Governor Signs Ethics Bill Hailed as Reform

Gov. George Deukmejian on Friday signed a sweeping ethics bill designed to crack down on the lucrative payments and gifts that California legislators routinely collect from special interest groups.

Long sought by organizations such as Common Cause, the legislation marks the most significant effort yet by the Legislature and the governor to remove the taint of corruption from the Capitol.

“We’re happy to see that state government has finally responded to the people’s demand for a higher standard of ethical conduct,” said Brenda Robinson, a spokeswoman for Common Cause. “We’re delighted that he has signed this. This is really landmark legislation.”

Authored by Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles), the measure would ban speaking fees, limit gifts to $250 and restrict lobbying by officials after they leave office.

The new ethics code would apply not only to the Legislature, but to the governor and his appointees as well. However, key elements of the law would take effect only if voters approve Proposition 112 on the June 5 ballot, a measure that would set the stage for a pay raise for legislators.

In the past, Deukmejian has been skeptical of proposals to impose stricter standards of conduct on elected officials, arguing that the best way to have honest government is for the voters to elect honest candidates.

But legislative leaders of both parties, spurred into action by a long-running federal corruption investigation in the state Capitol, urged the Republican governor to sign the measure into law.

“It’s going to help the Legislature’s image and they’re going to be able to go out to the public and point out they have taken these steps,” said Michael R. Frost, the governor’s chief of staff. “From that standpoint, it could be helpful. But as the governor has said, the primary way to enforce ethics is to elect ethical people.”

The reputation of the Legislature has taken a beating in recent months with the conviction of Sen. Joseph B. Montoya of Whittier on corruption charges and the indictment of former Sen. Paul Carpenter of Downey on similar counts. A Los Angeles Times Poll found that most voters believe it is commonplace for legislators to accept bribes.

Lawmakers have long been under fire for accepting thousands of dollars in speaking fees and gifts from special interest groups that are seeking legislative action. Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco), for example, reported receiving more than $130,000 in honorarium payments during 1988 and 1989.

“The approval of this legislation should help in restoring the public trust that elected representatives are working for their constituents and not for special interests,” said Senate Republican Leader Ken Maddy of Fresno, a co-author of the measure.

Said Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar), a member of the Assembly Ethics Committee: “This was a long time coming and it’s a final recognition of the fact that business as usual is not acceptable in California.”

Backers of the measure say that the new law, combined with the passage of Proposition 112, will create the strictest code of conduct for elected officials anywhere in the nation.

Legislators, the governor and other top officials would be prohibited from accepting speaking fees. They also would be barred from taking more than $250 from each source per year. In addition, they would be prohibited from lobbying their former colleagues or subordinates for 12 months after leaving office.

All three of these provisions would take effect only if the voters approve Proposition 112, which would create an independent commission to set the salary of legislators, the governor and other elected state officials.

Other provisions of the measure become law with Deukmejian’s signature and take effect Jan. 1, 1991, including the first penalties ever for conflict-of-interest violations by legislators. The law also will require legislators and lobbyists to attend ethics education courses and will prohibit members of the State Board of Equalization from voting on matters affecting campaign donors who contributed more than $250.

Assemblyman John Vasconcellos (D-Santa Clara), chairman of the Assembly Ethics Committee, said the legislation “defies the cynics who didn’t believe we could do it. Now it’s up to the public to approve Proposition 112 and lock it in place.”

For the executive branch, the most significant part of the ethics package is the limit on lobbying by officials who leave office. During the Deukmejian Administration, a number of top officials, including members of the governor’s Cabinet, have left their posts and gone into the lobbying business.

Deukmejian signed the bill despite questions over the effective date of the lobbying restrictions. Proposition 112 would set the date as Jan. 7, 1991, the day after Deukmejian leaves office. But the bill moved up the effective date to Jan. 1.

The governor’s office was concerned that some staff members would have to quit a week early if they planned to become lobbyists. But legislators acknowledged that the change was an oversight and agreed to carry another bill adopting the later date.

REFORM MEASURES--A breakdown of the main components of Proposition 112 and the city of Los Angeles’ Proposition H. B2