Senator First to Acknowledge He Seeks to Be Unruh Successor : Seymour Asks Governor for Treasurer’s Post

State Sen. John Seymour (R-Anaheim) said Monday he has asked Gov. George Deukmejian to appoint him state treasurer.

“I’ve written a letter to him expressing my interest in the job, but I also told him that I realize a lengthy, thorough search process is going on and that I will back whoever he names,” Seymour said.

The former Anaheim mayor and real estate broker has been included on speculative lists of potential appointees since Treasurer Jesse M. Unruh died earlier this month. But Seymour is the first to publicly acknowledge that he has formally asked for the job.

Earlier this year, Seymour disclosed that he planned to run for state treasurer in 1990 or seek another statewide office.

Tom Beermann, Deukmejian’s assistant press secretary, said Monday that the Administration would not comment on Seymour’s bid for the post or that of any other potential appointee. The governor is not expected to nominate Unruh’s successor until October.

Other state legislators being discussed as potential appointees are Senate GOP Leader Ken Maddy of Fresno, Sen. Robert G. Beverly (R-Manhattan Beach), and Sen. William Campbell (R-Hacienda Heights).

Legislators have speculated that Deukmejian may want to nominate a Republican senator respected by both parties to avoid a confirmation fight in the Assembly or the Senate, either of which has the power to reject the governor’s choice by a simple majority vote. Both houses are controlled by Democrats.

Elected to the Senate in a 1982 special election and reelected in 1984, Seymour, 49, said he mailed his letter to Deukmejian on Friday. He declined to provide a copy of the letter, saying, “It was labeled personal and confidential, and I want to keep it that way.”

Seymour said he is qualified for the state post because of his experience with money matters as mayor of Anaheim, which included overseeing several bond-financed projects, and as a real estate broker in his private life.