As FBI Takes Aim in Capitol, Four Legislators Appear in the Sights

Joseph Montoya: Not Afraid to Fight

Sen. Joseph B. Montoya of Whittier seldom shies away from a legislative fight--even with his own Democratic colleagues.

Friends say the tart-tongued Montoya finds himself in squabbles because he is tough, principled and highly opinionated. But critics maintain that Montoya is stubborn and has turned his back on the underprivileged in favor of a conservative social agenda--such as opposing state funds for abortions.

Montoya, 49, acknowledges that he feels close to Republicans on fiscal issues, but defends his maverick political record.

“The bottom line,” he once said in an interview, “is that with many of these liberals, if you do not sing their tune, you are not acceptable. I’m not a women’s libber, I’m not an extreme environmentalist. Balance in my political being has worked well for me.”

As a teen-ager, the Colorado native moved to California, where he picked crops during summers. He ultimately earned a degree in political science from UCLA.

After serving on the La Puente City Council and in the Assembly, Montoya in 1978 unseated Sen. Alfred H. Song (D-Monterey Park), who was then the target of an FBI investigation. No charges were ever filed against Song. Montoya represents a Senate district that covers parts of the San Gabriel Valley and Southeast Los Angeles County.

Montoya is chairman of the Senate Business and Professions Committee, which oversees legislation on licensing of doctors, contractors and other professionals. And he has adroitly used his position to raise political contributions from those and other groups.

Frank Hill: A Top GOP Fund-Raiser

Frank Hill of Whittier is known among his legislative colleagues as a young man in a hurry.

After his easy 1982 election to the state Assembly, the 34-year-old Republican quickly gained a reputation as a behind-the-scenes political strategist, a pragmatic conservative and a top legislative fund-raiser.

Hill, a Texas native, moved to Rowland Heights when he was in high school. He caught the political bug while helping state Sen. William Campbell (R-Hacienda Heights) run for office. After attending UCLA, Hill served as an aide to U.S. Sen. S.I. Hayakawa.

Hill’s suburban district stretches from Whittier east along hillside communities overlooking the San Gabriel Valley. Even though it is a Republican bastion, Hill has said he needs to raise campaign contributions to fend off a strong Democratic challenge.

“If I don’t raise it, they (the Democrats) would try and ambush me,” Hill once said in an interview.

In 1986, Hill attracted the spotlight as a champion of Proposition 63, the successful ballot initiative that made English the state’s official language. But his support of that measure and his vocal opposition to state bilingual education programs have drawn criticism from Latinos.

Last month, Hill’s name surfaced among those being considered by Gov. George Deukmejian as a potential nominee to succeed the late Jesse M. Unruh as state treasurer. Hill said he would not lobby for the appointment, but cracked: “Who wouldn’t want a 10-year boost on their political career?”

Pat Nolan: Leader of Conservatives

Pat Nolan of Glendale, who earned his political stripes as a soldier for right-wing causes in the 1960s, now is a commanding general of conservative forces as Republican leader in the Assembly.

Nolan’s success as a political infighter landed him on a Wall Street Journal list last year of 10 potential national political stars in the year 2000.

But Nolan’s immediate political goal is to turn his 35-member GOP Assembly minority into a majority in the 80-member lower house. Ironically, Nolan, 38, who became Republican leader four years ago, has managed to stay in power with the help of liberal Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco).

Under a “cooperative working relationship” with Brown, Nolan has been able to control GOP committee assignments and staffing arrangements--which gives him the power to punish critics inside the GOP caucus.

“My point all along has been, let’s stop this procedural nonsense, the petty partisan bickering and squabbling, and instead really go at it hammer and tong on the issues,” Nolan said.

Born in Los Angeles, Nolan is the sixth of nine children. His district covers the western end of the San Gabriel Valley.

His entry into politics came as a volunteer in Ronald Reagan’s 1966 campaign for governor. He helped hang actress Jane Fonda in effigy at USC.

Nolan, who earned a law degree from USC, was first elected to the Assembly in 1978.

Gwen Moore: Not in the Limelight

Gwen Moore of Los Angeles has remained a relatively little known, back-bench legislator even though she has served in the state Assembly for a decade.

She achieved some statewide recognition last year by pushing through legislation barring state tax deductions for business expenses at private clubs that discriminate against women and minorities.

But her principal niche has been as chairwoman of the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee, which has a key role in shaping telephone rates.

Moore says she has shunned the advice of friends who have urged her to promote herself. “The problem when you get a high profile (is) you get a lot of resentment from your colleagues,” she once said in an interview.

Moore, 44, has lived in Los Angeles since she was 2 years old. A graduate of Cal State Los Angeles, Moore was a deputy probation officer with Los Angeles County. She was elected in 1975 to the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees.

With the help of the political organization of Los Angeles Reps. Howard L. Berman and Henry A. Waxman, Moore in 1978 defeated a field of nine candidates in the Democratic primary and went on to win her Assembly seat. Ever since, she has faced only token Republican opposition in her district, which surrounds Baldwin Hills.

Despite her decade in the Assembly, Moore is not regarded as a member of the inner circle of Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco).