Monahan gives Perkins a share

Lolita Harper

Top campaign fund-raiser and incumbent Councilman Gary Monahan has

decided to share the wealth from his own political fund by giving a

City Council challenger a $2,500 last-minute contribution, official

campaign documents show.

Monahan gave candidate and Planning Commissioner Bill Perkins half

of the $5,000 campaign donation he received from a local apartment

association, saying it was only fair since Perkins did so much of the

ground work to educate residents and property owners about a proposed

rental housing program at the Planning Commission level that could

result in additional fees.

“Besides the fact that I think Bill possesses the same values and

concerns that I do, the apartment association gave me $5,000, but it

was Bill who has been leading the charge to inform renters and

property owners about the program,” Monahan said. “I thought it was

only right to help him out.”

Rental Housing Independent, an offshoot of the Orange County

Apartment Assn., donated the large sum of cash to Monahan in part

because the incumbent passed a substandard housing strategy that

would not result in any fees for property owners.

While Perkins had nothing to do with Monahan’s rental housing

initiative, which the City Council approved, he vocally campaigned

against a different substandard housing program being forged by the

Planning Commission and therefore earned the unofficial endorsement

from Rental Housing Independent -- as well as some of their money,

Monahan said.

Perkins said the money came at a crucial time. The status-quo in

leadership simply isn’t good enough for most residents and Perkins

said he provides a rational option for change, without losing the

years of expertise that Monahan brings to the dais.

“If you want to shake things up a bit, cast a vote for me after

you cast one for Gary,” Perkins said.

Perkins needs money to get his message out, and with only four

days before election day every bit helps. Perkins said he will use

the money on mailers.

Monahan said he will continue to help Perkins win that second seat

on the council any way he can. The incumbent has included a letter

endorsing Perkins in his own promotional literature and hosted

Perkins’ fund-raisers at his Costa Mesa pub, Skosh Monahan’s.

Both Perkins and Monahan refute they are running as a slate.

Monahan said he supported Perkins in his 2000 run for council and

again this season before the incumbent decided to wage his own

campaign.

“Prior to deciding to run again, I was endorsing Bill and then

with the changes on the council and the announcement by [Planning

Commission Chairwoman] Katrina [Foley] that she was going to run, it

became more crucial to support a like-minded candidate,” Monahan

said.

Monahan is not the only council member to donate to a candidate.

Councilwoman Libby Cowan gave $100 to Foley and Mayor Linda Dixon,

who is up for reelection. Councilman Chris Steel gave candidate Allan

Mansoor $249.

Rental Housing Independent has also been active in the Costa Mesa

City Council race, campaigning against Foley, who they contend has

worked to push a fee-based rental housing program through the

Planning Commission without the input of apartment owners.

The Planning Commission never finalized any housing proposal and

voted Monday to postpone the issue for another six months. A

fee-based program was one of the ideas on the table during months of

previous planning, but was never formally proposed.

Monahan and Perkins received the results of a 300-person phone

survey -- valued at $3,850 on in-kind campaign filing statements --

designed to tell traditionally conservative voters that Foley was a

registered Democrat and an attorney. Monahan and Perkins insist the

survey was commissioned by the Rental Housing Independent and that

they first learned of it when they received the results.

* LOLITA HARPER covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.