The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 314

rass Roots Rising bteadily roiiticai mpaign Top Spenders Don't Al ways Win Simi Asks Right to Set Limits miin i i wi wm ki wm i .5 spent $1,870 in an effort'for reelection. In 1970, the three winners in the race with eight candidates were third, fourth and seventh on the list in order of expenditures. 1 Yet, in 1972, Dewain Grattan won his seat on the council in spending a record $8,171. The other open position was filled by David Irwin who spent $1,744 far below the amounts expended by three losers in the race. The apparent futility of spending to win" victory continued this year when the two top spenders finished fifth and sixth in a race with three openings.

Westlake attorney Nicholas G. Demma set his own record in the local election when he contributed $2,770 to his campaign out of his own pocket While Demma spent the highest amount in the race $4,668 he received only $1,898 in contributions. Contributions also do not necessarily a winning City Planning Commissioner Larry. Bridges received -the highest amount $4,508 in contributions to his campaign, spent and finished put of the money. The toptyote-getter in the race, who re-Please Turn to Page 7, Col.l THOUSAND OAKS The extent of a efforts and not necessarily the' amount of money he spends apparently is the key to victory in a local Election.

Yet spending in the City Council races here has increased rapidly during the last five years. In the last election in March, one candi-' date spent more than $4,600 and another more than $4,400 for the privilege of dedicating long night hours to City Council meetings and lost all, at least $22,000 was spent by 12 candidates hoping to win the support of fewer than 8,000 voters a figure that represents almost $3 for every vote cast The campaign' spending in the council race this year was five times that of just six years ago when the spending totaled $4,000. Ahd the figures are causing a number of local and state officials to take a good look at the idea of maximum spending laws. A study of the candidates' expenditures since the 1968 council elections indicates no correlation with victory. Former Mayor Ray Garcia won election in 1968, yet spent only $237 on his campaign and overcame an incumbent who EASTERN EDITION PARTXI: i SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 1974 'l Election costs for the two other successful candidates were Mrs.

Ginger Gherardi, who spent $944 and received 2,058 votes, and Howard Marohn, who spent $1,573 and received 2,843 votes, 7 Other candidates, the votes they, received and amount spent were David Sigr mon, 1,682 votes, William H. Butts, 949 votes, Ivo W. Harper 361 votes, less than $500; Raymond Hicks, 364 votes, less than $500; Carl Kidwell, 702 votes (has not filed financial statement); Robert B. Mackelburg, 1,722 votes, Nelson Samuel Magedman, 462 votes, less than $500; Leon Nation, 114 votes (has not filed financial statement); Mrs. Sandra Q.

Patten, 1,487 votes, Robert J. Smith, 733 votes, less than $500; Samuel J.Tomas 1,554 votes, less than $500, Mrs. Cathie Wright. 1,929 votes, and Donald Funk, 196 votes, less than $500. Smith said he' sees a need for limiting campaign contributions and spending.

"We are all concerned about rising costs," Smith said, "and the cost of campaigning is going up right along with everything else. I was quite surprised about the cost of paper in this campaign compared to what we had Please Turn to Page 4, Col. 2 SIMI VALLEY Should cities have, the right to limit municipal election campaign and. spending? The of this city thinks so, as do other elected officials and civic leaders. That's why they are giving special tention to a hearing jn Sacramento on Wednesday, when the Senate Committee on Elections and Reapportionment considers Senate Bill 1693 authored by Sen.

Anthony Beilenson (D-Los Angeles), which would give contract cities that power. The bill would essentially make possible city action on recommendations from Simi's Committee on Campaign Con-, tributions and Guidelines to. limit con- tributions to $100 per single contributor and establish an expenditure limit on the basis of 10 cents per registered voter. The committee was the brainchild of Mayor James Smith, top vote getter in the March. 5 election and top spender.

Smith received 3,415 votes and spent $2,371 in his reelection bid. Approximately $1,700 came from his own pocket. Smith said he refused contributions from special interest groups and indivi- duals and that the largest contribution from a single donor was $5. Election costs, along with most every-i thing else, are going higher. And to make things worse for the losers, some of them' have spent more in their campaigns than the winners.

Times reporters Keri Lubas and Martha VVillman give a closeup view of what happened in the Simi and Thousand Oaks elections what the. lawmakers would like to do about spiral-ing costs of campaigning for public office. fSome Screaming Gets fm -IPC' 3Uft Action for Wilkinson New Council VP Says Woman President and Mayor Are Possible BY IRV BURLEIGH Times Stalt Writer Robert M. Wilkinson, newly elected City Council vice president, is a strong believer in the capitalistic system, sees youth morals as improving and gets, with a "little screamings" more services for his West Valley district. He's no believer in "women's lib" but feels there could be a woman mayor or even a woman President elected in his lifetime.

The day he turned 53 he was elected by his council colleagues to replace Billy Mills, who resigned when he was appointed a Superior Court judge. His new role as council "veep" will add to his already 60 hours or more weekly workload but he's ready for it, Wilkinson said. He becomes acting mayor, when Mayor Tom Bradley and council president John Gibson are both out of the city. Wilkinson said he used to get ulcers but now he gives them. He is frequently referred to by reporters as "gentle Bob" when berating in a loud voice city department personnel or others whose testimony before councij committees stirs his wrath.

