Legislators Report Sharp Drop in Pay for Speeches

The San Gabriel Valley’s 15 state legislators, reacting to heightened public sensitivity about ethics in government, collected $34,500 in honorariums for speeches last year, a sharp drop from the $184,500 received in 1988.

The trend mirrors a statewide decline in legislators’ acceptance of such income in the wake of an FBI probe of corruption in Sacramento. The investigation resulted in the conviction of former state Sen. Joseph B. Montoya (D-Whittier) on charges of extortion, racketeering and money laundering.

Assemblyman Charles M. Calderon (D-Whittier) said honorariums “are definitely on their way out.”

In addition to ethical concerns, he said, honorariums also have declined because of an initiative that took effect last year limiting speech payments to $1,000 from any one source.

Calderon, who accepted $1,000 in speech fees last year, said legislators no longer accept honorariums “unless the speech is before a legitimate organization and there is some understanding that there is no connection between the honorarium and any specific legislation.”

Assemblymen Pat Nolan (R-Glendale) and Frank Hill (R-Whittier), who have been identified as targets but not charged in connection with the FBI investigation, reported sharply lower honorarium income for 1989.

Hill, who received more than $32,000 in honorariums in 1988, reported $4,000 last year. The payments included $1,000 for a speech from Acorn Engineering Co. in the City of Industry and $750 from a home-cleaning business based in Chicago.

Nolan, who earned $26,143 in honorariums in 1988, when he was Assembly minority leader, was paid a total of $3,750 for five speeches last year.

Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles) also sharply scaled back his honorarium income. He reported $3,550 for seven speeches, down from $15,500 in 1988.

Honorariums and gifts must be reported by lawmakers in financial disclosure statements filed each year with the state Fair Political Practices Commission.