Download or read book Oral History Interview with Thomas M Rees written by Thomas M. Rees and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 806 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rees discusses his family background, education, World War II service, conversion from the Republican to Democratic parties in the early-1950s, agricultural implement business in Mexico, participation in national Democratic Party conventions from 1956 to 1968, activities as a member of the California State Assembly, California State Senate, and the United States House of Representatives, and comments on a wide range of individuals and issues involved in California and national politics from the 1950s to 1987.
Download or read book Big Daddy written by Bill Boyarsky and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Jesse Unruh was a remarkable phenomenon in American politics, a figure of tremendous energy and intelligence, with flaws to match. Although he never held public office beyond his home state, his institutional creativity as Speaker of the California Assembly and as State Treasurer had nationwide impact. Bill Boyarsky followed Unruh's career from the early days, and has produced a careful, fair-minded, and appreciative portrait without neglecting skeletons in the closet, buried bodies, and other colorful details of California politics that only a long-term, well-informed observer could provide."—Nelson Polsby, University of California, Berkeley "Jesse Unruh was California's most flamboyant and influential legislator. He has a worthy biographer in Bill Boyarsky, one of the state's best-ever political reporters. Boyarsky has written a lively treasure of a book that is at once critical and sympathetic: he unflinchingly describes Unruh's larger-than-life flaws but gives him deserved credit as an effective populist who wrote civil rights and education laws that were well ahead of their time. Beyond biography, this fascinating book provides a revealing examination of a state capitol culture that has been swept aside by the modern era of term limits and lavish campaign spending. Boyarsky writes about a vanished time when people cared about politics, and politicians like Unruh also cared about the people."—Lou Cannon, author of Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power "Big Daddy is the gripping real-life story of Jesse M. Unruh and the development of California following WWII. Boyarsky reveals how Unruh's multi-faceted character shaped his significant contributions. He was an institution builder who created a professional legislature and a passionate centrist who promoted civil rights, shareholder rights, and a responsible system of educational financing and accountability. This page turner pulls no punches in describing the complexities of the man and his times and their relevance for today's divisive politics."—Ann N. Crigler, chair of the Department of Political Science, University of Southern California "If Bill Boyarsky had merely written about "Big Daddy" Unruh, one of the most powerful California politicians of the 20th Century, this would have been a valuable book. Jesse comes alive in all his bullying bulk and commitment to progressive public policy. But Boyarsky's work is much more than that. It is a close-up look at California's Capitol when it consistently worked, not always in a pretty way. Those politicians may have sinned, but they definitely succeeded in meeting the needs of a fast-growing state. This is an enjoyable read with many lessons."—George Skelton, L.A Times State Political Columnist "Only a seasoned reporter such as Bill Boyarsky would have the insight and skill to chronicle the life and times of this flamboyant but enigmatic politician, this gruff giant, this wizard of the legislative process, this ardent advocate and fierce opponent, the late great Jesse Unruh."—Kevin Starr, Professor of History, University of Southern California
Download or read book Prophets of Rage written by Daniel E. Crowe and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-10-24 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Black Panther Party has been at once the most maligned and most celebrated Black Power organization, and this study explores the party's origins in the tumultuous history of race relations in the San Francisco Bay Area after the Second World War. The massive influx of African American migrants into the Bay Area during the war years upset the racial status quo that the white majority and tiny black minority had carefully crafted and maintained for more than a century. This realignment of racial boundaries strained relations between whites and blacks, and the postwar crises of black unemployment, inadequate housing, segregated schools, and police brutality produced in the Bay Area a virtual race war that culminated in the black revolution of the 1960s. Despite the attempts of moderate African American leaders to push for civil rights and black equality in the 1950s and 1960s, a new generation of militants came to the fore in the 1960s. Emerging from the direct-action protests of the Congress of Racial Equality and the Community Action Programs of the War on Poverty, this new radical leadership agitated for black self-determination and trumpeted black pride and self-sufficiency. From this maelstrom sprang the Black Panther Party, led by two ghetto toughs whose families had fled Dixie for the promised land of California during the Second World War. These prophets of rage would transform the nature of African American protest, change the character of domestic policy, and redefine the meaning of blackness in America. Also inlcludes maps.
