body shop, gave $500 to Nakano, $600 to Mock and $1,000 to Walker. Robert Van Lingen, vice president of the shop, gave $500 to Walker.

CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS IN TORRANCECampaign funds raised before Jan. 1 have been reported separately because of Proposition 73, a law that imposes limits on contributions in state and local campaigns.

Dan

Walker

Received $47,300 from Jan. 1-June 30; $13,000 from real estate companies, developers and builders.

Bill

Applegate

Received $28,294; $8,700 from real estate companies, developers and builders.

Mark

Wirth

Received $10,637; $3,400 from real estate companies, developers and builders.

Katy

Geissert

Received $3,910; $2,100 from real estate companies, developers and builders.

Dee

Hardison

No contributions reported.

George

Nakano

Received $15,593; $4,000 from developers and real estate companies.

Tim

Mock

Received $16,800; $6,900 from developers and real estate companies.