Assembly in Disarray Over Speakership : Politics: Brown declares himself ‘presiding officer.’ Republicans boycott session, say they will stay away until Jan. 4.

The struggle for control of the Assembly took bizarre new twists Tuesday when Democratic Assemblyman Willie Brown seized temporary control of the lower house, while Republicans declared that they were leaving the Capitol until January without resolving the bitter speakership battle.

Triumphant after the November elections, Republican legislators arrived here Monday with an apparent 41-vote majority and the conviction that they would be ruling the Assembly for the first time in a quarter of a century. But they could not muster enough votes to elect a Speaker after Assemblyman Paul Horcher of Diamond Bar bolted GOP ranks and voted for Brown.

Brown and Republican Leader Jim Brulte probably will meet between now and January in an effort to end the impasse, though it remains unclear if they can break the deadlock.

Earlier Tuesday, with the divided Assembly in disarray, Brown proclaimed himself the Assembly’s “presiding officer” by virtue of his having served longer--31 years--than any other member.

Brown claimed the title in the absence of the Assembly chief clerk, who was taken to the hospital for a stress-related ailment after presiding over Monday’s raucous and deadlocked opening session.

But as the San Francisco Democrat stood at the Speaker’s dais, presiding over 39 Democrats and newly independent Horcher, the 40 Republican Assembly members stymied Brown by meeting privately at a hotel across the street from the Capitol building.

Brown ordered sergeants-at-arms to round up the Republicans, sending them to the offices of each one. But the GOP delegation stayed at the hotel. Failing to obtain a quorum, Brown and his loyalists could perform no business, not even formally adjourning.

Brown pressed his call for a bipartisan agreement on organizing the house, even as he acknowledged that the speakership fight may only fuel voter anger at politicians. But he also vowed to continue his fight to remain Speaker, a post he has held for 14 years, longer than anyone in California history.

“I didn’t start 30 years ago to suddenly decide in the 31st year of my career that with all this time, talent and energy, I am somehow going to disqualify myself from the top job,” Brown said after the Assembly floor session recessed.

Democrats emerged from the Nov. 8 election apparently having lost their hold on the Assembly, retaining 39 seats to the Republicans’ 41. But while the GOP was poised to claim the speakership, Brown stunned the Assembly by convincing Republican Horcher to renounce his party affiliation and vote for Brown on Monday.

The Assembly remained split Tuesday with 40 members supporting Brown for Speaker and 40 backing Brulte. Brulte’s spokesman, Phil Perry, acknowledged that the GOP may temporarily lose the speakership.

“If the Democrats decide to basically steal an election and retain power, I guess there’s not a whole lot we can do to stop it at this time, and we wait,” Perry said.

He also summed up what is evident to everyone involved: “This could drag on for a long time.”

Among the many twists Tuesday:

* Although lawmakers often meet privately in caucus, it was unusual for Republicans to depart the building for such a meeting. But Republican lawmakers left knowing that if they stayed in the building, a sergeant-at-arms might find one of them and force them to attend the Assembly session. If that happened, Brown would have had a quorum and the GOP might have lost the speakership.

On their return from the hotel after lunch, tight-lipped GOP lawmakers explained that they skipped the floor session because they needed to develop a new strategy. By telling his members to return to their districts, Brulte is hoping that public pressure will build to force a deal.

“Some people get out of touch with their constituents over the years,” Brulte said. “Some people get out of touch between the time they’re elected in November and the time they are sworn in.”

* Brown claimed the title of presiding officer when chief Assembly Clerk E. Dotson Wilson took ill after being thrust into the position of presiding officer Monday in one of the most contentious sessions in recent memory. Wilson was suffering from an undetermined stress-related ailment, Brown said, and Wilson issued a note from a physician saying he was to perform no work for two days.

Brown denied telling Wilson to take the medical leave, and said he did not speak to Wilson after Monday’s session. But Brown was incensed at Wilson for ruling against the Democrats on key parliamentary issues governing the unprecedented situation in which the Assembly finds itself. With Wilson gone, however, Brown can reverse those decisions.

* In his key ruling, Wilson decided Monday that Republican Richard Mountjoy of Arcadia could remain in the Assembly, even though in addition to winning the Assembly seat Nov. 8 he was elected to the state Senate in a special election. Mountjoy was among the 40 Republicans who supported Brulte.

Brown intended to reverse Wilson’s decision on Mountjoy and attempt to oust him from the Assembly, reducing Brulte’s support to 39 votes in what would then be a 79-member house. Brown expected to remain as Speaker with a 40-vote majority, retaining votes from all 39 Democrats, plus Horcher.

On Tuesday, however, Perry said Mountjoy was considering not taking his Senate seat, remaining in the Assembly and backing a Republican for Speaker. If Mountjoy decides not to join the Senate, that seat would be declared vacant, another special election would be held, and Mountjoy could run for the seat again in the spring. Mountjoy could not be reached for comment.

* In a brief interview Tuesday, Gov. Pete Wilson urged the Assembly to resolve the power struggle. “There is a lot to do, and I think the people are impatient,” Wilson said. “They are far more interested in seeing the job done, and I don’t think they’ve got a whole lot of time or patience for these kind of squabbles.”

* Former Los Angeles County Supervisor Pete Schabarum said he is pushing a recall of Horcher, calling him a “bad man who has been taking care of No. 1, himself.”

The Republican Central Committee in Horcher’s district intended to serve Horcher with a recall notice by today. Horcher, who was elected as a Republican on Nov. 8 but renounced the GOP on Monday, said he is now an independent and voted for Brown as Speaker.

To mount a recall, Horcher’s political enemies would have up to four months to gather about 19,000 signatures. Then an election would be held, asking whether Horcher should be recalled. Schabarum said he might run for the seat.

* While Horcher may have a recall to defend, one of Brulte’s Republican backers may have to deal with a recall. State Democratic Party official Bob Mulholland said Tuesday that Democrats in Long Beach were seriously considering a recall of freshman Assemblyman Steve Kuykendall (R-Rancho Palos Verdes). Kuykendall narrowly defeated an incumbent Democrat after receiving a $125,000 donation from tobacco giant Philip Morris on the weekend before the election.

Meanwhile, Democrats maintain that Mountjoy cannot legally sit in both houses.

“Mr. Mountjoy has made it clear he intends to be a state Senator,” Brown said. “He only wishes to participate in the Forest Lawn ceremony for Willie Brown. Once he has done the Forest Lawn ceremony . . . he will dust his hands of that dirt and move over to the Senate.”

But Republicans say Brown and the Democrats are trying to steal the election. “We are the majority party and the Democrats ought to be ashamed,” Assemblyman Trice Harvey (R-Bakersfield) said.

Also contributing to this report was Times staff writer Dave Lesher.