Trailblazer
Trailblazer
A Biography of Jerry Brown
Chuck McFadden
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
BerkeleyLos AngelesLondon
University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu.
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2013 by The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McFadden, Chuck, 1937–.
Trailblazer : A biography of Jerry Brown / Chuck McFadden.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–0-520–27563–8 (cloth : alk. paper)
eISBN 978-0-520-95501-1
1. Brown, Jerry, 1938–2. California—Politics and government—1951–3. Governors—California— Biography.I. Title.
F866.2.B732M442013
979.4'05092—dc23
[B]2012033542
Manufactured in the United States of America
22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In keeping with a commitment to support environmentally responsible and sustainable printing practices, UC Press has printed this book on Natures Natural, a fiber that contains 30% post-consumer waste and meets the minimum requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48–1992 (R 1997) (Permanence of Paper).
for Barbara
It was a splendid population—for all the slow, sleepy, sluggish-brained sloths stayed at home—you never find that sort of people among pioneers—you cannot build pioneers out of that sort of material. It was that population that gave to California a name for getting up astounding enterprises and rushing them through with a magnificent dash and daring and a recklessness of cost or consequences, which she bears unto this day—and when she projects a new surprise the grave world smiles as usual and says, “Well, that is California all over.”
Mark Twain, Roughing It
CONTENTS
Plates follow Chapter 5
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Comeback Codger
1. Early Years: Politics and Religion
2. Going Statewide: Learning the Ropes and Hunting Headlines
3. The Big Show
4. Romance, Flip-Flops, and Moonbeams
5. Back and Forth: Zen and Politics
6. The Governor-Turned-Mayor and Marriage
7. The Remarkable Election
8. Difficult Choices
Afterword
Appendix 1: Three Inaugural Addresses
Appendix 2: Author’s Note on California’s Constitution: Bigger, but Not Necessarily Better
Notes
Bibliography
Index
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There is a truism about authorship: No book is the work of a single person. This biography is no exception. Without the help of many people, Trailblazer would not have come into being. They have my everlasting gratitude.
My remarkable wife, Barbara, gave invaluable encouragement and research help, and her editing abilities made the task easier and faster. She has a sharp eye for the occasionally clunky phrase and misplaced paragraph. Above all, she managed to put up with months of grumbling and muttering from the author.
Naomi Schneider, my editor at the University of California Press, set a high bar and made sure that I measured up. She guided an unknowing author through a series of hurdles with patience and good humor. She is responsible for the overall concept of the book—quirky state, quirky governor—and how the two have coexisted over the years. Her colleague Stacy Eisenstark handled the illustrations and vastly helped ease the way through the requirements of an academic press. Chris Lura, Lorraine Weston, and Rachel Berchten of the University of California Press have my gratitude as well, and so does copy editor Robin Whitaker.
There were so many others: Doug Willis, my comrade-in-arms for years at The Associated Press, provided so much insight and stories that he should probably be listed as a coauthor. Ron Miller, another old friend, was the source of much good cheer and encouragement over the months.
Dan Walters, who has observed Sacramento politics for more than forty years, shared his enthusiasm for California and generously provided a perspective on its problems, potential solutions, and Jerry Brown’s approach to it all. He even provided the rare early photograph of Jerry Brown, his father, Pat, and Earl Warren posing with the Colusa rancher who hosted them on their duck-hunting expedition.
Steve Glazer, who managed Brown’s historic 2010 win over Meg Whitman, provided insight into Brown’s remarkable victory and how he might go about meeting the challenges of his new/old role as California’s governor. Whitman’s people have mystified political observers by refusing to speak of the election to reporters, pundits, political scientists, me, or, apparently, anyone else.
Oakland city councilman Ignacio de la Fuente, who ran against Brown for mayor and later became a Brown friend and colleague, provided a lively account of Brown’s years as mayor, including previously unrevealed stories of their walks together through the city’s toughest neighborhoods and a rollover accident on a Mexican highway that almost ended their careers and lives. Chip Johnson, the longtime East Bay columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, shed light on Brown’s unique personality and his years as mayor of Oakland, especially the last two years of the Brown administration, when the mayor began to look again at a possible run for statewide office.
Barbara O’Connor, professor emerita at California State University, Sacramento, was equally generous with her thoughts on the governor’s approach to his new challenges, and brought to my attention the potential that Silicon Valley has for state leadership and for political/cultural leadership in addition to technology.
Doug Faigin, who served as Brown’s press secretary during his early years in Sacramento, was extremely helpful in describing how his friend and former boss has changed over the years from the onetime enfant terrible of California politics to elder statesman.
Kevin Starr, Jerry Roberts, Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, Jim Brulte, Dan Schnur, Mark Hedlund, Larry Venus, George Skelton, and Peter Schrag, terrific and knowledgeable people all, contributed their time and vast expertise to the story of Jerry Brown over the years. Darrell Steinberg, the busy president pro tem of the California Senate, took time from his schedule to talk about Brown’s relationship with the state Legislature and his ability to engage instantly in deep study of an issue. I am also grateful to Robert Dutton, the Republican minority leader in the state Senate, for his thoughts on the tax increase negotiations with Governor Brown. David McCuan, a thoughtful political scientist at Sonoma State University, provided invaluable help with the history of political techniques in California, especially