SENATOR TALKS OF ISSUES, NOT SCANDAL; BOXER CONTRASTS STANDS ON ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH CARE.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

Sen. Barbara Boxer, stumping for votes Sunday at a private fund-raiser, focused on how she and challenger Matt Fong differ on issues, rather than the presidential scandal preoccupying the nation.

The California Democrat, seeking a second six-year term in the U.S. Senate, stopped at the hilltop Placerita Canyon Road home of Larry and Francesca Loftis as part of a weekend swing that included a visit to the Bay Area.

``Matt Fong and I don't agree on anything,'' Boxer said of the state treasurer, her Republican opponent in the Senate race.

Boxer made only passing reference to the controversy swirling around President Clinton, the latest chapter of which will unfold today as Congress releases his videotaped testimony before the grand jury. Clinton's admission of an ``improper relationship'' with Monica Lewinsky unleashed a national debate on whether the president should resign, finish out his term or be impeached.

Boxer lamented the scandal's impact on her race.

``There are those who believe this race is about something else,'' Boxer said to murmurs of agreement from the dozens of supporters in attendance. ``All (the media) write about is our president's problems.''

``The president does have problems. But that doesn't take away from the fact that under his leadership we have gone from the worst recession to the strongest economy,'' Boxer said. ``All of the (media) blackout of any other issues . . . is meant for one purpose - to depress voter turnout.''

It is that turnout that Boxer acknowledged will be crucial in her bid for another term, considering she and Fong are running neck and neck in the polls with the election just six weeks off. ``I have to get independent voters and Republicans to cross over,'' she told the crowd, who had paid from $100 to $1,000 per person to attend the noontime event.

Santa Clarita Valley residents credit Boxer and Rep. Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, with authoring legislation in the Senate and House in 1996 that banned construction of what the congressman has called a 190 million-ton landfill in Elsmere Canyon. Boxer mentioned the successful bipartisan fight while cautioning those in attendance that the proposed dump may not completely be a dead issue.

``That fight isn't over,'' she said, explaining the state Integrated Waste Management Board has included some private property in Elsmere Canyon - rather than the Angeles National Forest land of the previous proposal - on a list of prospective landfill sites.

Boxer also said she supports the Santa Clara River's inclusion on the American Heritage Rivers Initiative, a nationwide list of waterways that would receive environmental protections.

``We expect another list in 1999,'' she said, alluding to the recent exclusion of the Acton-to-Ventura channel. ``I'm very hopeful to get the river on the list.''

Other speakers at the fund-raiser applauded Boxer's record since she was elected to the Senate in 1992.

``Barbara Boxer has fought for women's rights, she has fought for the economy and she has fought for education,'' said Ron Gillis, a member of the College of the Canyons board of trustees. He praised her legislation on behalf of after-school programs intended to keep youths out of trouble while their parents are at work.

Mayor Jan Heidt said the Santa Clarita Valley benefited from Boxer's help in securing federal transportation funds and disaster recovery funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. ``She was here for us after the earthquake, when we were hurt and really needed help,'' Heidt said.

Boxer said she and Fong have opposite stances on the Brady gun control law, abortion rights and environmental issues.

``Matt Fong has said, and I am quoting: `There's too much enforcement of the Clean Water Act,' '' Boxer said, noting she is endorsed by the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters.

``He wants to dip into the Social Security trust fund,'' Boxer said. Fong, she said, also favors the Strategic Defense Initiative, while she supports the disarmament efforts that have taken thousands of warheads out of the arsenals of the former Soviet Union, Boxer said.

``He wants to raise the age of eligibility for Medicare,'' the senator said of her opponent. ``And don't you think it's about time to pass a patients' bill of rights?'' she asked, prompting the afternoon's biggest applause from the campaign contributors.

``The only two groups in America who can't be sued are foreign diplomats and HMOs,'' Boxer stated, criticizing health care industry chief executives for high salaries while policy holders plead for coverage of prescriptions. ``I'm all for businesses making profits, but we have to see some conscience here.''

The visit to the Santa Clarita Valley, which has a longstanding reputation as Republican turf, was meant to reinforce Boxer's stand on California issues with local Democrats, whom she hopes will turn out in greater numbers Nov. 3 than GOP supporters.

``You know the differences between Matt Fong and Barbara Boxer,'' the senator said. ``He's on the opposite sides of all these issues.''

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PHOTO (Color) (Ran in SAC Edition only) Sen. Barbara Boxer speaks to Democratic Party contributors on a campaign stop at a Santa Clarita Valley area home on Sunday.

John McCoy/Daily News