CASH FLOWS IN GOP STATE RACE; ASSEMBLY HOPEFULS SYBERT, STICKLAND BATTLE WITH BUCKS.

Byline: David Greenberg Daily News Staff Writer

By far, the biggest money war in the county campaigns for the June 2 primary is in the race to replace Nao Takasugi, R-Camarillo, who will leave his 37th District Assembly seat in January because of term limits.

As of the Thursday deadline for filing campaign finance reports, Richard Sybert, a toy company executive from Thousand Oaks, was leading the field of five Republicans in spending - $194,064 of the $221,142 he had accumulated, including $140,000 he contributed.

Tony Stickland, a legislative aide to Assemblyman Tom McClintock, R-Granada Hills, spent $112,825 of the $123,587 he had raised.

The remaining three Republicans - Jere Robings, a taxpayer advocate from Thousand Oaks; John Lane, a fraud investigator from Moorpark, and Toni Young, a Port Hueneme council member - each spent the lion's share of their respective contributions: $54,517, $30,825 and $7,168.

Rosalind McGrath, a teacher from Camarillo and the sole Democrat in the race, spent $85 of the $710 she had raised.

And Reform Party candidate Michael Farris, a scientist from Thousand Oaks, spent all but $528 of the $13,638 he had raised.

Incumbent Ventura County Supervisor Frank Schillo spent only $6,830 of the $9,174 he had accumulated. A debt of $31,287 from his previous supervisorial campaign remains, and the Thousand Oaks resident said it will likely never be reimbursed.

``When walking the precinct in January, people were talking to me about campaign reform and how they were very concerned about the high amount of spending in local campaigns,'' Schillo said. He said voters ``really like'' his limiting his own spending.

His rival, Vince Curtis, a real estate appraiser from Oak Park, spent $8,646 of the $11,028 he had raised.

Those contributions include $7,800 from his own pocket.

``I'm thankful Frank isn't spending a whole lot of money,'' Curtis said. ``I think it makes the whole process a little more democratic. All of us have learned a lesson from overspending in the (attempted) recall of Elois Zeanah,'' a Thousand Oaks council member.

Supervisor Judy Mikels, seeking a second term representing District 4, spent $21,906 of about $32,700 she had raised, including $8,000 from the previous campaign.

Her opponent, Jonathan Palo, an industrial paint salesman and Simi Valley resident, spent $14,827 of the available $15,653, including $13,157 that he and his wife loaned the campaign.

Simi Valley Mayor Greg Stratton and Dan Goodwin, a Ventura real estate appraiser, are heading down the primary homestretch with major spending leads over the five other candidates vying to replace retiring Assessor Glenn Gray.

Goodwin spent $34,835 of the $48,387 he had amassed, while Stratton spent $25,836 of $36,095 available.

Larry Matheney, a Ventura resident and assistant county counsel, spent $31,585 of the $37,764 he had raised, while James Dodd, a Ventura resident and assessor's tax specialist, spent all but $4,706 of the $21,804 he had amassed.

Roy Villa, a Camarillo real estate appraiser, raised $11,686 and spent $11,202, while Des Kester, a Thousand Oaks resident and Los Angeles County appraiser, spent $1,449 of $2,925 available.

Charles Taylor, a Thousand Oaks tax consultant, filed a short form, meaning he intends to spend and raise less than $1,000 for his campaign.

In the auditor's race, incumbent Thomas Mahon, of Ojai, spent $26,339 of the $30,496 he had accumulated.

His opponent, Stephen Maulhardt, a Camarillo businessman, had raised $51,901 and spent $36,457.