I just finished reading a wonderful book about California and one of the biggest forces to ever impact California politics. Big Daddy:Jesse Unruh and the Art of Power Politics is a well written biography by Bill Boyarsky.
Boyarsky is perfectly positioned to write this book because of his background as a reporter and his personal interaction with Unruh.
Unruh did have an enormous impact on California policy. Some of it good. Some of it bad. The Lanterman Act, Unruh Civil Rights Act, and a full-time Legislature were all accomplished or driven by Unruh.
Boyarsky clearly seems to admire the policy accomplishments of Unruh. However, his word choice when describing the personal life of Unruh when in Sacramento left me wondering what he thought about the man.
Chapter 8 in the book is titled "Animal House". It describes the atmosphere of Sacramento during the time Unruh served in the Assembly. What I can’t believe is that with stuff like this being written about the man he is still honored by the Assembly.
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors recently renamed a park after the original honoree was found to have supported Nazi teachings. In Davis a few years ago they removed John Sutter’s name from a street because of his acts involving American Indians. Former Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg introduced legislation three times to ban the use of Native American mascots. Naming things is important to people.
So someone tell me why racism is enough of a reason to remove the name of an honoree but someone that participated actively in devaluing woman is not. Chapter 8 in this book should be enough to remove Unruh’s portrait from Room 4202 on Monday morning.
How is it that women in Legislature unite for all kinds of causes but don’t say a word about the honoree in their most often used hearing room? Hello Assemblywomen Karen Bass, Noreen Evans and Sally Lieber. Wake up. Assemblywoman Wilma Carter is on the Rules Committee.
Mrs. California Tracie Stafford will be at the State Capitol next week. Hey California Now. What are you going to do? I will bet absolutely nothing.
Gloria Alred wlll attack a Republican gubernatorial candidate but what about a Democrat?
I know this. If a Republican political leader were subject to the same historical review — Assemblywomen from the Democratic party joined by groups like California NOW would be breaking the desk on the Assembly floor with a sledge hammer and climbing up on the wall in Room 4202 to rip down any memory of the honoree’s time on earth.
Imagine a Republican being described like Unruh on page 114 —
Jaci DeFord got a taste of Unruh’s crude side one evening at Frank Fat’s, a chinese restaurant and bar a few blocks from the Capitol that was a favorite hangout. Unruh walked in and a mutual friend said to him, "I want you to meet Jaci." Jaci recalled, "so he looked and said ‘I want her’ I thought who is this guy I know he’s the speaker but what is this thing? I want her’?"
Assemblywoman Fiona Ma is attempting to be the first real female Speaker of the Assembly. How will she treat the memory of someone that would have dismissed her presence as an elected official the way Unruh treated March Fong and Yvonne Burke when they were in the Assembly?
From page 115
During the evening, Jess approached Burke in the company of the famous San Francisco topless dancer Carol Doda, who had enormous artificially enlarged breasts. Unruh had Doda lean over Burke, her breasts over the Assemblywoman’s shoulders, "and he got a camera and took a picture of her hanging over my shoulder." The photographs, she assumed, would be used if Unruh ever carried out his threat to ruin her reputation. "[It] said to me he was not joking."
Burke’s experience gives a picture of Unruh the bully lording it over his small world in his office and at social events, embarrassing a young woman who had the temerity to oppose his candidate in Democratic primary election and to win.
This book is exceptionally written and is a treasure trove of historical facts. Even a casual observer of California politics will gain new insight into state politics and policy.
It is so well done in parts that it should provide enough evidence to remove the name and face of Jesse Unruh from the wall in Room 4202 of the State Capitol right now.