Reports: Three Court Candidates Raise Over $250,000

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

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Reports: Three Court Candidates Raise Over $250,000

By STEVEN M. ELLIS, Staff Writer

Three of the 15 candidates running for open seats on the Los Angeles Superior Court this year have already amassed campaign war chests exceeding a quarter of a million dollars, campaign finance reports show.

The latest reports filed with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder show that Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Valerie Salkin, one of three candidates running to replace Judge William R. Weisman, leads the pack, having amassed more than $559,000 in loans and contributions.

Beverly Hills attorney Mark Ameli has accumulated at least $372,000, the reports show, while Los Angeles Superior Court Referee Randy Hammock—one of Ameli’s competitors in the eight-candidate race to replace Judge Emily Stevens—has gathered just over $253,000.

Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Alan Schneider, one of four candidates vying for the seat of Judge William R. Pounders, has also passed the six-figure mark, having amassed just over $110,000.

According to the reports, Salkin, who will compete against Pasadena attorney Anthony de los Reyes and San Pedro attorney R. Stephen Bolinger in the June 8 primary, loaned herself $420,000 of the funds she has raised, and has spent almost $73,000 on the race so far.

De los Reyes has accumulated more than $47,000 in campaign funds, including $9,000 in loans from family and $1,500 from himself, the reports say, but has already racked up expenditures of almost $66,000.

The third candidate in the race, Bolinger, filed a short form last month indicating he expected to receive and spend less than $1,000 on his campaign. That was consistent with what he has previously told the MetNews he intended to do.

In the race for Stevens’ seat, Hammock reported that he loaned his campaign $250,000, while Ameli reported that $200,000 of his funds came from a loan from Guity Javid, his wife, who he identified as the senior managing director of Spring Street Capital. Both candidates also reported about $100,000 in expenditures.

Deputy Los Angeles City Attorney Chris Garcia reported having raised nearly $100,000, while West Los Angeles attorney Elizabeth Moreno said she had accumulated just over $75,000 and Los Angeles Deputy Public Defender C. Edward Mack said he was slightly behind Moreno, with just under $70,000.

Garcia reported that he had raised more than a third of his funds from contributions and spent more than $68,000, while both Moreno and Mack indicated that the bulk of their money came from loans to themselves. Moreno reported expenditures of almost $16,000, while Mack said he spent under $2,000.

Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Edward Nison reported $12,000 in funds, mostly from loans, and expenditures under $3,000, and Hawthorne Deputy City Attorney Kim Smith said he had raised just over $1,000—also mostly from loans—and spent only $750.

The other candidate in the race, San Pedro attorney Ken Reed, filed the short form.

In the contest to succeed Pounders, Schneider’s closest competitor in terms of funds is Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney Tom Griego, who reported over $72,000 in funds and a similar amount of expenditures. Only $14,000 of that amount came from loans, Griego reported.

Redondo Beach attorney Pattricia Vienna said she had raised over $4,000, mostly from loans, and spent over half of that, while Calabasas attorney William Margolin reported $2,000 in expenditures and no contributions.

In other news, the three candidates challenging incumbent judges—Los Angeles attorney Douglas Weitzman, Glendale attorney Marvin Fischler and Hollywood attorney Jim Baklayan—all filed short forms.

Weitzman faces Judge Soussan Bruguera, who reported raising over $2,600 and spending nearly twice that. Fischler’s opponent, Judge Laura Matz, reported spending the majority of the $25,000 she has loaned her campaign, and no other contributions.

Baklayan is taking on Judge Maren Nelson, who reported having amassed almost $55,000 in funds—including contributions from nearly 100 Superior Court judges—and spending approximately $7,000.