A.V. HOSPITAL RACE MOST COSTLY $653,000 SPENT BY HOPEFULS.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Antelope Valley Hospital's 2004 board election was the most expensive local election in Antelope Valley history, with nearly $585,000 raised and more than $653,000 spent.

The two doctors and a nurse practitioner elected to the board each spent between $120,000 and $130,000, with most of the money coming from their own pockets and from other physicians and medical interests, final campaign filings show.

Donating to campaigns in the election were two committees with links to High Desert Medical Group, which was accused by one of the losing candidates, ousted hospital CEO Mathew Abraham, of conspiring with the three winners to take control of the hospital, allegations the three denied.

Incumbent Dr. Abdallah Farrukh was re-elected to the hospital board along with former hospital director Dr. John Manning and nurse practitioner Berna Mayer.

Farrukh receives income from High Desert Medical Group, and Manning and Mayer work there.

Mayer listed nonmonetary contributions in the form of campaign mailers valued at $22,869 from a committee called People's Advocate Political Action Committee.

The same committee donated nonmonetary contributions in the form of campaign mailings and supplies to Manning valued at $19,569, according to Los Angeles County records.

The Sacramento-based committee received cash contributions from entities affiliated with a committee called Heritage Medical, which lists High Desert Medical Group owner Dr. Richard Merkin as an officer, state records show.

The People's Advocate PAC in its filings with the state lists Western Pacific Research as the payee in the nonmonetary contributions made in support of Manning and Mayer.

Manning listed unpaid bills totaling $56,414 owed to Western Pacific Research for campaign paraphernalia, records show.

Heritage Medical donated $4,000 to candidate Robert Davenport's campaign.

High Desert Medical Group made nonmonetary contributions to Mayer in the form of a phone bank, workers and campaign paraphernalia valued at $11,285, records show.

High Desert Medical Group also made nonmonetary contributions to Manning in the form of campaign signs and workers valued at $4,824.

There was a flurry of last-minute political mailers in the campaign, one of them sent out by the Committee to Elect Roger Berger that attacked Abraham, incumbent Steve Fox and another candidate, Dr. Christine Cambridge.

Berger said his committee didn't pay for the mailer and he is not sure who did. A person whom Berger declined to identify approached him and asked if he would be willing to put out a mailer. When he said he didn't have the money to do that, the person said, ``It would be taken care of,'' Berger said.

``I was under the impression it was not going to be a nasty, slanderous type of attack on anyone,'' Berger said. ``It didn't say anything that wasn't true.''

A committee called Save California Hospitals, which sent out mailers opposing Farrukh, Manning and Mayer, raised $3,270 and spent $16,773, records show.

The total expenditures consisted of a $3,000 cash payment and $13,773 in unpaid bills owed to Chris Jones, a consultant listed in the campaign reports of Abraham, Fox, Cambridge, and Dr. Tom Mahendra.

A committee called Republicans for Quality Health Care, which sent out a mailer in support of Farrukh, Manning and Mayer, appears not to have filed any reports.

Another committee, Save Antelope Valley Hospital, raised $7,000 from a single donor, a Phoenix attorney, but spent only $17.32, records show.

The California Nurses Association political action committee donated $5,000 to Davenport's campaign, and also spent $3,218 on a mailer in support of his candidacy, records show.

Mayer led all candidates in fundraising, receiving $126,203 in contributions and spending the same amount. Mayer loaned her campaign $23,000 and made nonmonetary contributions in the form of campaign supplies, ads and services valued at $63,394.

Farrukh raised $121,488, including $62,541 in loans to his campaign from himself and his practice, Antelope Valley Neuroscience Medical Group. Farrukh spent $125,111.

Fox raised $98,545 and spent $95,779. Manning received $83,390 in contributions, including $55,000 in loans to his campaign, and his expenditures totaled $139,228.

Abraham raised $55,000 and spent $74,651. Cambridge raised $34,318 and spent the same amount. Mahendra raised $27,201 and spent $26,568.

County election officials said they did not have a final filing from Davenport's campaign. As of Oct. 16, Davenport had raised $14,955 and spent $7,160.

Berger raised $4,599 and spent $4,105.

Karen Maeshiro, [phone]

karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com