LOCAL ELECTIONS / STATE SENATE DISTRICT 29 : Race for Hill’s Seat Tinged With the Color of Money

With name recognition and the other benefits of incumbency, Assemblymen Richard Mountjoy (R-Arcadia) or Paul V. Horcher (R-Diamond Bar) would have been the clear favorite to win Tuesday’s special election to fill the state Senate seat vacated by Sen. Frank Hill after his political corruption conviction.

But Diamond Bar Councilman Gary Miller, a wealthy Republican businessman, has positioned himself among the front-runners by reaching deep into his own pocket to outspend the two lawmakers and four other candidates running for the Whittier seat.

The special election was called after Hill resigned July 8, three weeks after a federal jury convicted him of extortion, money laundering and conspiracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced Monday.

Miller has spent $309,774 on his campaign, more than twice as much as Mountjoy, the next biggest spender, according to campaign disclosure statements.

Miller reported contributions of $352,400, all but $2,400 of which is his own money--technically a loan from his wife, Cathleen C. Miller, co-owner of the family real estate business.

From the start, campaign funding has been an issue in the race.

Mountjoy complained early that Miller was trying to buy the Senate seat. Miller, in turn, accused Mountjoy and Horcher of being beholden to special interests because of their campaign support from political action committees.

With voter registration in the 29th District 45.7% Republican and 41.5% Democrat, a Republican is expected to win the right to complete the last two years of Hill’s term, if not on Tuesday then on Nov. 8 when a likely runoff is scheduled between the top finishers in each party. To win outright next week, a candidate needs to carry more than 50% of the total vote.

Shortly before Election Day, widely varying campaign surveys showed Mountjoy leading--by more than 20% according to his own polling to just 1% by Miller’s.

The other candidates are: Democrat Sandra K. Hester, a former aide to Rep. Matthew G. Martinez (D-Monterey Park); Republican Edward D. Ortell; Libertarian Matthew J. Piazza, and Green Party candidate Walter R. Sheasby III.

The staunchly conservative Mountjoy received a strong boost in the last two weeks from PACs opposing tax increases, gun control and abortion. One of those PACs, the California Conservative Opportunity Society, reported recently spending $30,430 on mailers in support of Mountjoy.

A more liberal PAC, Californians for Independent Representation, which is funded by lawyers, police officers and firefighters, among others, has spent about $49,000 on mailers supporting Horcher.

In response, the free-spending Miller has sent out a barrage of mailers to forge an image as an outsider who will shake up the Sacramento political Establishment. His campaign primarily has targeted Mountjoy.

“When you start taking $25,000 or $30,000 from a group to do mail for you, nobody gives that without expecting something in return,” Miller said. “I’m not running against Dick Mountjoy. I’m running against a whole bunch of special interests.”

But Mountjoy counters that the PAC money does not compromise his integrity, and that the PACs are supporting him because of his conservative record.

“Those are people who agree with my position on taxes,” said Mountjoy, who won his Assembly seat in 1978 campaigning as a strong supporter of the tax-slashing Proposition 13. “They want legislators who don’t raise taxes, (who) protect the Constitution.”

Mountjoy, who has the endorsements of Senate Republicans including Minority Floor Leader Ken Maddy (R-Fresno) and Sen. Rob Hurtt (R-Garden Grove), continues to tout his 16 years of legislative experience and ultraconservative credentials.

He is a strong supporter of Proposition 187, which if approved by voters in November would cut educational, medical and other benefits to illegal immigrants.

Horcher and Miller said they also support denying most public benefits to illegal immigrants to save the state money, but they fear that certain provisions of the measure--such as denying schooling to children--could become tied up in court for years.

A moderate, Horcher presents himself as a legislator who is willing to compromise for the benefit of his constituents. He vows to strengthen law enforcement across the state if elected.

Horcher openly campaigned for the Democratic vote. He recently sent out a mailer that said he is the only candidate who can stop the “Rush Limbaugh Republicans.” The mailer publicized Horcher’s abortion rights view, contrasted with the anti-abortion positions of Mountjoy and Miller.

“I’m mainstream,” said Horcher, who has the endorsement of the California Teachers Assn. “I don’t just represent, like Mr. Mountjoy, people who think like me.”

Miller, who has run for Senate before--losing to Hill in 1990--is campaigning as a candidate who will cut bureaucratic red tape to encourage new business in California and to retain existing business. Miller has served on the Diamond Bar City Council since 1989 and is the target of a recall drive that is tied up in the courts.

Hester, who lost to Hill in 1992, is opposed to Proposition 187 and favors enforcing current immigration laws. Hester also proposes to boost the state’s economy by using federal grants to bring recyclers and other environmental industries to California.

Special Election Funds

From the six-figure amounts of millionaire Gary Miller to the token totals of the minor candidates, political money varies widely in Tuesday’s state Senate special election in eastern Los Angeles County.

CANDIDATES CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES Gary Miller (R) $352,400* $309,774 Richard L. Mountjoy (R) $94,072 $123,888** Paul V. Horcher (R) $87,394 $95,205** Sandra K. Hester (D) $11,150 $11,333 Matthew J. Piazza (L) $2,330 $1,178 Edward D. Ortell (R) under $1,000 under $1,000 Walter R. Sheasby III (Green) under $1,000 under $1,000

*Miller’s wife, Cathleen, a co-owner in the family business, loaned $350,000 to her husband’s campaign.

**Additional independent spending by PACs: More than $30,000 in support of Mountjoy; more than $49,000 in support of Horcher; expenditures include unpaid bills.

Source: County and state campaign disclosure statements