OC’s State Sen. Campbell, GOP Powerhouse, Resigns : Will Become President of Trade Group

SACRAMENTO —  State Sen. William Campbell (R-Hacienda Heights), an influential legislator for two decades, abruptly announced today that he will resign his seat in January to become president of the California Manufacturers Assn., a major trade group with extensive lobbying operations in Sacramento.

Campbell, whose district stretches from southern Los Angeles County through the eastern half of Orange County, said in a morning press conference that he will abide by the spirit of proposed ethics reforms that would ban former lawmakers from lobbying the Legislature for a year after they leave office.

He also said he intends during an upcoming special legislative session aimed at providing earthquake relief to steer clear of any votes that may even have “the perception of a conflict of interest” with his new job.

Campbell, 54, who won the Republican nomination for state controller in 1986 but lost to Democrat Gray Davis, acknowledged that part of the reason he is leaving the Legislature after 23 years is that his immediate prospects for moving up in office are dim.

“Things (opportunity for higher office) started getting farther and farther into the future and thus more unattainable,” said Campbell. “And so . . . when I met with the California Manufacturers Assn. and they made this offer and they worked out the details of it, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse and probably the best thing for me.”

Campbell--a glib public speaker who is in high demand on the toastmaster circuit--said his decision to leave the Legislature was not influenced by proposed ethics rules to ban the acceptance of speaking fees. Those fees netted him $46,900 last year. He also said he was not influenced by recent news stories about how his wife and chief aide made thousands of dollars from a series of women’s conferences sponsored by Campbell’s office.

Today’s announcement immediately touched off speculation about who would replace Campbell in the 31st Senatorial District, a Republican enclave.

Within hours of Campbell’s announcement, Assemblyman Frank Hill (R-Whittier) announced his intention to run for the spot after Campbell resigns during the first week of January. Assemblyman Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach) also was reported considering a bid for the Senate seat.

Campbell was first elected to serve as an assemblyman from southern Los Angeles County in 1966, the youngest Republican in the Legislature. He quit in 1972 to run unsuccessfully for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, returning to the Assembly in 1974.

He moved over to the Senate in 1976, where he was later voted minority leader, a prestigious post he held until deposed in 1983. Three years later, he ran a losing campaign for state controller in a race and still has $400,000 in debt from that campaign.

Over the years, Campbell has carried legislation aimed at clearing government regulation for private industry and he said today that his new post would be a “good marriage.”

The trade group represents about 70% of the state’s manufacturers.