$1.2-Million Antonovich Judgment Spurs Ethics Bills

By TRACEY KAPLAN

April 16, 1994 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Most politicians want to be remembered for their legislative accomplishments. But two bills pending in the state Senate would be a monument to Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich’s misconduct.

The bills, which recently hurtled through the Assembly with strong bipartisan support, would force politicians--not taxpayers--to foot the bill for court costs and damages that result from their illegal or unethical conduct. The legislation was inspired by outrage over the county’s willingness to pay a $1.2-million civil judgment against Antonovich, who last year was found liable for conspiring to influence a judge on behalf of a campaign contributor.

“When I read that taxpayers could end up paying the $1.2-million judgment, I said, ‘Wait a minute, why am I and my neighbors and my constituents paying for that?’ ” said Assemblywoman Debra Bowen (D-Marina del Rey), whose bill passed the Assembly on Thursday. “That’s money that should be spent on law enforcement, libraries or lifeguards--not to insulate an elected official from responsibility for his actions.”

But Bowen’s bill and a similar proposal by Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Panorama City) would not apply retroactively to the Antonovich matter.

“It may be too late to do anything about the Antonovich case, but it’s important to have ethics laws like these to let elected officials know up front what’s not acceptable,” Bowen said.

Antonovich, whose 5th District includes all of the Antelope and most of the San Fernando valleys, has argued that he did nothing improper in telephoning Judge Eric Younger five years ago to offer a character reference on behalf of campaign donor Krikor Suri and his jewelry business partners, who were embroiled in a lawsuit with another partner.

According to campaign reports, Suri and his companies contributed $19,000 to Antonovich’s campaigns from 1985 to 1989, loaned him $10,000 about a month before he called the judge and made a $3,000 contribution to his campaign four days before he spoke to Younger.

Friday, an Antonovich spokesman said the supervisor supports the proposed legislation because he believes it would help prevent what he considers nuisance lawsuits.

“As far as Mike is concerned, he played a 30-second role in a 13-year fight between Armenian businessmen,” said Antonovich spokesman Dawson Oppenheimer. “The suit never would have been filed if it weren’t for the county’s deep pockets.”

The reason the taxpayers could get stuck paying the bill for behavior that seemingly has nothing to do with Antonovich’s elected duties lies in a legal doctrine that holds the government liable for any conduct that occurs within the course and scope of an employee or politician’s official duties.

By agreement of all parties, county lawyers agreed to pay Antonovich’s unspecified share of the $1.2 million in compensatory damages returned by a jury in exchange for a guarantee of immunity from punitive damages.

Bowen’s bill, which the Assembly approved 56 to 8 earlier this week, would prohibit counties and other public entities from paying judgments for an elected official who is sued for trying to influence the outcome of judicial proceedings. Fourteen Republicans voted for it despite Antonovich’s affiliation with the party.

The Katz bill, which passed 63 to 1 last month, is more broadly drawn and would apply to elected officials found liable for any inappropriate conduct, including sexual harassment. It would allow counties to pay judgments on behalf of an elected official but only after the official’s financial resources had been exhausted. The measure was supported by 27 Republicans.

“Elected officials should be held accountable for their behavior just like regular people,” Katz said. “You shouldn’t be able to hide behind an office and expect taxpayers to bail you out.”

But one of the eight Republicans who voted against the Bowen bill accused Katz of targeting Antonovich to further his own political career. Assemblyman Richard L. Mountjoy (R-Arcadia) said Katz could be positioning himself to run for Antonovich’s seat on the Board of Supervisors--a charge Katz vehemently denies.

“These bills are just a political shot at Supervisor Mike Antonovich,” Mountjoy said.

But other Republicans who support the Katz and Bowen bills disagree.

“I didn’t look at it as a partisan issue at all,” said Assemblyman Nao Takasugi (R-Oxnard). “I just think it’s the fair thing to do.”