Most major Marina del Rey leaseholders turned out in February for the fund-raising dinner that launched Los Angeles County Supervisor Deane Dana's reelection campaign.
Although the three-term supervisor had no prominent challengers, leaseholders bought more than 60 tickets at $500 apiece for Dana's fund-raiser at Santa Monica's Museum of Flying. In all, marina interests contributed nearly $32,000 that night to Dana, whose district includes Marina del Rey and who has more influence on marina policy than any other elected official.
Their generosity was not unusual. Records show that Marina del Rey developers contributed $508,044 to members of the county Board of Supervisors since 1986, and Dana was the leading recipient.
Dana said developers and others contribute money to his campaigns "so they can come in . . . and see you and talk to you--for access. . . . I don't think it goes beyond that."
The leaseholders generally agree. Political donations, said marina developer Jona Goldrich, "give you access. . . Otherwise you're just another number."
"It's just the cost of doing business," said Abraham M. Lurie, the marina's biggest leaseholder, who has contributed $56,600 since 1986 to the supervisors. "I don't think any of them do anything for the money they receive, except maybe giving access."
In addition to contributing to the supervisors' campaigns, some marina leaseholders also have given to causes and candidates favored by supervisors, such as the unsuccessful 1988 state Assembly campaign of Deane Dana III, son of the supervisor, and the losing 1988 state Senate campaign of Dana's chief deputy, Don Knabe. Knabe, who received $40,350 in leaseholder contributions, often serves as a liaison between leaseholders and the county Department of Beaches and Harbors.
Some political experts say that access to a public official can be a valuable commodity.
Robert Stern, chief counsel to the California Commission on Campaign Financing, a private research group, said getting private time with an official "means so much more" than simply speaking at a public hearing. "If you have an hour with an official and your opponent doesn't have an hour, that's very important," he said.
UCLA Law Professor Daniel H. Lowenstein, former chairman of the state Fair Political Practices Commission, agreed.
Although Lowenstein has not studied the marina, he said access can be especially significant at the county level, where many issues are not that visible to the public but have "economic stakes (that) are very, very high."