When he served on the council from 1953-57, "I took my problems home with me every night," he said. "I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking about them. "I was starting to get ulcers. Today some of my staff say I give ulcers rather than get them." He took a job as secretary to the Harbor Department instead of running for reelection but came back to the council 10 years later when he defeated Councilman John Cassidy. "Now I leave the problems at the doorstep of my Northridge home," he said.

"I don't think I should take them to bed with me." He's a man of firm opinions ranging from Watergate to the quality of hamburgers. He recently dissented when the City Council approved a lease for a hamburger chain restaurant in the new Civic Center Mall be- TILLERS ARE TOILERS Student gardeners ore hard at work at Orcutf Ranch Park, where there are 48 training plots under cultivation. Times photos by Ken Lubas mmm IMIMI Robert M. Wilkinson' Times photo cause "they make lousy hamburgers." An outspoken Republican general-, ly strongly supporting the policies of President Nixon and Gov. Wilkinson dropped a "no comment on that" when asked, "Which of the current political leaders do you most admire?" Asked if some of the revelations stemming from Watergate could be considered white collar crimes, Wilkinson replied: "I think Watergate has been sensationalized.

When they accuse some of the Nixon aides you have it on Page one, two and three. "Back on Page 30 you have the story on (Democratic Sen. Hubert) Humphrey. But you don't say a you have six lines about McGovern people. Now is that fair reporting?" Then, perhaps a superfluous question judging from his already expressed beliefs: "Do you think the press is biased in its reporting?" "Yes, I think they have been very biased in the whole campaign issue, he- replied.

"They are doing sensationalism on one part. Why don't they do the same sensationalism on other elected' officials of the other party? And give them equal space and headlines." Please Turn io Page 4, Cot. 1 Green Th umbers Get Cooking Tips Planting onions next to beans will-cause a barren bean stalk but summer. savory, an herb, planted next to the bean seeds not only will produce but the herb also can be used in bean recipes. That is just one of the tips given participants in a fundamentals of gardening program sponsored by the American Nutrition Societ)and the city.

Department of Recreation and Parks. Each Saturday morning about 200 participants appear at Orcutt Ranch Park in Canoga Park or in the Sepulveda Basin in Van Nuys to work under supervision on garden plots provided through the program. They are Valley homeowners, apartment dwellers and mobile home residents ranging in age from 8 to 80. Morning work in the gardens which includes weeding, planting and harvesting is followed by lectures. In mid-May classes also will be offered in cooking with herbs and vegetables with emphasis on getting as much nutrition out of the product as possible.

George Orme, vice president of the nutrition society, says the program seeks to show as Please Turn to Page 3, Col. 3 i krp Officer Will Retire AfterZ Years of Airing 'Dirty Linen' HOEDOWN Mrs. Arcona Devon Weeds plot in her first experience at gardening. GOOD EARTH Student Jim Roberts wields spading fork on his plot at Orcutt. ith Saw Untangled Bikeways-Parking Snafu BY JEFFREY HANSEN Times Stall Writer For the last 25 years, Lt.

Bob has worked for the Los Angeles Police Department, claiming no other credit than "being a good cop." He has had to be. Helder occupies what some say is the most sensitive, difficult job on the force: supervisor of the Officer-Involved-Shootings Section. No. matter what Helder does, he is open for criticism from members of the department and from the public. I 'i i -V- yj 1 '1 Every time an officer fires his weapon, it is Helder who oversees the 'Whether it was a community victory, a governmental snafu or just 'the normal course of progress in the Santa Clarjta Valley may never be known because it was resolved with a But the county bureaucracy and the loci business leadership have tenuously compromised over the status of a 26-foot width along 5.5 miles of Soledad Canyon Road that was a bikeway for a week and now is only" half a 'bikeway.

The elusive history of a county Road Department project which caught a whole community by surprise began with the decision years ego to widen Soledad Canyon Road into a major highway. me ensuing investigation. On Soledad Canyon Road was two lanes carrying enough traffic to justify four lanes and designated as a' six-lane road to accommodate future growth. When the county widens a road it is usually cheaper in the long run to build it up to the full designation, regardless of current traffic volume, according to a Road Department spokesman, so when the money for the project was finally appropriated under former Supervisor Warren M. Dorri, a six-lane highway was started in steps and by March was complete from Interstate 5 to Sierra Highway- But during the construction Su-.

ncrvisor Baxter Ward's office asked jie Road Department to investigate the possibility of painting bike lanes on the new highway. A Road Department study concluded that bike lanes were warranted since current traffic volumes could be handled by four lanes and parking demand was moderate. But the Road Department evidently never discussed its final plan with the community leadership or Ward's office, so the Canyon Country and Bouquet Junction communities awoke one day to discover two 13-foot wide, 5.5-mile bikeways with "No Parking" posted the entire length both ways. "Nobody knew why or anything," observed an mploye at the Canyon Country Chamber of Commerce. The fact that the community wanted a bikeway is not disputed.

But a of people specifically' the local merchants, the Highway Patrol and the droves of people attending the Sunday swap meet and Saugus Speedway on opposite sides of Soledad Canyon Road quickly discovered what they didn't like about the bike lanes. Parking along the old road was scattered and dusty.and the new six-lane road was a boon for parking before the "No Parking" signs ap-peared. Tlease Tjjrn to Page 7, Cot. 2 and lacts ne uncovers, the man- thereby the department are ab- solved. Or both are besmirched.

In either case, Helder is the man to whom the responsibility has fallen, for washing publicly the department's linen. Since 1967, Helder has supervised this section, vowing riease urn io Page 8, Col 1 Lt. Bob Helder TtoKphola.