BACA TOPS COUNTY LIST FOR GIFTS FROM FANS SHERIFF DISCLOSES $3,916 IN PRESENTS.

Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer

Sheriff Lee Baca received the most gifts of any elected Los Angeles County official or department head last year, accepting free games of golf, tickets for sporting events and an imported $65 silver lamp, according to new financial reports filed this month by county officials.

Baca accepted $3,916 in gifts in 2001, surpassing the $2,047 worth of gifts reported by county Chief Information Officer Jon Fullinwider and $1,964 by county Fire Chief Michael P. Freeman, according to the statements of economic interest filed by officials.

The next highest amounts were $1,592 in gifts received by County Counsel Lloyd Pellman and $1,490 reported by District Attorney Steve Cooley.

In all, the county's elected officials and department heads reported accepting a total of $27,629 in gifts and travel in 2001.

``There are two categories of gifts I get,'' Baca said. ``One are Christmas gifts, which tend to be food products, like chocolates, coffee makers and gift baskets. A lot of it is for office staff, especially during the holidays. I couldn't possibly eat all those chocolates, fruit baskets and nuts and so forth.

``Now most of the time, with those sporting tickets, I just give them away to other people. But I report it as a gift to myself.''

As far as the golf games, Baca said friends ask him to play with them.

The total for the five members of the Board of Supervisors was $15,080 in gifts, down from $28,720 in 1999.

Many of the gifts included lunches and dinners, tickets to the Hollywood Bowl, wine and flowers. Cooley received a $150 cartoon picture, a $60 tie, $156 pocket knife and $150 crystal bowl.

Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke accepted $12,944 in travel expenses to board meetings of OAO Technology Solutions in Washington, D.C., and Alexandria, Va. Burke was elected to the company's board in 1992. The firm is an information technology outsourcing services firm.

Under the 1974 Political Reform Act, top state and local government officials must disclose gifts of $50 or more and may not accept more than $300 annually from contractors. If an official does accept more than $300 in gifts, he is barred by law from voting on a contract involving the donor.

The statements also show that many county officials have investments, businesses and property ranging in value from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars, including the Museum of Art Director Andrea L. Rich, whose investments are in a range between $702,000 and $6.6 million.

The forms do not require officials to report the precise value of each asset, and instead allow them to indicate a value within a broad range. The forms ask them to list the values of their investments, businesses and properties, by checking off either $2,000-$10,000, $10,001-$100,000, $100,001-$1 million, or more than $1 million.

Supervisor Burke's investments, businesses and property are worth between $1.5 million and $6.2 million.

Public Defender Michael Judge lists $544,027 to $5.4 million. Local Agency Formation Commission Executive Officer Larry J. Calemine lists $1.4 million to $5 million.

Supervisor Gloria Molina lists $324,005 to $3.2 million. Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich lists $242,006 to $2.4 million.

County Coroner Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran lists $222,004 to $2.2 million. Cooley lists $120,003 to $1.3 million.