Download or read book No Middle Ground written by Seth Masket and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2011-01-25 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “This is a fascinating book. It is one of the best studies of the ways that parties and politics get conducted in any American state. Masket shows that legislators can be perfectly content without parties that control agendas and does a terrific job of explaining the transition from free-wheeling legislators to rigidly partisan voting blocs.” —Sam Popkin, University of California at San Diego “No Middle Ground makes a significant contribution to the study of American parties and legislative politics.” —Matthew Green, Catholic University of America Despite concerns about the debilitating effects of partisanship on democratic government, in recent years political parties have gained strength in state governments as well as in Washington. In many cases these parties function as machines. Unlike machines of the past that manipulated votes, however, today’s machines determine which candidates can credibly compete in a primary. Focusing on the history and politics of California, Seth E. Masket reveals how these machines evolved and how they stay in power by directing money, endorsements, and expertise to favored candidates, who often tend toward the ideological extreme. In a provocative conclusion, Masket argues that politicians are not inherently partisan. Instead, partisanship is thrust upon them by actors outside the government with the power to manipulate primary elections.
Download or read book Oral History Interview with Charles B Garrigus II written by Charles Byford Garrigus and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charles B. Garrigus II discusses his family background in Illinois, migration first to Oregon and later to California, campaigning for a state assembly seat, major education, water, agriculture, health, and civil rights issues and legislation, the legislative and executive leadership of Jesse M. Unruh and Edmund G. Brown, Sr., respectively, and comments on California politics in the 1950s and 1960s, the Brown-era "responsible liberalism," one man, one vote, and the relationship between poetry and politics.
Download or read book Los Angeles Transformed written by Tom Sitton and published by UNM Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Fletcher Bowron (1887-1968) ran for mayor of Los Angeles in 1938, his twelve years as a superior court judge with a reputation for honesty and fairness carried him to victory against a notoriously corrupt incumbent. During his nearly fifteen years as a neo-progressive mayor, Bowron presided over fundamental reforms in the police department, public utilities, and other agencies charged with basic services, rooting out bribery, kickbacks, and influence peddling. World War II brought economic and population booms, racial conflict, social dislocation, and environmental problems to Los Angeles and complicated Mayor Bowron's job. After the war Bowron initiated massive public housing and desegregation projects. These forward-looking programs alienated enough voters to cost him the 1953 election as his leftist supporters fell away under the influence of McCarthyism. This political history of the mid-twentieth century reform period in Los Angeles is also a case study of the ways outside events can affect municipal affairs. As Tom Sitton demonstrates, the choices made during Bowron's administration have had a direct bearing on how Los Angeles looks today and how its government operates.
Download or read book The Right Moment written by Matthew Dallek and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2000-09-19 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ronald Reagan's first great victory, in the 1966 California governor's race, seemed to come from nowhere and has long since confounded his critics. Just two years earlier, when Barry Goldwater lost to Lyndon Johnson by a landslide, the conservative movement was pronounced dead. In California, Governor Edmund "Pat" Brown was celebrated as the "Giant Killer" for his 1962 victory over Richard Nixon. From civil rights, to building the modern California system of higher education, to reinventing the state's infrastructure, to a vast expansion of the welfare state, Brown's liberal agenda reigned supreme. Yet he soon found himself struggling with forces no one fully grasped, and in 1966, political neophyte Reagan trounced Brown by almost a million votes. Reagan's stunning win over Brown is one of the pivotal stories of American political history. It marked not only the coming-of-age of the conservative movement, but also the first serious blow to modern liberalism. The campaign was run amidst the drama of the Berkeley Free Speech Movement, terrible riots in Watts, and the first anti-Vietnam War protests by the New Left. It featured cameo appearances by Mario Savio, Ed Meese, California Speaker Jesse "Big Daddy" Unruh, and tough-as-nails Los Angeles Police Chief William Parker. Beneath its tumultuous surface a grassroots conservative movement swelled powerfully. A group that had once been dismissed as little more than paranoid John Birchers suddenly attracted a wide following for a more mainstream version of its message, and Reagan deftly rode the wave, moving from harsh anticommunism to a more general critique of the breakdown of social order and the failure of the welfare state. Millions of ordinary Californians heeded his call. Drawing on scores of oral history interviews, thousands of archival documents, and many personal interviews with participants, Matthew Dallek charts the rise of one great politician, the demise of another, and the clash of two diametrically opposing worldviews. He offers a fascinating new portrait of the 1960s that is far more complicated than our collective memory of that decade. The New Left activists were offset by an equally impassioned group on the other side. For every SDS organizer there was a John Birch activist; for every civil rights marcher there was an anticommunist rally-goer; for every antiwar protester there were several more who sympathized with American aims in Southeast Asia. Dallek's compelling history offers an important reminder that the rise of Ronald Reagan and the conservatives may be the most lasting legacy of that discordant time.
