Ross Johnson

Countless visitors to the state Assembly chambers over the last 10 years have seen Assemblyman Ross Johnson in action: In the noisy atmosphere that resembles a children's playground, the heavyset Republican lawmaker stands up on the Assembly floor and takes his microphone. His voice rises with the passion of his remarks and his colleagues stop chatting among themselves to listen.

It was the loophole big enough to fly a chartered jet through: A Sacramento politician would indulge in luxury international travel, and the tab would be picked up by a nonprofit organization funneling the anonymous (to the public) donations of big-moneyed players with legislation to push or thwart in the Capitol. No limits, limited disclosure. High-flying elected officials, stung by criticism, would reply indignantly that being wined, dined, housed and expressed around the globe courtesy of favor-seeking gift-givers was a perfectly natural way for them to attend to the people's business.

Home is where the tax exemption is: The "mystery" of where Assemblyman Ross Johnson (R-Placentia) really lives--Sacramento, Fullerton, Placentia, perhaps even Newport Beach--seems to get deeper by the day. Democrat Allan L. Dollison, a law clerk who is challenging Johnson for his 72nd District seat, claims to have documents that show Johnson filed for a one-time-only $7,000 exemption for his home in Sacramento on his property tax bill in 1988.

Ross Johnson says if he were "king"— rather than merely the state's lead campaign watchdog — he'd invoke the political death penalty for any candidates who libeled their opponents. Yank them off the campaign trail. Or, if they'd already reached office, boot them out. He'd make candidates subject to the same libel laws that apply to newspapers when they write about public officials. It's harder to libel a politician than an ordinary citizen. Basically, a public figure must prove that an article was false and was published with reckless disregard of the truth.

During a recent charity roast, Assembly Republican Leader Ross Johnson took his turn to rib the honoree--the governor, who just days before had unveiled an ambitious plan to save wildlife, wetlands and forests. Some conservatives couldn't attend the event, the lumbering bear of a man told Gov. Pete Wilson. They were out "hunting spotted owls with AK-47s."

Assemblyman Ross Johnson of La Habra was livid. A fellow Republican had just proposed that the GOP join with a group of rebel Democrats to dump Assembly Speaker Willie Brown from his powerful post. But Johnson, no fan of Brown, saw the effort as fruitless unless Republicans could learn in advance who would replace the San Francisco Democrat. His colleague's proposal, Johnson said with a scowl, was "not only foolish but cowardly."

Since he arrived here as a tax-busting freshman Assemblyman more than a decade ago, Ross Johnson could always count on the help of his conservative Republican cohorts from Orange County. But on Wednesday, the typically solid support that helped vault Johnson to his party's top post in the Assembly cracked. Three legislators from Orange County joined 13 others to dump Johnson, of La Habra, as the Republican Assembly leader.

With little more than five weeks to go before the March 26 primary, a relative quiet reigns over the Republican race for the 35th state Senate district. Few expect it to last. The stage in the sprawling coastal district is set for a rematch of last year's heated battle between two veteran Republican legislators, incumbent state Sen. Ross Johnson of Irvine and former Assemblyman Gil Ferguson of Newport Beach.

Councilwoman Barbara Kiley, who played a key role in last year's passage of Proposition 187, announced Monday that she will run for the 72nd District Assembly seat that Ross Johnson will vacate if he is elected to the state Senate next month. Kiley said she was asked to run by the architects of Proposition 187, the ballot measure that bars illegal immigrants from receiving welfare, public health care and public education.

Two Republican legislators said Friday that they will launch an initiative drive for no-fault auto insurance based on a bipartisan proposal defeated this year in the Legislature to institute a $220-a-year bare-bones policy all drivers would be required to buy. A spokesman for Gov. Pete Wilson welcomed the announcement by state Sen. Frank Hill of Whittier and Assemblyman Ross Johnson of La Habra, who said they would seek to place the measure on the November general election ballot.

Ross Johnson represented Orange County in the Legislature for 26 years, and one of the chief accomplishments of his tenure was to get voters to roll back strict campaign contribution limits. His vehicle was a ballot measure that pretended to promise tough limits but actually loosened them. Now, from his vantage point as chairman of the Fair Political Practices Commission -- the state's campaign watchdog -- things look different to Johnson. And he has a message for Californians: He's sorry.

California's lead political watchdog won't mention names, but he strongly feels that the way some Sacramento politicians are raising and spending special interest money is plain wrong. He's new in the job as chairman of the state Fair Political Practices Commission, which enforces campaign finance and conflict-of-interest laws. But Ross Johnson, 68, is hardly a naive political neophyte.

The fight over state Sen. Ross Johnson's Orange County seat will pit two Republican assemblymen in a campaign that could cost more than $2 million, political experts say. When John Campbell and Ken Maddox announced this week that they would seek Johnson's job, it set up an unusual primary between two popular assemblymen who easily won reelection last year.

Chiron Corp., one of the world's largest biotechnology companies, said Tuesday it was subpoenaed by the state attorney general's office in a whistle-blower lawsuit against it and other drug companies. Emeryville, Calif.-based Chiron disclosed in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that the subpoena was served Sept. 18 and seeks information about Chrion's pricing of some generic oncology drugs to Medi-Cal and Medicaid, the state and U.S. health-care programs for the poor.

Republicans were cruising to commanding victories in the 33rd and 35th state Senate districts, reaping all the benefits of Orange County politics--high Republican registration, sizable campaign coffers and incumbency. In the 35th district, the county's most veteran lawmaker, Sen. Ross Johnson, appeared easily headed for reelection. The 61-year-old Irvine Republican was first elected to the Assembly more than 20 years ago and was voted into the Senate in 1995.

Sen. Ross Johnson of Irvine resigned Thursday as minority leader of the state Senate, explaining he must devote more time to care for ailing family members. Johnson, 60, said he will continue to campaign for reelection to his Senate seat. "I'm healthy as a horse," he said. The man who has held the Republicans' top post for two years was immediately replaced by Sen. Jim Brulte of Rancho Cucamonga, chairman of the upper chamber's 15-member GOP minority, the No. 2 official in the party hierarchy.

Ross Johnson represented Orange County in the Legislature for 26 years, and one of the chief accomplishments of his tenure was to get voters to roll back strict campaign contribution limits. His vehicle was a ballot measure that pretended to promise tough limits but actually loosened them. Now, from his vantage point as chairman of the Fair Political Practices Commission -- the state's campaign watchdog -- things look different to Johnson. And he has a message for Californians: He's sorry.

Assemblyman Ross Johnson has always been the consummate Sacramento insider. This, after all, is the erstwhile Republican leader of the Assembly, the man who went nose to nose last year with Speaker Willie Brown and Gov. Pete Wilson over the state budget. He's a stalwart anti-tax crusader, a devoted associate of conservative state legislators dubbed the "cavemen."

In a surprise move, state Sen. Ross Johnson of Irvine resigned as leader of the California Senate's Republicans on Thursday, saying he must devote more time to caring for ailing family members. Johnson, who held the post for two years, immediately was replaced by Sen. Jim Brulte of Rancho Cucamonga. Brulte was the No. 2 leader in the party hierarchy, as caucus chairman.

State Sen. Ross Johnson (R-Irvine) and outgoing Assemblyman Dick Ackerman (R-Fullerton) were poised on Tuesday to return to Sacramento, as the veteran legislators won the GOP primaries in their state Senate races. Each ran as the GOP establishment candidate and was unopposed. Johnson is the incumbent in the 35th State Senate District, but the November election will be the last for him. Johnson, who is Senate minority leader, will be forced by term limits to retire in 2004.