Serving the first course in what a leading GOP strategist predicts will be a "smorgasbord" of special-interest spending, a political group funded mostly by insurance companies has launched a television commercial attacking Democratic 19th Senate District candidate Hannah-Beth Jackson.

Public documents on file with KEYT in Santa Barbara and KCOP in Santa Maria show a group called the California Taxpayer Protection Committee purchased nearly $53,000 in commercials that will run through early September.

Jackson is running against Republican Tony Strickland in a battle between former members of the Assembly in a Senate district that stretches from Santa Barbara to Simi Valley.

The Taxpayer Protection Committee is an independent expenditure group funded largely by individual insurance companies including Allstate ($25,000), Progressive ($15,000), Safeco ($15,000), Farmers ($15,000) and an industry trade group called the Personal Insurance Federation of California ($25,000).

In addition, Christian conservative businessman Howard Ahmanson has contributed $20,000. Ahmanson is one of the largest contributors to conservative causes in the state, having donated $400,000 this year to Proposition 8, the initiative to outlaw same-sex marriages.

Typically, these independent groups — which are difficult to track and do not have to list the names of people responsible for their decisions — employ negative advertising. Because the opponent of the candidate being attacked has no direct connection to the independent group, he or she cannot be held accountable for the ads.

GOP strategist Jim Brulte, the former Republican leader of the Senate, said because this year the 19th District "is ground zero for the California Senate," it will draw intense interest from special interest groups.

"This is going to be an independent expenditure smorgasbord," Brulte said. "There is going to be more money spent by the candidates, by the parties and by independent committees than in any other area of the state."

People are in front of TVs

The candidates are also kicking off their own television advertising.

Strickland went on the air with $112,000 worth of ads on San Luis Obispo-based KSBY beginning with the opening of the Beijing Olympics. The first ad had an Olympic theme and featured Strickland talking about energy independence. It was followed Thursday with a second commercial in which Strickland discusses the same themes.

Jackson purchased $57,000 worth of commercials on the same NBC affiliate, which airs in Santa Barbara County. Her ads will begin today and, like Strickland's, will air during Olympics programming.

Parke Skelton, Jackson's Santa Monica-based consultant, said he decided to go on the air at this unusually early date in response to Strickland's decision to begin even earlier.

"If they're going to move up the start date, we will move up the start date, too," he said.

Joe Justin, Strickland's Sacramento-based consultant, said the viewing environment created by the Olympics was too good to pass up.

"The Olympics are a once-every-four-years event," he said. "It's a time when a lot of people are in front of their TVs with their families rooting for Michael Phelps. It's a time that when you've got a positive message, put it out."

Any negative ads and mailers, at least those that appear early in the campaign, will likely be produced by special interest groups that operate independently from the candidates with the insurance-industry group providing Exhibit A.

The TV commercial accuses Jackson of having recklessly supported various tax increase proposals during her time in the Assembly and refers to her as "Taxin' Jackson."

Skelton called the ad an "opening shot in what will be a massive campaign by Strickland and his corporate sponsors to smear Jackson."

He said that as a legislator Jackson "stood up to the insurance companies to protect consumers and homeowners."

Telephone calls to the Taxpayer Protection Committee placed Wednesday and Thursday by The Star were not returned. A recorded message describes the group, which has raised more than $205,000 in political contributions this year, as "an all-volunteer operation" and advises that messages will not receive a timely response.

Adopting regulation

The state Fair Political Practices Commission has sought this year to shine a spotlight on independent groups, which can spend unlimited amounts of money and accept unlimited contributions. Interest groups of both partisan tilts — business entities on behalf of Republicans, labor unions on behalf of Democrats — are relying more heavily on these independent committees in each election cycle.

In a report issued in June, the commission says these groups have "dramatically undermined California's campaign finance laws." It says independent expenditure committees spent $11.8 million leading up to the June primary, bringing their total spending to just under $100 million since 2001, when the state's new campaign finance laws went into effect.

On Thursday, the commission took the first step toward adopting a regulation that would require these groups to list a specific "responsible party" on their campaign finance reports.

The intent, said Executive Director Roman Porter, would be to make it easier for the public and the media to hold groups accountable for the content of their ads.

A waste of money'

Democratic consultant Gale Kaufman, who has worked with independent expenditure committees in the past, said one reason the insurance-industry group may have gone on the air so early is that it could be coordinating with other interest groups that will enter the campaign later. Such coordination among independent groups is permissible.

Kaufman said the mid-August advertising will prove to be "a waste of money" because voters are not yet paying any attention to fall elections other than the presidential race.

"This is vacation time; this is Olympics time," she said.