COUNCILWOMAN BACKERS PULL IN NEARLY $5,200 : ZEANAH LINKED TO HALF THE SUM.

Byline: Michael Coit Daily News Staff Writer

The group opposing the recall effort against Councilwoman Elois Zeanah has collected nearly $5,200 in contributions - half coming from a committee Zeanah formed Wednesday - but has been far outspent by the recall proponents, according to campaign disclosures filed Wednesday.

In a flurry of filings by Wednesday's 5:30 p.m. deadline, the group Residents for Slow Growth/Stop the Recall of Elois Zeanah disclosed that much of its support has come from individual contributions of less than $100. Zeanah's committee contributed more than $2,600 for campaign fliers.

Zeanah supporters said the disclosures show that their effort is grass-roots and not backed by major contributors.

``This is a David and Goliath-type of situation, but remember David won,'' said Dan Del Campo, chairman for Residents for Slow Growth/Stop the Recall of Elois Zeanah. ``I think the will of the people is more important than the amount of out-of-town money that the other group can spend.''

The group Yes! Remove Elois Zeanah from Office disclosed last week that it has collected nearly $33,000 in contributions and owes nearly $55,000 - with a big chunk of its expenses going to cover a lawsuit filed by Zeanah against the effort.

The group reported spending nearly $68,000 in its effort to unseat Zeanah.

Barbara Sponsler, spokeswoman for the group, said the support reflects the backing of both Thousand Oaks residents and business owners.

``We filed early, we reported the facts, we have nothing to hide,'' she said. ``It appears they have very little support in the community for their efforts.''

Sponsler also was critical of the support Zeanah's committee has given to the stop-the-recall group.

Zeanah's new committee was organized under the name Yes Slow Growth; Yes Elois Zeanah Committee Against Recall of Elois Zeanah.

Zeanah, in a fight for her political survival, was required to form the committee to disclose the contributions to the stop-the-recall group and more than $2,700 Zeanah has loaned her new committee. Zeanah didn't return calls seeking comment.

Also Wednesday, the group Residents to Recall Fox and Lazar filed disclosures that showed total contributions of nearly $3,600 and total expenditures of more than $1,200 - despite claims by organizers that they would not receive or spend more than $1,000. The group, seeking to unseat Mayor Judy Lazar and Councilman Andy Fox, was formally organized April 18.