ELECTIONS / THOUSAND OAKS COUNCIL : Markey Fills Up His Campaign War Chest at the Auto Mall

Leading the pack of Thousand Oaks City Council candidates in fund-raising two months into the campaign, Compton homicide detective Mike Markey has received $15,777 in monetary contributions, almost all of it from Auto Mall dealers, according to reports released Thursday.

The statements, which cover the period up to April 22, show that Markey received a total of $13,000 from the car dealers, in $1,000 increments.

The California Fair Political Practices Commission, which sets standards for campaign giving, restricts gifts from individuals and businesses in special elections to $1,000. It also limits political action committees to $2,500 donations to candidates.

The June 6 special election culminates a key race for Thousand Oaks voters, who will pick a fifth member for their City Council, which has shown a tendency to split on development issues.

Reflecting the importance of the race, Markey and attorney Trudi Loh already have bank accounts in the five-digit range with six weeks still to go.

Loh received $11,235 in monetary contributions since declaring her candidacy in late February, including two $2,500 donations from local labor unions that recently endorsed her.

In stark contrast to the two top fund raisers were candidates John Ellis, Ekbal Quidwai and Ramaul Rush, who all filed papers saying they intend to spend less than $1,000 in the race. Candidates who spend less than $1,000 are not required to divulge funding sources.

Quidwai said he is saddened by how important money has become in Thousand Oaks politics.

“It’s one of the reasons it is so hard to be a viable candidate in this city,” Quidwai said. “It’s such a high-stakes game. It’s a really sad thing.”

Lance Winslow, who placed ninth in a field of 16 council candidates last fall despite having spent only $987, has changed gears in this campaign, loaning himself $2,000 from his mobile-carwash business and raising $1,135 in contributions.

“You learn a lot the first time,” Winslow said. “I thought, ‘Everybody in town knows me, they’ll vote for me.’ Wrong.”

With the first look at the financing reports came the first criticism. Markey immediately drew fire from several of his opponents for the number of donations from the Auto Mall dealers. In past campaigns, the dealers have given considerable sums to pro-business candidates, including $5,000 to Councilman Andy Fox last fall, who easily won election.

Winslow said the dealers represent a powerful special interest, which wants to be unrestricted by city government and feels its considerable contribution to the city’s tax base warrants that status. Accepting the money makes Markey beholden to the dealers, he said.

“I think that it comes with strings attached when you accept that kind of money,” Winslow said.

Not so, said Markey.

“I made it very clear after those (donations) came in,” Markey said. “I thanked all the dealers, but I don’t accept anything with any strings attached, and I told them all that. People are going to have to understand that.”

In turn, Markey pointed the finger at Loh for accepting $2,500 from the Ventura County firefighters’ political action committee. He said she won their endorsement--and the donation--because she supports their goal of moving paramedic service out of the private sector and into their department.

“Fortunately, that is an issue I made up my mind about a long time ago,” Loh said in response. “This is not something that they are saying is quid pro quo. I have a good history with the firefighters and I’m very happy to get their endorsement and support again.”

The firefighters’ union supported Loh in her unsuccessful bid for county supervisor last fall. They also supported Markey in his run for City Council in 1994 but decided to endorse Loh in this campaign.

Loh pointed to her contributions as an example of her “broad-based support.” They come mainly from longtime activists, friends and doctors. Her husband, Irving, is a prominent Thousand Oaks cardiologist.

“If you go through the list, you see all kinds of supporters,” Loh said. “It reflects that I have a broad base of support. At least from this first report from Mr. Markey, it doesn’t seem that way for his campaign.”