Capitol Alert: With no replacements named, Schnur, Hodson remain at FPPC

Fair Political Practices Commission Chairman Dan Schnur isn't stepping down just yet.

The terms of Schnur, who was appointed to the post by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in June, and commission Vice Chairman Tim Hodson, also a Schwarzenegger appointee, expire today. But both have agreed to stay on board until Gov. Jerry Brown names their replacements on the five-member panel.

"While Tim and I have been told that the governor is progressing expeditiously on the appointments, we have both indicated to him and his staff that we would be pleased to continue serving as much time as he desires," Schnur said at Friday's meeting.

That could be a while, warned one former Brown appointee attending the meeting.

"If past, represented by his earlier terms as governor, are prologue to what we can expect in his present term, your prediction that you will not be the longest serving chairman is one that I would not want to invest much money in," said UCLA law professor and attorney Daniel Lowenstein, whom Brown appointed as the commission's first chairman in 1975.

Schnur, who has resumed teaching at the University of Southern California and University of California, Berkeley, acknowledged that the slow trickle of appointment announcements during the transition caused him to wonder how long he would be asked to stay on board.

"I did some math and realized at that rate I will be chair of the FPPC until the year 2073," Schnur joked, adding that he and Hodson "have been assured that these are appointments that the governor takes very seriously."

Lowenstein suggested that could be part of what's prolonged the process.

"The more seriously he takes them, the longer it will take," Lowenstein quipped.

PHOTO CREDIT: Dan Schnur, of the FPPC talks about his plans while in the office during a meeting at The Sacramento Bee Capitol Bureau on Wednesday, September 8, 2010. Hector Amezcua, Sacramento Bee.