SACRAMENTO — Escalating the bitterness in the Democratic race for governor, state Controller Steve Westly and state Treasurer Phil Angelides on Thursday filed separate ethics complaints that accused each other of violating California's campaign finance laws.
The dueling complaints to the Fair Political Practices Commission come days before a state party convention at which members will vote whether to endorse either man. A statewide poll this week showed that they are in a tight race leading to the June 6 primary, with many voters undecided.
Westly's accusations against Angelides involve one of the most contentious issues in political campaigns: independent efforts to help candidates get elected. With new limits on how much money candidates can raise, more groups are being created to run television ads and otherwise support the candidates -- free of such limits.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger benefited this year from a series of TV ads produced and paid for by some of his wealthiest contributors and coordinated by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Schwarzenegger denied working with the chamber on the ads. The group has not revealed its donors.
Late in the afternoon, after finding out about Westly's complaint, Angelides filed his own.
Angelides' complaint against Westly accuses him of improperly using money from a campaign account created to finance his state controller race. Angelides contends that Westly used money from the controller account for things such as rent and conference calls for his gubernatorial campaign. California law requires the accounts to remain separate.
Nick Velasquez, a spokesman for Westly, said Angelides' FPPC complaint was "ridiculous" and an attempt to distract voters from his own ethics problems.
In his complaint Thursday, Westly accused Angelides of working "exceedingly close" with a Sacramento developer -- the treasurer's former business partner -- on $5 million in commercials that feature firefighters and police officers making an emotional appeal that supports Angelides for governor.
Unlike Schwarzenegger's ads, the spot lists the major funders of the effort, namely the developer and his daughter.
Under state law, candidates are not allowed to request independent ads or provide strategic advice for them, because the money that pays for them far exceeds the contribution limits for candidates. Angelides cannot raise more than $22,300 from any one source.
