Smoke and fire

A good example of how money is channeled through state campaign committees, obscuring the original, sometimes controversial sources, can be found in the recent campaign filing of George Plescia, termed-out GOP assemblyman from La Jolla. Though he’s not running for reelection, Plescia’s assembly committee has collected $34,000 in campaign contributions this year. The handsome take includes $2500 on April 9 from tobacco company Reynolds American, Inc., of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Just two weeks before that, on March 23, the Plescia committee transferred $2500 to the Baber Neighbors Committee ’08, backing the La Mesa city council candidacy of Bill Baber, who is the Plescia committee’s treasurer. Additionally, Plescia gave $3400 on April 1 to Gabriella Holt’s GOP primary bid in the 54th Assembly District. … The county GOP central committee has paid $7759 to Dana Point lawyer James Lacy for space on a slate mailer called the “San Diego County Republican Leadership Voter Guide.” The mailer hypes the candidacy of ex-Poway mayor Jan Goldsmith, running for San Diego city attorney, and the bid by Rose Urdahl of Alpine for a county Board of Education seat. She paid only $350 for the exposure, according to a state disclosure filing.