Download or read book Building Home written by Eric John Abrahamson and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2013-02-28 with total page 391 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book is not only a biography of Howard F. Ahmanson but also the story of the financing of the postwar housing boom and the tremendous growth of Los Angeles. Americans have long believed that homeownership is fundamental to the strength of our democracy and the character of our people. Victory in World War II, combined with new government policies designed to stimulate mortgage lending, sparked a tremendous surge in rates of homeownership in the 1950s. With savings and loans providing more than half of the mortgages for these homes, the industry enjoyed a golden era in its history--especially in southern California. Among its peers, Home Savings & Loan Association of Los Angeles was a giant. By 1954 it had more customers and assets than any other thrift in America. Through its real estate development entities, the company played a leading role in the postwar suburban explosion that made LA the quintessential postmodern city. As the crown jewel among a handful of mortgage-related businesses launched and controlled by Howard F. Ahmanson, the company generated philanthropic capital to build L.A.'s cultural centers and finance the campaigns of the region's leading politicians. As a sun-tanned yachtsman and a cigar-smoking financier, the Omaha-born Ahmanson was both unique and representative of many of the business leaders of his era. Like many elites, Ahmanson shared a fundamental confidence in his ability to lead the nation to prosperity. His death in 1968 came just as the era of deregulation was beginning. In this new era, the central role of the savings and loan in financing the American dream diminished and Home Savings was sold to help create one of the biggest branch banks in America--Washington Mutual"--
Download or read book Oral History Interview with Nell Soto written by Nell Soto and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soto discusses her family background, education, experiences working during World War II, interest and activity in Democratic party politics in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, and involvement in her husband's (Philip L. Soto) La Puente City council and California State Assembly election campaigns.
Download or read book Guide to Research Collections of Former United States Senators 1789 1982 written by United States. Congress. Senate and published by Government Printing Office. This book was released on 1982 with total page 760 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Oral History Interview with Alvin C Weingand written by Alvin C. Weingand and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Weingand discusses his family background in North Platte, Nebraska, moving to Los Angeles and Montecito, civic activities in Montecito and Santa Barbara, and his service in the California State Senate from 1962-1966, and provides observations, especially in regard to ethics, about the state legislature. He also comments about oil drilling in the coastal waters near Santa Barbara, California.
Download or read book To be the Change You Wish to See written by Elizabeth Barham Austin and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Oral History Interview with Lucien C Haas written by Lucien C. Haas and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 696 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Haas discusses his family and educational background, early journalism career in Los Angeles, brief stint with the Western Beet Sugar Producers, Denver, work with Governor Edmund G. Brown, Sr., from 1962-1966, participation as communications director or press secretary in several critical statewide campaigns in the 1960s and 70s, and continuing work with U.S. Senator Alan Cranston as policy analyst, press secretary, and speechwriter.
Download or read book Oral History Interview with Allen Miller written by Allen Miller and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Miller discusses his family background, migration to California, education, service as State Registrar of Contractors during the Culbert L. Olson administration, his law practice with Julian Beck and Parkes Stillwell, and career in the California State Assembly, including such areas as legislative reform, leadership, partisanship, fundraising, electioneering, and tidelands oil legislation.
Download or read book Oral History Interview with Daniel M Luevano written by Daniel M. Luevano and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 928 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Luevano discusses his family background, education and activities in East Los Angeles and post-secondary education, state service as a consultant to the state assembly Committee on Ways and Means and as deputy director, Department of Finance, State of California, federal service during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration, and provides many insights into California's three branches of government as a political consultant to the state legislature, as a member of the executive branch during the Edmund G. Brown, Sr., administration, and as an attorney and legal advocate for the disadvantaged.
Download or read book Oral History Interview with Philip L Soto written by Philip Lewis Soto and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 490 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Philip L. Soto discusses his family background, service in World War II, securing a vocational education under the G.I. bill, civic affairs and community involvement in La Puente, including service on the city council, supporting the presidential candidacy of John F. Kennedy, running successfully in 1962 and 1964 for an assembly seat, sponsoring numerous bills on education, health, and local government; shares observations about Jesse M. Unruh and other significant assembly members and Governor Edmund G. Brown, Sr.
Download or read book Oral History Interview with James R Wrightson written by James R. Wrightson and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wrightson discusses his family and educational background in Maryland, service in the Civil Public Service camps as a conscientious objector during World War II, post-war work with the National Farm Labor Union, working on various California newspapers before moving to the Fresno Bee to cover the state legislature at Sacramento, and makes observations about the Sacramento press corps, effective legislators, influential lobbyists, and the impact or print and nonprint media on politicans, lobbyists, and state government.
