Metropolitan News-Enterprise
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2000
Page 3

Commissioners, Prosecutor Top Spenders in Race for Open Court Seat

Superior Court Commissioners John Ladner and John Slawson are the top spenders in the race for the only open seat in the Los Angeles Judicial Distric, with Deputy District Attorney David Stuart in the third position, campaign reports show.

The three have locked up most of the important slate mail positions, according to the reports, which were due last Thursday and cover the filing period through Jan. 22.

Ladner's campaign reported raising $37,000, including $25,000 loaned by the candidate. He has spent nearly $34,000 and still has $7,300 in slate mail commitments to consultants Larry Levine and Victor Griego.

Slawson's report showed him almost even with Ladner, with total receipts of about $36,000, including $12,000 loaned by the candidate. He's spent nearly $25,000, much of it on slate mail, and owes another $9,000 to his consultant, Cerrell Associates Inc.

His largest contributor was Westlake Village attorney Jerry N. Paul, who gave $5,000. Other major givers included Torrance attorney Alex Macksoud and the International Union of Operating Engineers Political Action Committee, $1,000 each, and San Pedro businessman Dimitrios Iliadis and Manhattan Beach attorney Donald Kelly and Redondo Beach attorney Anthony Scott, who gave $500 each.

Slawson also got a $500 contribution from his brother and sister-in-law, Richard and Dorothy Slawson of Torrance.

Ladner's major contributors have been New York art dealer Charles Cowles, former County Bar President John J. Quinn, and Santa Monica artist Don Bachardy, who gave $1,000 each.

Stuart last month loaned $10,000 to his campaign, bringing the total to $25,000. He also reported spending nearly $22,000—buying on to eight slate mailers—and incurring $3,750 in debt, so the campaign ended the reporting period on Jan. 22 slightly in the red.

The bulk of Stuart's contributions came from entertainment industry agent Malcolm Sterz of Los Angeles, who gave $10,000, and New Jersey businessman Leroy Schecter, who kicked in $2,500.

The other candidates in the race are Deputy District Attorney David Mintz and Los Angeles attorneys Ronald Silverton and Vicki Roberts.

In his first report of 2000, Mintz reported spending $12,000 of his own money to pay his filing fee and the cost of mailing a candidate statement with the official ballots. He said he had $3,100 on hand, of which $3,000 was a loan from himself and the rest a contribution from a fellow prosecutor.

In the first three weeks of this year, he reported, he added $1,525 to his coffers and spent a little over $600. His largest contributor was Ilene Gordon, a Jacksonville, Fla. retiree who gave $500.

Silverton did not have a report on file with the registrar. But he previously reported spending his own funds for the filing fee and candidate statement, and told the MetNews he has since spent $10,000 for direct mail and committed another $11,000 for that purpose.

Roberts filed a short form with the registrar, indicating that the filing fee and candidate statement cost were paid for with her own money and that she doesn't intend to raise or spend more than another $1,000 on the race.

The race is for the seat held by Judge L.C. Nunley, formerly of the Los Angeles Municipal Court. The contest is being run only in the former Los Angeles Municipal Court constituency, but the winner will be sworn in as a Superior Court judge in January because of unification.