GOP lawmaker, ethics panel chair
ROSS JOHNSON
Ross Johnson, a former Republican legislative leader from Orange County who later served as chairman of the state ethics panel, died Wednesday in Sacramento after a fight with cancer. He was 77.
California Republican Party Chairman Jim Brulte said Johnson was a “principled conservative and a man of great integrity,” who also served as one of Brulte’s mentors when he was elected to the Assembly.
“While Ross had the courage of his convictions, he was always willing to listen to opposing points of view,” Brulte said in a statement. “He never took political disagreements personally; and was admired, respected, and loved by his colleagues on both sides of the aisle.”
Johnson represented Orange County in the Legislature for 26 years. He was in the state Assembly from 1978 to 1995 and in the state Senate from 1995 to 2004.
He was the first person to serve as a party leader in both the California Senate and the Assembly, and wrote legislation to improve campaign finance limits and disclosure.
A member of the state Bar of California, he also authored a ballot measure in 1988 that put new limits on campaign contributions.
Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called Johnson “a great advocate of political reform in California politics,” when he appointed him in 2007 to be chairman of the state Fair Political Practices Commission, which oversees ethics and campaign finance laws.
Johnson oversaw the adoption of policies to make political finances more transparent before he resigned in 2010 for health reasons.
He said at the time that he saw his job as “working to help ensure fair elections.”
Susie Swatt, a former legislative aide to Johnson, said he was “extremely principled,” and worked hard to improve his district, with accomplishments including creation of the Chino Hills State Park.
Johnson is survived by his wife, Diane, daughters Susan and Molly and seven grandchildren.