Seymour, Campbell Report Fees of $19,000 for Speeches

Republican Sens. John Seymour of Anaheim and William Campbell of Hacienda Heights each made nearly $20,000 in speaking fees last year to supplement their salaries, according to statements of economic interest released Tuesday by the Fair Political Practices Commission.

Seymour, who is the GOP’s second-ranking member in the Senate, and Campbell, the party’s former Senate leader, earned far more from speaking engagements than any of their Orange County colleagues in the Legislature, the reports showed.

On the statements, legislators are required to list gifts, speaking and writing fees, outside income, investments and property holdings. The statements reveal that some members of the Orange County delegation earned only their legislative salary, while others had significant real estate and investment holdings and outside earnings.

Members of the Legislature are paid $37,105 a year, plus about $18,000 in per diem expenses while the Legislature is in session. There are no limits on outside income, gifts or speaking fees that members can accept.

Seymour, who until two weeks ago was chairman of a Senate Select Committee on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, accepted more than $3,200 in gifts and fees from tobacco giant Philip Morris Inc. and a $4,133 trip to a Florida conference from a New York pharmaceuticals firm.

Seymour, who lost the committee job in a dispute with Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles), said accepting the travel and fees from the companies did not present a conflict of interest for him.

Seymour said the firms, along with others that paid him to speak, had only a “general interest” in matters before the Legislature.

“I am not aware of any honoraria I took or accepted that had me speaking and being paid to speak today and then voting tomorrow on their legislation,” Seymour said.

Seymour said Pfizer Pharmaceuticals paid his way to a Florida conference at which at least three dozen legislators from around the country discussed issues before them of interest to the firm. He said Philip Morris Inc., which has ownership interests in tobacco, foods and other products and owns the Mission Viejo Co. development firm, paid his way to a Washington meeting with its executives.

24 Engagements

Seymour reported 24 speaking engagements, for which he was paid a total of $19,450. His fees for speaking ranged from $150 for a speech to the National Council on Year-Round Education to $2,500 for an engagement arranged by the California Hospital Assn.

Seymour also received $6,322 in gifts, including free tickets to Disneyland, dinners, golf tournament entrance fees and the travel to Florida and Washington.

Campbell, who as a popular speaker perennially ranks high among legislators in fees received, earned $19,350 last year from 15 speaking engagements. Campbell, who spoke to groups at the University of Southern California, Dow Chemical and the California Car Wash Assn., among others, was paid as much as $2,500 to share his wisdom on California’s democratic process.

Campbell’s top aide, Jerry Haleva, said the senator probably would have earned much more from speaking last year if he hadn’t been running in an unsuccessful bid for statewide office.

Busy With Statewide Race

“Sen. Campbell was very much preoccupied with his race for state controller,” Haleva said. “That did not allow him the opportunity to accept as many speaking opportunities as he would have.”

Haleva added that Campbell--like Seymour and most other legislators--routinely speaks for free to religious groups and charitable organizations.

Campbell reported receiving $5,358 in gifts, including a $2,000 watch from the California Coin Dealers Assn. and the use of a car for the year--valued at $1,800--from a Toyota dealer in his district.

Of the other legislators representing Orange County, Sen. Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach) earned $5,792 in speaking fees, Assemblyman Ross Johnson (R-La Habra) got $1,700 and Assemblyman Dennis Brown (R-Signal Hill), $1,550. No other members from Orange County earned more than $1,000. Republican Assemblyman John R. Lewis of Orange does not accept such fees.

Fishing Trip Provided

Assemblyman Robert C. Frazee (R-Carlsbad), whose district includes parts of Southern Orange County, received $8,141 worth of gifts, including a fishing trip from the California Forest Protective Assn., membership in a Sacramento athletic club and free airport parking at San Diego’s Lindbergh Field.

Bergeson received just under $8,000 in gifts, including $1,080-a-year memberships in the Balboa Bay Club and Balboa Yacht Club and a $410 membership in the Sea Cliff Country Club. Other members received gifts worth from $409 (Johnson) to $2,101 (Assemblyman Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach)).

The reports provide some insight into the relative wealth of the legislators, though the picture is far from complete. Legislators are required to report investments and property holdings other than their place of residence, but they need not list money held in bank accounts, insurance policies, credit unions, government bonds and mutual funds except when such holdings are producing income. In addition, the holdings and income that members are required to report can be listed in broad categories, such as “between $1,000 and $10,000” or “more than $10,000.”

Income of $68,000

Seymour, a successful realtor, listed income of at least $68,000 last year, mostly from rents and loans repaid to him. Seymour also reported investments worth at least $222,000 and interests in property worth at least $522,000.

Lewis, heir to a dog food fortune, reported investments worth at least $317,000 and property worth another $223,000. Lewis had between $2,000 and $20,000 in income from rental properties.

At the other end of the scale, Campbell, Johnson, and Assemblyman Nolan Frizzelle (R-Huntington Beach) reported no investments, property holdings or outside income, aside from the honorariums.

LEGISLATORS’ SOURCES OF INCOME Financial statements filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission by the deadline of midnight Monday list honorariums, gifts and outside income received by Orange County legislators for 1986.

Senate Honorariums Gifts John Seymour (R-Anaheim) $19,450 $6,322 William Campbell (R-Hacienda Hts.) $19,350 $5,358 Edward R. Royce (R-Anaheim) $500 $320 Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach) $5,792 $7,999 Assembly Dennis Brown (R-Signal Hill) $1,550 $2,024 Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach) $150 $2,101 Robert C. Frazee (R-Carlsbad) $500 $8,141 Nolan Frizzelle (R-Huntington Beach) $400 $665 Ross Johnson (R-La Habra) $1,700 $409 John R. Lewis (R-Orange) None $1,309 Doris Allen (R-Cypress) $100 $555 Richard E. Longshore (R-Santa Ana) None None

Senate Outside Income John Seymour (R-Anaheim) At least $68,000 William Campbell (R-Hacienda Hts.) None Edward R. Royce (R-Anaheim) At least $15,000 Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach) None Assembly Dennis Brown (R-Signal Hill) At least $10,000 Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach) At least $24,000 Robert C. Frazee (R-Carlsbad) At least $11,000 Nolan Frizzelle (R-Huntington Beach) None Ross Johnson (R-La Habra) None John R. Lewis (R-Orange) At least $2,000 Doris Allen (R-Cypress) At least $10,000 Richard E. Longshore (R-Santa Ana) At least $10,000

Source: Fair Political Practices Commission.