PARAZO IS TOP FUND-RAISER CANDIDATE COLLECTS MORE THAN $200,000 FOR A.V. HOSPITAL BOARD RACE.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Going into next week's election, Antelope Valley Hospital board candidate Dr. Don Parazo has raised more than $200,000 for his campaign, more than double the amount raised by the other six candidates combined.

As of Oct. 19, Parazo had raised $200,176, with the bulk of it coming from High Desert Medical Group, where he works, and a Monterey Park trust, according to reports filed with the county elections office.

The amount is believed to be the largest sum ever raised for a local election in the Antelope Valley - about 10 times what candidates raised in last spring's Lancaster mayoral election, for example.

In Tuesday's election, two incumbents, Dr. Don Bean and Gary Hill, are seeking second four-year terms and are facing five challengers: Parazo, marketing manager Lawrence Caird, business development manager John Misurek, retired registered nurse June Snow, and business owner Ronald Tisbert.

Hospital board members are paid $100 per meeting or up to a maximum of $500 a month.

Campaign contribution and spending reports were filed with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder's Office and cover the period up through Oct. 19. The next report is due Jan. 31.

Two candidates, Misurek and Tisbert, have filed forms indicating they did not intend to raise or spend more than $1,000.

Bean has received contributions totaling $36,715 and spent $33,730; Hill has raised $33,590 and spent $35,052; and Snow has raised $6,548 in monetary contributions, and spent $3,783. Caird said the California Nurses Association paid $2,100 for his filing fee and that he also received $600 in nonmonetary contributions.

As of Oct. 19, Parazo had spent $43,525.

Before this race, the most expensive election in Antelope Valley history - excluding Assembly, state Senate or congressional campaigns - was the 1994 hospital board campaign, in which six candidates raised more than $246,600. Of that total, nearly $137,000 was raised by committees supporting candidates Dr. Harvey Birsner and R. Rex Parris.

Parazo's largest contributor was High Desert Medical Group, which has donated $37,500 in cash and an additional $70,000 in nonmonetary contributions described as campaign assistance.

High Desert Medical Group physicians also contributed a total of $1,300. An additional $75,000 came from The Chin Trust in Monterey Park, records show.

Other contributors include New Orleans Capital, $5,000; Dr. Lily Sein, $1,000; Hull Eye Center, $500; Quartz Hill Walk-in Medical Group, $200; Dr. Fariborz Satey, $200; Dr. Thelma Fernandez, $200; Dr. Samir Fasheh, $200; High Desert Optometry, $100; Palmdale resident Myint Yee, $100; accountant Than Than Aye, $100; hospital board member and attorney Steve Fox, $100; and Dr. Nyunt Khoo, $100.

Parazo received nonmonetary contributions of $7,800 from a Lancaster firm, JJ Construction, in the form of assembling and distributing campaign signs, and $716 from himself in the form of campaign materials.

Parazo has spent funds on campaign paraphernalia and literature, postage, delivery and messenger services, radio air time, campaign worker salaries, print ads, campaign consultants and office expenses.

Bean's contributors include R. Rex Parris law firm, $5,000; Valley Tumor Medical Group, $5,000; Cara Medical Billing, $2,000; Dr. Karunyan Arulananthan, $2,000; and contractor Andrew Eliopulos, $1,500.

Others Bean contributors included Dr. M. Neelappa, $1,000; Dr. Ravi Shankar, $1,000; Dr. D. Krishna, $1,000; Institute of Neurological Surgery, $1,000; Kumar Medical Corp., $1,000; contractor Greg Hanes, $1,000; attorney Jay Christensen, $1,000; Roberta Widmer, $1,000; Joe Childs, $1,000; and Antelope Ambulance Service, $1,000.

Other donors were Dr. Alex Danso, $500; homemaker Mary Sisson, $400; Dr. Shan Nathan, $250; Dr. J. Yeganeh, $200; secretary Becky Hammel Peters, $100; Dr. J.W. Birsner Sr., $100; and Dr. James Larson, $100.

Contributions of $400 each came from physicians Viken Manjikian, Gilbert Melin, Andrew Deutsch, Mark Beller, Kevin Rice, Jennifer Hill, and Harmandeep Gill.

Bean also contributed $4,300 in cash to his campaign. Bean has spent funds on campaign materials, filing fees, mailers, outdoor signs, print ads, and radio and television air time.

Hill's contributors include R. Rex Parris law firm, $5,000; Aribo Corp. of Marina Del Ray, $2,500; Lance Camper President Jack Cole, $2,000; Dr. Karunyan Arulananthan, $1,000; Dr. D. Krishna, $1,000; attorney Jay Christensen, $1,000; Kumar Medical Group, $1,000; and Institute of Neurological Surgery, $1,000.

Others include A.V. Pulmonary Dr. M. Neelappa, $750; A.V. Pulmonary Dr. Ravi Shankar, $750; hospital board member and attorney Steve Fox, $600; Marshall Linn, $500; Dr. Alex Danso, $500; and Dr. G.I. Varaprasathan, $500.

Other Hill contributors were physicians Mark Beller, Andrew Deutsch, Richard Sisson, Viken Manjikian, Gilbert Melin, Harmandeep Gill, Jennifer Hill, and Kevin Rice, who contributed $400 each. Also donating cash was former hospital board member Hank Marvin, $200, and Beck Psychiatric Medical Group, $100.

Hill loaned $1,750 to his campaign and received an $8,000 loan from Cole of Lance Camper. Also listed is a nonmonetary contribution of $175 from High Desert Medical Group for an expo booth.

Hill has spent money on filing fees, print ads, yard signs, campaign literature, postage, radio and television air time, and campaign paraphernalia. There was an unpaid bill of $10,000 for phone banks.

Snow's contributors include High Desert Medical Group, $1,000; Sierra Gastroenterology, $1,000; Kelly and Stephanie Wade, a registered nurse, $500; Elaine Browne, a registered nurse, $500; hospital board member Deborah Rice, $450; Claude and Ingrid Merrill, a registered nurse, $400; A.C. Warnack Trust, $300; and A.V. Acute Hemodialysis, $250.

Snow contributed $1,191 in cash to her campaign and listed $957 in contributions of less than $100. The California Nurses Association, which has endorsed Snow, paid $2,100 for Snow's filing fees.

Snow has spent funds on campaign paraphernalia, political signs and radio air time.

ELECTION WAR CHESTS

Antelope Valley Hospital election fund raising by candidate, as of Oct. 19.

Dr. Don Parazo $200,176

Dr. Don Bean $36,715

Gary Hill $33,590

June Snow $6,548

Lawrence Caird $2,700

CAPTION(S):

5 photos, box

Photo:

(1) BEAN

(2) CAIRD

(3) HILL

(4) PARAZO

(5) SNOW

Box:

ELECTION WAR CHESTS (see text)