Unruh’s Son Loses Redondo Beach Election

Bruce Unruh, son of state Treasurer Jesse M. Unruh, lost his bid to become city treasurer of Redondo Beach on Tuesday, even though he raised at least $133,000 in contributions, much of it from his father.

Final campaign spending reports are not due until July 31, but the $133,000 Unruh had reported through Wednesday was nearly four times the previous record for a Redondo Beach candidate.

Incumbent Alice DeLong, who led the three-candidate field with 40.5% of the vote, said she spent about $2,500. Corporate treasurer William MacAlpin came in second with 30.2% and Unruh, 40, placed third with 29.5%.

Since no candidate got 50% of the votes plus one, DeLong and MacAlpin will face each other in a runoff May 12.

Unruh’s opponents and other local politicians theorized that Unruh lost because voters were turned off by his unprecedented campaign fund raising. At least $84,000 of Unruh’s contributions came from his father’s campaign fund, according to campaign statements, including a $49,000 contribution reported Wednesday.

Other contributions came from corporations and executives--many of them in finance-related businesses--throughout California and in eight other states. Bruce Unruh, who worked as his father’s campaign finance director, said many of the contributors in the Redondo Beach race were also contributors to his father’s campaign.

None of the contributors was from Redondo Beach, he said, and few were from the South Bay.

Unruh, who acknowledged at the start of the campaign that he intended to spend a lot of money, said then that he did not think campaign funds should be an issue. He said he needed to spend money to get his message out to voters and to overcome the incumbent’s edge.

He hired a professional campaign consulting firm and blanketed the city with at least eight flyers. He ran on a platform of abolishing the 5% utility users’ tax and vowed to continue his fight even if he lost the election.

He said Tuesday night, however, “I intend to pursue it, but I need the support of the city . . . The support wasn’t there that I thought would be.”

City Council members, who said the city cannot afford to lose the $3.5 million the tax generates, said Unruh was merely seizing an emotional issue.