Nolan Wants His Trial Moved Out of Capital

Assemblyman Patrick Nolan wants his federal corruption trial moved to San Francisco because of the poor impression he says Sacramento residents have of state legislators.

Attorneys for the Glendale Republican filed the change-of-venue motion Monday, arguing that potential jurors in the Sacramento area have been influenced by previous publicity about corruption in the Legislature.

Sacramento-area residents have an “overwhelming and deep-seated animosity toward legislators and the political process,” the motion said.

A survey of Sacramento residents the defense commissioned in August showed that a vast majority of respondents believe that legislators are overly influenced by campaign contributions. The survey also showed that a majority of the respondents believe that it is likely that Nolan is guilty, the lawyers said.

Nolan and Sen. Frank Hill (R-Whittier) were indicted in April on charges of extorting campaign contributions from undercover FBI agents posing as businessmen seeking passage of a bill.