State Assembly "Rocks and Rolls" and Willie goes to San Francisco!

Now that Former Speaker of the Assembly Willie Brown is the Mayor of San Francisco and Republican Curt Pringle has become the new Speaker, things are rockin' and rollin'. Last year was wild and crazy around the State Capitol, to say the least, and this year promises to be just as entertaining! Willie hung onto his Speakership for much longer than most people imagined. He maneuvered enough votes by convincing Republican Paul Horcher to vote for him along with all the other Democrats. Horcher then switched party affiliation and registered as an Independent. However, in doing so, the Republicans were outraged with Horcher and mounted a huge recall campaign against him, which he lost. Then Speaker Brown, after 15 years of power, arranged a deal with Assemblywoman Doris Allen, a Republican from Cypress. Willie and the Democrats voted Allen in as the Speaker and by doing so she "stuck it to the GOP caucus." Allen was mad at her fellow Republicans because they had endorsed Assemblyman Ross Johnson when she and Johnson ran against each other for the Senate. Johnson won by a wide margin and Allen was left with her Assembly seat.

She then became Speaker for a short time, soon to turn it over to Assemblyman Brian Setencich, (a freshman Republican from Fresno) who was also elected by the Democrats and Allen. The Democrats continued in power, which infuriated the Republicans. Reps then mounted another recall campaign against Doris Allen and in November she lost her office. A Republican, by the name of Scott Baugh, was elected to this seat.

Assemblyman Baugh voted along with the GOP caucus which finally managed to elect a Republican Speaker, Curt Pringle, with all the Republican votes. The plot continues to get thicker, however, because now the Orange County District Attorney is conducting a criminal investigation regarding the recall.

Here's the scenario: four Republicans decided to run in the campaign for Allen's seat, but only two of the four had the money and backing to emerge as front runners; Huntington Beach Planning Commissioner, Haydee Tillotson, and Southern Pacific Railroad attorney, Scott Baugh. Two Democrats on the ballot were former Huntington Beach Mayor, Linda Moulton-Patterson and legal secretary, Laurie Campbell. In October, Orange County Democrats challenged Campbell's candidacy. She was alleged to have been recruited by Republicans to split the Democratic votes. Republicans denied the charges. Then a Sacramento judge ruled Campbell ineligible on the grounds that she had not personally witnessed signatures which were gathered on her behalf after signing an affidavit to that effect. To add to the confusion, the Republican candidates (Tillotson and Baugh) were feuding among themselves with old deep seeded animosities between various factions of county Republicanism.

Finally Tillotson dropped out of the race 12 days before the election. Baugh won the election, but there was a sticking point...Campbell (the Democrat candidate who had been bounced from the ballot) had known Baugh in Sacramento in the 1980's and belonged to the same Orange County church. Also, Campbell's husband gave a $1000 contribution to Baugh's campaign prior to his wife deciding to enter the race as a Democratic candidate, (the Democrats charged all along that Campbell had been recruited as a stalking horse by the Republicans). Baugh made things worse by initially denying he knew Campbell, then later clarified their relationship. In addition, he had to file an amended campaign contribution report to reflect the Campbell contribution, which was later returned after Campbell decided to run! Baugh won the election but he must run again in the March primary, now with three other Republican opponents!

So, the saga continues in 1996. Doris Allen is no longer in the Assembly, after serving 13 years, including serving briefly as the first woman Speaker. Willie is having fun picking out the right clothes to wear in his city by the bay!