Defeated Legislator Named to High Post

A freshman Republican assemblyman who was defeated at the polls last fall, William P. Duplissea of San Carlos, was appointed to an $81,635-a-year state job on Tuesday by Gov. George Deukmejian.

Duplissea, whose yearly salary was $37,105 as a legislator, was chosen to be the administrative director for the Division of Industrial Accidents in the Department of Industrial Relations. The position requires Senate confirmation.

The division director is primarily responsible for overseeing the work of the referees who hear workers’ compensation appeals cases.

John F. Henning, executive director of the California Labor Federation AFL-CIO, promptly said his group will oppose Duplissea for confirmation.

“We are overwhelmingly opposed to the appointment,” Henning said. “He (Duplissea) has been an opponent of the interests of the transit workers of this state.”

The incumbent lost his lower house seat to Democrat Ted Lempert, a San Mateo attorney, who received large sums of Democratic money and support late in the campaign.

Lempert ran as a legislative reform candidate, capitalizing on an FBI sting operation that came to light in August when agents raided several Capitol offices. Lempert pointed out that Duplissea was a close ally of Republican Assembly leader Pat Nolan of Glendale, who has since been identified as a target of the FBI investigation.

The Senate refused to confirm the governor’s last appointment to the same state post, John R. Sullivan, with Senate Democrats charging that the Deukmejian Administration was deliberately attempting to “sabotage” the workers’ compensation appeals program.

Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles) said that although Sullivan was “well-qualified” for the post, he feared that Sullivan would carry out “Deukmejian’s intention to bring the (workers’ compensation appeals) system to its knees.”

“We have no alternative way of sending a message to the governor” other than to reject Sullivan, Roberti said.

While he was in the Assembly, Duplissea was vice chairman of the Transportation Committee. He also served on the Labor and Employment, Revenue and Taxation, and Economic Development and New Technologies committees.

A businessman, he has been the chairman of California Truck Trailer Services Inc. of San Leandro, a position he has held since 1982. In addition, he also has been chairman of the board for Carlos Cleaners of San Carlos since 1984.