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Published on 02/02/1998 All articles from this issue

Last council election: Totals show top vote getter not top spender

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By Joanne Griffith Domingue / Town Crier Staff Writer

In 1997, like the Los Altos City Council election in 1995, the top fund-raiser was not the top vote getter. In 1997, unlike the council election in 1995, candidates worked within state-mandated spending limits.

These limits, set by Proposition 208 that was passed by California voters in November 1996, and the city council's implementation of these limits, kept individual contributions to $100 and put a cap on campaign spending at $12,000.

A review of the financial campaign statements, filed Jan. 30 with the Los Altos city clerk, show some parallels with the past election but also some new directions as a result of the spending limits.

John Moss, who received the most votes of the four running for two seats in the Nov. 4, 1997, election, did not receive the most campaign contributions. He raised $8,794, which put him third behind King Lear and Patti Williams in fund-raising.

He spent $7,592 and turned the remaining money, $1,202, over to the John Moss office-holder committee, with Los Altos resident Richard L. Hasenpflug as treasurer.

This is the first time for office-holder accounts, said city clerk Carol Scharz. "The money can only be used for expenses related to their office," she said. "It can't be used for future elections."

King Lear, who came in second in the election, raised the most money, $13,698. But he stayed within the campaign spending guidelines of $12,000 because he spent only $11,527. He also rolled the leftover balance, of $2,171, into an office-holder account. His wife, Virginia Lear, is the treasurer.

Patti Williams, who came in third in the elections, was second in fund raising, with $8,931, just slightly ahead of the $8,794 raised by Moss.

But Williams spent only $5,575. Since she was not elected, she did not have the option of rolling the leftover money into an office-holder account.

Instead she donated her remainder, $3,356, to the Los Altos History House Educational Building Fund.

The financial statements show that victory parties were modest. Moss paid $217 to his brother, Los Altos resident Richard Moss, for hosting his victory party.

Lear's statements show a $119 expense to Chef Chu, but for a fund-raising event. No expenses were shown for a victory party, which was hosted at the home of Marge Bruno.

According to the financial documents, Lear made two $250 contributions during 1997 to the office account of state Assemblyman Ted Lempert, a Democrat from San Mateo, who represents the 21st district that includes Los Altos.

In 1995, Councilman Lou Becker, spent the most, with $12,676, of the six candidates who were seeking the three council spots. And yet he came in third, squeaking onto the council just 14 votes ahead of Bob Norton.

The top vote getter in 1995 was Francis La Poll who spent $11,536. But he raised only $7,871, finishing the campaign in the red.

This year gifts could not exceed $100 per person.

In the last election, $500 donations or larger were not typical, but each candidate received some.

This year no council members contributed to council candidates, unlike 1995 when contributions from sitting council members to those running were common.

"Council should sit on the sidelines," Becker said last summer when he and Casto drafted a how-to of council conduct for the elections.

"We want to keep the playing field as level as possible to encourage people to run," Casto said, also last summer while working on the guidelines.