Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente's bid for mayor got a big financial boost in recent days from special-interest groups and individuals, including an Alameda County landlords' group and Golden State Warriors owner Chris Cohan.

A handful of independent organizations and individuals poured thousands of dollars into last-minute mailers and phone banking on behalf of De La Fuente, who is running against lobbyist and former U.S. Rep Ron Dellums and City Councilwoman Nancy Nadel in Tuesday's election.

Dellums' spokesman Mike Healy said the latest flow of cash for De La Fuente underscored the "pay-to-play" environment at pro-development City Hall.

"Special interests end up getting special favors when the time comes," Healy told The Chronicle on Friday.

Cohan donated $24,983 for a mailer on behalf of De La Fuente, according to a campaign-finance report filed Wednesday.

Californians United, an independent committee in Sacramento, which has thrown big bucks into supporting candidates and ballot measures up and down the state, gave a total of $20,644 on De La Fuente's behalf.

The landlords group -- Rental Housing Association of Northern Alameda County PAC -- contributed $4,983. The group fought against Oakland's just-cause eviction law a few years back, an ordinance De La Fuente also opposed.

The Committee for Equal Access in Oakland contributed $2,565 on De La Fuente's behalf.

Larry Tramutola, De La Fuente's spokesman and campaign manager, said he wasn't sure why Cohan made the donation, but he fired back at the Dellums' camp, which has relied on volunteers from city employee unions for phone banking, precinct walking and envelope licking.

He challenged Dellums to provide evidence of a pay-to-play environment during De La Fuente's 13 years in office. He said Oakland's campaign-expenditure ceiling is partly to blame in that the candidates are limited in how much they can raise. Other organizations step in to do what the candidates can't afford.

"I've said all along I'd prefer we didn't have independent campaigns going on," Tramutola said. "I find it very frustrating.

"(Dellums) is not by any stretch of the imagination free of this. The unions are hand in glove with his campaign."

Healy denied Local 790 or members of the Alameda Central Labor Council -- which have endorsed Dellums -- would get special favors should Dellums win the race for mayor.

"Ron doesn't play the game," Healy said. "Ron's whole campaign is based on creating a transparent government with no backroom deals."

According to late filings, lawyer and poet Warren Wilson paid $6,119 for a half-page ad on behalf of Dellums in the black-owned newspaper the Oakland Post. Wilson is the brother of former Mayor Lionel Wilson.

E-mail Christopher Heredia at cheredia@sfchronicle.com.

Page B - 2