Whittier : Filing Deadline Is Monday for Montoya’s Senate Seat

Would-be candidates have until Monday to file papers allowing them to run in a special election to fill the state Senate seat vacated by the resignation of Joseph B. Montoya, who was convicted on corruption charges.

Assemblyman Charles M. Calderon (D-Whittier), the only elected official expected to vie for Montoya’s seat, is likely to emerge as the leading candidate in the heavily Democratic 26th State Senate District.

Calderon will have to pick up more than half the votes in the April 10 special election or face a runoff June 5. The special election will determine who serves the remainder of Montoya’s term, which expires in December.

Meanwhile, also scheduled for June 5 is the primary election to determine who will represent the district for a full four-year term, starting Dec. 3. Each party’s top vote-getter in the primary will compete for the job in the November general election.

Candidates who have filed declarations of their intention to run in the June 5 primary election are Democrats Calderon and Richard S. Gonzales of Baldwin Park, Republican Joe Aguilar Urquidi of Alhambra, and Libertarian Kim Goldsworthy of Rosemead.

Montoya, who was elected to the Senate in 1978, was convicted Feb. 2 of racketeering, extortion and money laundering. His conviction grew out of an FBI sting investigation into corruption in the capital.

The 26th State Senate District stretches along the southern part of the San Gabriel Valley from Monterey Park to La Puente. It includes the Southeast cities of Montebello and Pico Rivera. Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 2 to 1.