Hill Comes Flying When Bill’s Sponsor Needs Him

How much is one vote worth at the state Capitol?

In the case of Assemblyman Frank Hill (R-Whittier) on Wednesday, the answer was more than $3,600.

That’s how much one Democratic assemblymen paid to rent a private plane to fly Hill to the state Capitol to vote on a controversial no-fault auto insurance measure.

At the expense of Assemblyman Patrick Johnston of Stockton, Hill was flown Wednesday morning from the El Monte airport in a twin turboprop plane to a landing strip 30 miles east of Sacramento--a location selected to avoid low-lying winter fog. Hill was met by a legislative sergeant-at-arms, who drove him to an Assembly committee meeting to vote for Johnston’s no-fault bill.

Hill voted, quickly left the room, was driven back to the airstrip and hopped the plane back to Southern California, where he is running to fill a vacancy in the 31st senatorial district, which covers part of the San Gabriel Valley. Hill delivered a noontime speech, got on a commercial airplane and flew back to Sacramento later in the afternoon.

Despite Hill’s extraordinary trip, Johnston’s no-fault insurance bill was defeated by one vote.

Johnston said he decided to fly Hill to Sacramento because a preliminary head count showed that the vote would be close. Johnston said he wanted to make sure that all his supporters, including Hill, were present.

The cost: $3,645, paid out of Johnston’s campaign fund.

“It was painful to expend the money, I assure you. But it was in the pursuit of a governmental purpose,” Johnston said.

Hill conceded that his morning flight was unusual but said it was for a good cause.

“It was a big bill,” he said.