Group Rallies Against AIDS Ballot Proposition

It was the first major fund-raising attempt by Stop LaRouche--the organized effort to defeat the November ballot proposition that the opposition says would quarantine people testing positive for AIDS. At the reception at the hillside home of Gil Garfield, attorney Diane Abbitt told the guests that the LaRouche initiative could take people afflicted with AIDS from their families at a time they need that support the most. The response from the five dozen-plus guests--more than $550,000 raised.

IT’S STILL CALIFORNIA--Washington GOP hotshots say that even though the First Lady reportedly wants Los Angeles as the site of the 1988 Republican Convention, party people are pushing San Diego. Hard. . . . As far as the Democrats, insiders say Kansas City is this month’s favorite.

ALOHA--The “hello” kind, as Sunday night Trader Vic’s returned after a four-month (and very pretty) face lift. About 200 members of the Fraternity of Friends--that’s the Music Center’s all-male support group--and their dates were the guests of Lynn and Linda Bergeron (he heads up the Trader Vic’s organization). Co-hosting were FOF president Roger Kozberg and wife Joanne--who admitted that even though they had grown up and dated in Beverly Hills, this wasn’t a regular spot for them. But that was going to change. Members of FOF--which raised $450,000 for the Music Center’s ’86 Fund Campaign--chowed down on Polynesian goodies, and did their best to reflect what was supposed to be “island evening attire.” On hand, Richard and Ronnie Lippin, Arletta and Don Tronstein, Joan and Marco Weiss, Ethel and Irving Axelrad, Nick and Sylvia Patsaouras, Philip and Betty Ann Koen, almost-parents Kim and Michael McCarty. Also Alan and Joan Burns, Dick Rosenzweig and Judy Henning, Henry and Arline Gluck, Fred Roberts and many other well-known lovers of culture and food.

YET ANOTHER FIRST--The William Morris Agency celebrated the naming of Leonard Hirshan and Boaty Boatwright as heads of the West and East Coast Motion Picture Departments with a party. At Morton’s last week, with lots of stars. Our close-watchers-of-the-industry kind say the packed festivities--literally 500-plus showed up and many stayed to midnight--translates as the long-established and world’s largest talent agency announcing that they are planning to be more aggressive contenders in the business--and plan to “come out with both fists slugging.” This kind of a packed party, where even the omnipresent Whoopi Goldberg shows up unannounced, is in the style of that other big guy on the block--Creative Artists Agency. Starwise, showing up were Richard Gere, Mel Gibson, Alexander Godunov, Angela Lansbury, Jack Lemmon, Elliott Gould, Michael York, Gary Busey, Shelley Long and many others.

UPCOMING--Gov. George Deukmejian sponsors the second Governor’s Conference on Women in Business. Set for the Bonaventure Hotel on Sept. 3, the conference will feature the Duke, his wife Gloria, Debbie Fields (who owns Mrs. Fields Cookies) and Christy Campbell Walters, director of the department of commerce. . . . Rep. Howard Berman (D-Studio City) and the California Lexington Group welcome to L.A. former Virginia Gov. Charles Robb, who currently chairs the Democratic Leadership Council. The party is at the Beverly Hills Home of Sol and Celina Bojarsky Sunday.