ELECTIONS / LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL : Barbara Yaroslavsky Tops Race by Raising $279,000 in Funds

In her bid to fill the vacant 5th District seat on the Los Angeles City Council, Barbara Yaroslavsky has raised $279,000 in campaign contributions, more than twice that of any other candidate, according to campaign statements released Wednesday.

The hefty sum is expected to give Yaroslavsky a significant boost in her race to fill the seat left vacant when her husband, Zev Yaroslavsky, resigned in December to take a post with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

She is already considered a front-runner because of her name recognition and the endorsements she received this week from Mayor Richard Riordan and City Controller Rick Tuttle.

Currently second in the fund-raising race is Michael Feuer, the former director of Bet Tzedek, a legal aid clinic, who has collected $119,500 toward his campaign, according to the statements.

Roberta Weintraub, a former school board member, follows closely behind with $105,800, according to Weintraub’s campaign office. Her statement has been mailed to the city’s Ethics Commission but was not available Wednesday.

Lea Purwin D’Agostino, a deputy district attorney, has raised $52,000, about half of which came from a $25,000 loan she gave to her campaign.

Jeff Brain, a Sherman Oaks activist and realtor, has raised $24,000, including $11,000 in loans and donations from himself, according to the statements. Dan McCrory, a communication specialist, has raised $2,400, while Didacus Ramos, an urban planner, has raised $725.

The council’s 5th District, which was represented by Zev Yaroslavsky for 19 years, includes mostly affluent communities from Sherman Oaks to Westwood. The primary elections are April 11 and general elections are June 6.

While the statements provided few major surprises for a race that was expected to generate hefty donations, the documents also offered insights into the base of support that is forming behind each candidate.

For example, Yaroslavsky’s contributions came mostly from an assortment of Westside attorneys, business executives, actors and construction and real estate firms. She loaned her own campaign $5,000, according to the statements.

So far, she has spent about $55,000 on such costs as printing and postage, fund-raising events and professional campaign consultants, according to the statements.

Feuer, a Harvard-educated attorney, received a bulk of his contributions from fellow attorneys and business executives from the Westside and the San Fernando Valley. He also loaned his campaign $2,250.

Feuer has spent about $40,000 on printing and postage costs, advertising, office supplies and consultants, among other expenses, the statement said.

Contributors to D’Agostino, a 17-year prosecutor, included mostly attorneys, judges, prosecutors, doctors and real estate executives. She has spent $5,700 so far on printing, fund-raising and consultants, among other costs.

Absent were contributions from members of the Police Protective League, the union that represents the rank and file of the Los Angeles Police Department. The league endorsed D’Agostino early in the race and vowed to help her win the election.

Geoffrey Garfield, a union spokesman, said the league plans to make a donation soon and may even send out an independent mailer on her behalf.

“It’s no question that the league is full square behind her,” he said.

Although Weintraub’s statements were not available, she said her contributors include educators, contractors, property managers and others. She said she loaned her own campaign $10,000.

The statements cover the seven-month period between July, 1994, and January, 1995.