Sen. Seymour Regains Key Panel Posts

Sen. John Seymour has regained two of the three committee posts he lost in February when he was suspected of joining an aborted attempt to topple the Senate leadership of Los Angeles Democrat David Roberti.

Roberti at that time stripped Seymour, an Anaheim Republican and chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus, of his positions as chairman of the Select Committee on Drug Abuse, vice chairman of the Toxics Committee and member of the influential Budget Committee.

But late Wednesday, the Senate Rules Committee, which Roberti chairs, reinstated Seymour to his posts on the toxics and drug abuse panels. Seymour said he is still trying to regain his Budget Committee position.

Roberti’s only comment on the matter was: “I don’t hold long grudges.”

Seymour, who denied all along that he had plotted with Sen. Daniel E. Boatwright (D-Concord) to oust Roberti, said Thursday that he was “very thankful” to have his powers restored.

Seymour speculated that Roberti’s decision may have been prompted by Seymour’s resignation as caucus chairman, effective May 13. Seymour has held the post, which carries responsibility for electing the party’s members to the Senate, since 1983.

‘No Conditions’

“I asked for it and Sen. Roberti decided to do it,” Seymour said. “I don’t know exactly why. No conditions were applied to it. I have to assume his perception is that I am no longer the threat to his leadership that he perceived me to be.”

Seymour resigned his caucus post, he said, to devote more time to his own legislative priorities, to enable him to raise campaign contributions for a 1990 race for statewide office and to give him time to work in the reelection campaign of U.S. Sen. Pete Wilson.

But Seymour’s announcement of his resignation came as his colleagues were threatening to oust him soon after the March 17 primary for the 33rd Senate District seat, in which Republican Assemblyman Wayne Grisham of Norwalk finished second to Norwalk City Councilman Cecil Green, a Democrat.

Several of Seymour’s Republican colleagues have said privately that they were dissatisfied with his handling of that campaign. But they decided to leave him in the position until after the runoff election for the pivotal seat, which is Tuesday.