SAN FRANCISCO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, seeking to turn around his campaign, was tripped up by a campaign finance law Thursday, while his better-funded foes cut back public protests against him to focus on wooing early voters.
Attorneys for Democratic legislative leaders planned to appear in court today to press a suit against the Republican governor and a committee overseeing the campaign for one of his main initiatives, Proposition 77. The measure would authorize judges, rather than legislators, to draw boundaries for congressional and legislative districts.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday October 08, 2005 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 39 words Type of Material: Correction
Campaign cash -- An article in Friday's California section about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the special election campaign incorrectly said state law bars one statewide officeholder from transferring more than $5,600 to another statewide officeholder. The limit is $3,300.
In the suit, the Democrats are seeking to force the Yes on 77 committee to disgorge $1.14 million and return it to Schwarzenegger.
State law bars a candidate or officeholder from transferring more than $5,600 to another statewide candidate or officeholder. Schwarzenegger had given the $1.14 million to the Yes on 77 committee, which is controlled by Steve Poizner, a wealthy Silicon Valley entrepreneur and Schwarzenegger ally who is running for California insurance commissioner.
The suit comes a day after the committee gave back $1.75 million that Schwarzenegger had also donated to its effort.
Republican attorneys invoked the same law in a suit last week against Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles). The suit alleged that Nunez had violated the law; he then gave about $100,000 back to fellow Assembly Democrats.
"You could go with a lot of words" to describe the governor's mistake, said Lance Olson, the Democrats' attorney who plans to appear in court today. "I would go with 'irony.' "
Attorney Tom Hiltachk, representing Schwarzenegger, shrugged off the matter, saying in a statement that the "money will now be used to support the governor's entire reform agenda, including Proposition 77."
With less than five weeks left before the Nov. 8 special election, both sides set their sights on voters who plan to cast early ballots. Early voting begins in some cities in the next few weeks.
The Republican Party has a big absentee ballot campaign in the works. Strategists for the opposition to Schwarzenegger said they would focus on making sure that their own supporters who wanted absentee ballots got them, as well as on walking precincts and manning phone banks to encourage people to vote.
"We've always run a very aggressive volunteer campaign ... and we'll continue that until election day," said Gale Kaufman, lead consultant for an umbrella group of public employee unions called the Alliance for a Better California.
