ELECTIONS / L.A. CITY COUNCIL : Dib Sued by His Former Fund-Raiser

Los Angeles City Council candidate Al Dib has been sued by his former campaign fund-raiser, who claims Dib failed to pay him $15,000 in fees and commissions.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, fund-raiser Robert L. Kaplan said he was hired to raise money for Dib through the April 20 primary election, but that Dib would not pay him.

The lawsuit is the second embarrassment Dib has suffered in recent weeks in his bid to succeed Ernani Bernardi in the 7th Council District in the northeast San Fernando Valley. In February, Dib angered many Latinos--who make up 70% of the district--when he was quoted as saying he “can tell by their faces” whether Latinos are U.S. citizens.

Although lawsuits by campaign professionals against candidates are relatively common after an election, a suit in mid-campaign is unusual. Most fund-raisers and other consultants sue only when a candidate has been defeated and has run out of campaign money.

Dib said he fired Kaplan on March 19 for not doing his job. Dib said Kaplan was supposed to have raised $117,000 for him by mid-March, but had generated “at most $8,000.” In an interview, Kaplan said he carried out all his obligations under the contract and raised $26,000 for Dib.

Dib said what money Kaplan did raise would have come to him anyway from his own supporters or those of City Councilman Hal Bernson, who pledged early in the race to help Dib, a longtime supporter, with fund raising. Dib has received money from a number of traditional Bernson campaign contributors, including Vic Sampson, owner of a Valley doughnut shop chain, and Robert Wilkinson, a lobbyist.

Dib described the lawsuit as purely a business dispute that has no political fallout for his campaign. Dib said he is doing all fund raising by himself now and “it’s going good.”

To date, Dib has raised about $60,000, including a $25,000 loan to his campaign from himself. That puts Dib in the middle of the fund-raising range set by his six rivals.

Other political observers disagreed on the suit’s political impact on Dib.

Democratic political consultant Marc Litchman said the suit, though embarrassing, will not damage Dib’s standing among those who Litchman said are Dib’s core supporters: Anglo Republicans. Dib, a former produce wholesaler, is the only GOP candidate in the race.

But a Republican consultant, who asked not to be identified, said the legal action raises questions about Dib’s continued ability to finance his campaign. “If you’re not paying your fund-raiser, from whom most of your funds are coming, there’s going to be a question of if any funds are coming,” the consultant said.

Kaplan said his firm has raised more than $100 million for various political candidates and nonprofit groups, and that despite some payment disputes, he has never sued a client before. He said he decided to sue Dib after Dib failed to return numerous phone calls about settling his bill.

Dib acknowledged that he owes Kaplan money, but said Kaplan has “got to adjust his bill.” Dib said he tried to reach agreement several times with Kaplan, but the fund-raiser “goes off and starts screaming and cussing.” Dib added that Kaplan kept “pressuring me” to sign a contract, which he finally did in late February. Kaplan said that contention throws doubt on whether Dib can withstand political pressures at City Hall.

“If this person says I pressured him into signing a contract, what happens when some lobbyist calls him?” Kaplan said. Dib angrily replied that he has “been under pressure a thousand times worse than this” during his years in the produce business and would have no trouble handling political pressures.

“I love stuff like this,” Dib said. “He wants a fight? He’ll get a fight.”