| Paul V. Horcher | |
| Office: | Member of the California State Assembly from the 60th district |
| Term: | December 7, 1992 – May 16, 1995 |
| Predecessor: | Sally Tanner |
| Successor: | Gary Miller |
| State Assembly1: | California |
| District1: | 52nd |
| Term1: | December 3, 1990 – November 30, 1992 |
| Preceded1: | Frank Hill |
| Succeeded1: | Willard H. Murray Jr. |
| Office2: | Member of the Diamond Bar City Council |
| Term Start2: | 1989 |
| Term End2: | 1990 |
| Office3: | Member of the Diamond Bar Municipal Advisory Council |
| Term Start3: | 1982 |
| Term End3: | 1989 |
| Birth Name: | Paul Virgil Horcher[1] |
| Birth Date: | 31 August 1951 |
| Birth Place: | Texas, U.S. |
| Nationality: | American |
| Party: | Independent (since 1994)Republican (until 1994) |
| Residence: | California |
| Alma Mater: | California State Polytechnic University, Pomona |
| Occupation: | Attorney |
Paul V. Horcher (born August 31, 1951) is an American former politician from California and a former member of the Republican Party.
A graduate of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Horcher practiced law before joining the Diamond Bar Municipal Advisory Council in 1982. In 1989 he co-founded the city of Diamond Bar and was elected to its city council.[2]
In 1990 Horcher was elected to the California State Assembly from the 52nd district, which covered eastern Los Angeles County including the cities of West Covina, Whittier and Horcher's hometown of Diamond Bar. He easily won reelection in the renumbered 60th district in 1992.
In late 1994 Horcher also ran, unsuccessfully this time, in a special election for the California State Senate. The 29th district had been vacated by the resignation of GOP incumbent Frank Hill, who had been convicted of corruption. Horcher came in third behind GOP Assemblyman Dick Mountjoy and Diamond Bar city councilman Gary Miller, with the mud between Mountjoy and Miller being especially nasty.[3] Horcher did, however, have an easy reelection to the assembly later that November.
Although a Republican, Horcher carved a relatively moderate voting record while in the legislature. His support on many key votes endeared him to Democratic Speaker Willie Brown but made him a pariah among his fellow Republicans. After the 1994 elections, Republicans won control of the California State Assembly by a single seat. Horcher, still fuming from his own party's rough treatment of him, declared himself an Independent on December 5, 1994[4] and voted to keep Democrat Brown in power. Furious Republicans qualified a recall election against Horcher, which voters supported May 16, 1995. He was replaced by, coincidentally, Diamond Bar City Councilman, Gary Miller, who turned out to be a more loyal Republican.[5]
After leaving the Assembly, Horcher held various position in the administration of Willie Brown, who by then had been elected mayor of San Francisco. He served under Brown from 1996 until 2004, when Brown's term ended. Following his service to San Francisco, he returned to a real estate and administrative law practice. His niche law practice in San Francisco includes representing massage parlors who have been accused of violating San Francisco Health Code.[6]
| Office | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | California State Assembly District 52 | Gary Neeley | align="right" | 31,583 | 41.1% | Paul Horcher | align="right" | 45,264 | 58.9% | ||||||||
| 1992 | California State Assembly District 60 | Stan Caress | align="right" | 44,284 | 36.6% | Paul Horcher | align="right" | 67,397 | 55.7% | ||||||||
| 1994 | California State Senate District 26 (special election) | Sandy Hester | align="right" | 64,007 | 33% | Paul Horcher 18% Gary Miller 20% Richard Mountjoy 45% | align="right" | 116,562 | 55.7% | ||||||||
| 1994 | California State Assembly District 60 | Andy Ramirez | align="right" | 30,590 | 32.6% | Paul Horcher | align="right" | 94,722 | 61.5% |