......is that California is being run by special interests."
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...26/MN49245.DTL
Schwarzenegger rakes in money
$788,000 HAUL: State businesses flock to aid actor
Mark Simon, Chronicle Political Writer
Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger is getting the financial help he promised he would never need in his race for governor as California business interests poured $788,000 into his campaign committees over the weekend.
Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante received a $321,000 contribution from one of the state's leading Indian gambling tribes and Peter Ueberroth, a Republican businessman running as an independent, raised $368,600 in the past few days.
Gov. Gray Davis, fighting to fend off the Oct. 7 recall, raised $353,000 over the weekend, including contributions from two longtime Democratic donors who had been appointed by the governor to state positions.
For Schwarzenegger, the flood of cash comes just weeks after he said he would never take money from special interests.
"The biggest problem we have is that California is being run by special interests," the actor said Aug. 6, just minutes after announcing his candidacy on "The Tonight Show."
"I will go to Sacramento and clean house," Schwarzenegger added. "As you know, I don't need to take any money from anybody. I have plenty of money myself. I will make the decisions for the people."
Along with the donations, it was announced Monday that New York Gov. George Pataki's fund-raising team is planning a $1,000-a-person event in Manhattan to benefit Schwarzenegger's campaign.
None of this conflicts with the actor's pledge to stay out of the fund- raising game, said Rob Stutzman, a spokesman for the actor.
SCHWARZENEGGER NO PANDERER
"Arnold says he's not going to participate in the special interest process, " Stutzman said. "He's not going to pander to anyone for their support."
Schwarzenegger won't accept money from public employee unions, single- interest groups and other organizations that want to know where he stands on their issues before they write a check, Stutzman said.
"Thousands of people are interested in supporting Arnold because of his message," he said, but people who donate to the actor "know that the money comes without strings."
The race to raise money is going on at the same hectic pace that has characterized the recall campaign, with developments occurring on almost an hourly basis as candidates tap new and old contacts to find the cash necessary to put TV and radio spots on the air, pay staff and finance campaign operations.
Schwarzenegger and Ueberroth are competing for the same corporate executive money, much as Bustamante and Davis are competing for labor and traditional Democratic money.
Schwarzenegger, who jump-started his campaign with a $2 million loan from his personal fortune, didn't need to dip into his pocket over the weekend. Beginning on Friday, he raised $788,000, including 24 contributions of $21,200 -- the maximum a single donor can give to a replacement campaign.
Campaign sources said both Schwarzenegger and Ueberroth officials sent out messages late last week to their base of would-be contributors urging them to open their checkbooks.
William Lyons, chairman of one of the state's biggest residential development companies, and his wife, Willa, were among the 24 supporters who contributed the maximum amount to Schwarzenegger's gubernatorial campaign committee.
Others who gave the maximum amount included venture capitalists William Draper and Timothy Draper as well as Richard Santulli, chief executive officer of NetJets. The small-jet airline company is owned by Berkshire Hathaway, the operating company of Warren Buffett, the financier advising Schwarzenegger on economic issues.
BLOW TO DAVIS
And in a blow to Davis' efforts, Schwarzenegger also picked up a donation from Jerry Perenchio, CEO of Univision, a Spanish-language TV network, and long a major contributor to the governor's campaigns.
"That does not help Davis or the perception of his chances," said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a Los Angeles political analyst.
The rush of business money to Schwarzenegger's campaign shows "clearly that he's the establishment candidate. He has establishment Republicans working for him, establishment Republicans supporting him and, now, establishment Republicans contributing to him," said Bill Whalen, Hoover Institution fellow and former speechwriter for Gov. Pete Wilson.
"There is a whole wealth of business Republicans who have been activated by Arnold's campaign because he's very much their cup of tea," said Whalen. "Finally, he carries the persona that he might be able to win and that whets people's appetites more than anything else."
The fund-raising went beyond the replacement campaign committees. Much of the action centered on committees formed to take advantage of a loophole in the campaign finance law's donation limits.
Committees devoted solely to the recall are not subject to the contribution limits. That loophole has been a significant advantage for Davis, who is concerned only with the recall.
In addition, Davis has been able to raise money through his 2002 re- election committee, which is also not subject to the limits.
BUSTAMANTE'S TRIBAL TIES
Because recall and 2002 committees have no donation limits, Bustamante has been raising money through a committee called Californians for Stability -- No on Recall as well as through his 2002 re-election committee.
The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, a tribe with whom Bustamante has long been associated, donated $321,000 to the lieutenant governor's 2002 committee. The tribe has extensive gambling interests in Southern California.
Since 1998, Bustamante has been the second-leading recipient of Indian gambling campaign donations. Davis has been the leading recipient.
The money in Bustamante's 2002 committee cannot be used to advance his campaign for governor, but it can be transferred to the lieutenant governor's anti-recall committee.
Bustamante campaign officials could not be reached for comment on their plans for the $321,000.
Schwarzenegger also formed his own recall committee, Arnold Schwarzenegger's Total Recall Committee -- Vote Yes. The Total Recall committee received an additional $100,000 from William Lyons Homes Inc.
UEBERROTH TAPS CEOS
But while Schwarzenegger has been the darling of some business leaders, Ueberroth, the only true business executive in the race, has used his own network of associations to make inroads into the CEO ranks.
Ueberroth went into the weekend having raised more money in donations than any of the other Republican candidates, excluding personal money, and over the weekend collected a lot more.
Those who contributed the maximum amount to the former Major League Baseball commissioner included Thomas Siebel, founder of Siebel Systems in San Mateo, and his wife, Stacey, as well as William P. Foley II, CEO of National Fidelity Financial of Florida.
Davis benefited from his own network of political connections, receiving $25,000 contributions each from Burlingame attorney Joseph Cotchett, appointed by Davis to chair the state Parks and Recreation Commission, and George Marcus,
a Palo Alto developer named by Davis to the UC Board of Regents. Davis also received $25,000 from Sierra Pacific.
In other campaign finance activities, Bill Simon, who dropped out of the replacement race on Saturday, the same day donated $10,000 to Rescue California, the lead committee working for the governor's recall.
Independent candidate Arianna Huffington reported raising $18,000 over the weekend, including $2,000 from Bernie Brillstein, a TV and movie producer whose credits include the TV sitcom "Just Shoot Me" and the movie "Happy Gilmore."
Republican State Sen. Tom McClintock received $9,500 over the weekend.
San Francisco venture capitalist Garrett Gruener donated $250,000 to his own independent campaign to go with another $250,000 he gave 10 days ago.
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- Ah-nuld won't accept money from public employee unions because they won't even try to send him a fuckin' dime because the neo-Nazi is a union buster.
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