Epple Also a Winner at Raising a War Chest

SACRAMENTO â€”  On his way to a razor-thin election victory in November, freshman Assemblyman Robert D. Epple (D-Norwalk) raised $1.4 million--nearly twice as much as his Republican rival, Wayne Grisham, according to final 1988 campaign contribution reports.

A review of Epple’s report shows that he managed to tap a wide array of business and labor groups and Democratic Party sources for contributions to win a hard-fought Democratic primary, then unseat Grisham, a two-term Norwalk assemblyman and former congressman.

“With a 220-vote difference, it’s apparent we didn’t overspend,� Epple cracked last week. “It’s unfortunate that it takes that much money to get the word out to voters.�

$732,000 for Grisham

While Epple was raising $1.4 million in cash and other services, Grisham’s campaign received $732,000 in contributions, according to reports filed earlier this month with California’s secretary of state.

The total of just more than $2.1 million for Grisham and Epple was considerably higher than the $1.1 million spent in the rough-and-tumble campaign in the neighboring 54th Assembly District. In that contest, Willard H. Murray Jr. (D-Paramount) defeated former Assemblyman Paul E. Zeltner (R-Lakewood).

At the same time, state Sen. Cecil N. Green (D-Norwalk) and his unsuccessful GOP opponent, Don Knabe of Cerritos, raised $2.5 million in their contest. According to the state Fair Political Practices Commission, before the 1988 election, just four California legislative races had topped $2 million in spending.

Adding together the three southeast Los Angeles County races, the six candidates raised $5.7 million for election mailers, telephone solicitations, door-to-door walkers and other campaign expenses.

Epple is already looking toward another tough election fight in 1990 in his 63rd District. The district is a swing area because voter registration favors Democrats, but they often back Republicans. It covers Downey, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs, Cerritos, Artesia and Hawaiian Gardens.

With his eye toward the next campaign, Epple and another freshman Democratic assemblyman, Ted Lempert of San Mateo, recently mailed a letter to delegates to this weekend’s state Democratic Party convention in Sacramento. In part, the letter said the freshmen “are keenly aware of the organizational needs that must (be met) in order to achieve Democratic victories in the 1990s.�

‘Grass-Roots’ Activists

Epple and Lempert characterized their wins as victories “for grass-roots Democratic activists throughout the state� and for a new generation of Democrats.

Epple reported repaying $45,000 in loans from his mother-in-law, Joyce W. McCone. He described the loans--made from March to June--as seed money for his campaign. He also said he repaid $15,000 of loans from Howard Welinsky, whom Epple described as a friend and Democratic Party activist. Welinsky also forgave a $5,000 loan, according to Epple’s report, which was filed on Feb. 3.

Epple’s campaign received a major boost from the Democratic State Central Committee, which gave him $381,469, including $150,000 after the election. He also reported receiving $42,410 from Assemblyman Tom Bane (D-Tarzana) and services valued at $64,464 from Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar).

Epple’s Contributions

In his report, which covers Oct. 23 to Dec. 31, Epple listed contributions from the California Restaurant Assn., $2,000; the Cable Television Assn., $500; California Teachers Assn., $12,000; Sears Roebuck & Co., $500, and the California Teamsters Public Affairs Council, $4,000.

While Epple faced a robust primary challenge from Peter Ohanesian, Republican Grisham faced token opposition from Dale Hardeman, a former Grisham aide.

Grisham reported contributions from the Assembly Republican Political Action Committee of $77,500; California Correctional Peace Officers Assn., $4,000; Farmers Insurance Group of Cos., $2,500; Assemblyman Frank Hill (R-Whittier), $2,000, and Rockwell International, $1,000.

Tony Russo, who helped to manage Grisham’s losing effort, said last week that in the final six weeks before the election, the campaign sought an additional $100,000 from Assembly Republicans. Russo said Grisham received about half the request. Russo speculated that the additional $50,000 or so would have “gotten us the other 220 votes� through a stepped-up campaign.

Seeking State Appointment

Grisham confirmed reports in Sacramento that he is seeking an appointment from Gov. George Deukmejian, possibly to a board or commission whose members serve part time.

“I would like to do something to keep active in case the political weather changes,� he said. “Right now there isn’t any opening for me to run for office.�

In his view, a campaign against Epple “would be futile because I would expect him to do a good job as an assemblyman, and it’s difficult to defeat an incumbent.