SUPERVISORIAL ELECTION : Donation Cap Lifted in Race for 1st District : Politics: Candidates are free to raise unlimited amounts. Judge cites a federal court ruling that struck down Prop. 73 limits as an abridgment of freedom of expression.

Changing the fund-raising rules 3 1/2 weeks before the Jan. 22 election, a Superior Court judge Friday lifted campaign contribution limits for Los Angeles County’s 1st Supervisorial District race, sending candidates scurrying to tap their supporters for bigger donations.

The ruling by Judge John Zebrowski came in response to a suit brought by the county’s biggest labor union, Service Employees International Union, which is backing Democratic state Sen. Art Torres. The union has pledged to pour a minimum of $50,000 into the race to end a decade of conservative control of the board.

The decision also lifted a ban on transfers from one candidate to another, allowing conservative Supervisors Mike Antonovich and Deane Dana to funnel money from their sizable campaign treasuries to Sarah Flores, the only prominent Republican in the race. Democratic politicians also can now give unlimited amounts to the Democratic candidates.

Zebrowski cited a federal court ruling in September that struck down contribution caps imposed by Proposition 73 as an abridgment of freedom of expression. The 1988 voter-approved measure, which limited donations to $1,000 from an individual and $5,000 from a political action committee, was designed to lessen the influence of special interests.

Candidates are now free to raise unlimited amounts.

“The floodgates are open,” state Sen. Charles M. Calderon said.

None of the four major candidates was willing to voluntarily adhere to the Proposition 73 limits.

“I don’t believe in unilateral disarmament,” Calderon said. He predicted that candidates will each spend $500,000 or more to “inundate, if not bury, the poor voter with mail, telephone messages, perhaps radio, and paid walkers.”

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Gloria Molina said the ruling gives special interests a greater opportunity to influence the election. “We are going to have to raise larger amounts of money in order to be competitive,” she said.

Flores, when informed of the ruling, said: “That’s great. . . . I’m going to ask for as much as I possibly can.”

Calderon and Flores, a former aide to retiring Supervisor Pete Schabarum, said the ruling would benefit Torres the most.

Torres was unavailable. But his spokeswoman, Dee Dee Myers, said, “I don’t think there is any doubt we will be able to raise more money,” but she could not say how much.

Myers contended that all of the candidates would benefit. With the slumping economy, the holiday season and contributors tapped out from the November statewide election, “it’s a tough time to be out raising money,” she said.

She contended that Flores could benefit the most.

“There are a lot of business interests who have business before the county who want to make sure a Republican gets elected and the board philosophy doesn’t change,” Myers said.

Dana said he would consider funneling money from his $700,000 campaign fund to Flores, but no decision has been made. Antonovich could not be reached.

Bill Robertson, executive secretary-treasurer of the County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, applauded the ruling. “It is going to increase our ability to make contributions to our candidate, which is Art Torres.” Robertson could not specify an amount.

In the latest reports covering fund raising through Dec. 8, Molina raised $108,260; Torres, $53,578; Flores, $28,318; and Calderon, $10,300.

The state Fair Political Practices Commission advised candidates last month that the limits applied to the 1st District race because it is a special election. But the commission did not send an attorney to Friday’s court hearing, sending a letter instead agreeing to abide by the court’s decision.

“No one is really opposing this,” Zebrowski noted. A union attorney argued that the Jan. 22 election was not a special election because the seat has not been vacated by Schabarum.

Robert Stern, co-director of the California Commission on Campaign Financing, said Zebrowski’s decision allows “retiring or sitting officeholders--Democrat or Republican--to once again play power broker in the district.”

The Jan. 22 election in a redrawn 1st District was ordered by U.S. District Judge David V. Kenyon, who ruled that the old district lines denied the county’s 3 million Latinos political representation on the county board.