State, Local Offices on the Line

As the primary campaign nears its end, the race for the Republican nomination for state controller has grown testy.

The main candidates are former state Assemblyman Tony Strickland of Moorpark, an anti-tax crusader who hopes to rally the party’s core conservatives, and state Sen. Abel Maldonado of Santa Maria, a moderate who has been known to reach across party lines.

The controller, California’s chief financial officer, makes sure government bills are paid on time and has broad auditing authority that can be used to combat fraud and waste.

“I got elected to serve the people, not myself,” Maldonado said in a recent interview. The comment was a jab at Strickland.

Campaign records show that the former assemblyman and his wife, Assemblywoman Audra Strickland, who now represents the Moorpark district, funneled campaign money into each other’s consulting firms, in effect boosting their income through political donations. Political opponents accused them of laundering funds, but county prosecutors decided not to press charges.

Strickland, in turn, has accused Maldonado of not paying the workers on his family farm minimum wage, a charge Maldonado denies.

Three other Republicans -- Jim Stieringer, the city treasurer of La Mesa, and businessmen Bret R. Davis of Foster City and David L. Harris of Discovery Bay -- filed papers to run for controller but have not raised enough money to mount what analysts consider viable campaigns.

By contrast, there has been little mudslinging between the two Democratic hopefuls.

State Sen. Joe Dunn of Santa Ana is a trial lawyer who led the Legislature’s investigation of Enron during California’s electricity crisis in 2000 and 2001. His campaign platform calls for more state audits. He says his Enron investigation proves he is not afraid to ruffle feathers by unleashing auditors on state agencies.

Dunn’s opponent, Board of Equalization Chairman John Chiang of Los Angeles, says he’s the more qualified candidate because of his tax background. The board’s five members, who include the controller, oversee $40 billion in tax collections.

Chiang has been involved in the board’s efforts to curb black-market cigarette sales and other business tax evasion.