Willie Brown (politician)

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58th Speaker of the California State Assembly
Willie Brown

41st Mayor of San Francisco
In office January 8, 1996 – January 8, 2004
Preceded by	Frank Jordan
Succeeded by	Gavin Newsom
In office December 2, 1980 – June 5, 1995
Preceded by	Leo McCarthy
Succeeded by	Doris Allen

Born	March 20, 1934 (age 73) Mineola, Texas
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Blanche Vitero, separated

Willie Lewis Brown, Jr. (born March 20, 1934 in Mineola, Texas) is an American political figure who served over 30 years in the California State Assembly, after which he became the first African-American mayor of San Francisco. Brown is a member of the Democratic Party.

1 Personal life
2 Political career
3 Criticisms
4 Brown in the middle
5 Quotes
6 References
7 External links
8 Further reading

[edit] Personal life

Willie Brown was born, in Mineola in east Texas, to Minnie Collins Boyd and Lewis Brown. Brown is married, but has been separated for over 25 years. He has children by his first marriage and a daughter, Sydney Brown, by Carolyn Carpeneti.

Brown earned a bachelor's degree in political science from San Francisco State University and a J.D. from Hastings College of the Law. Brown is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African-Americans.

[edit] Political career

Brown was elected to the California State Assembly from 1964-1995; he was Speaker of the Assembly from 1981-1995. In 1995 the Democrats lost control of the Assembly to Republicans led by Jim Brulte, but he soon regained control by making a deal with Republican defectors Doris Allen and Brian Setencich, both of whom were elected Speaker by the Democratic minority. During their tenures, Brown was the de facto Speaker.

Brown's long service in the Assembly, coupled with that body's tenure system for leadership appointments, gave Brown almost complete control over the California Legislature by the time he became Assembly Speaker.

Brown was extremely popular in his home of San Francisco, though unpopular in the rest of the state. Nevertheless, he wielded great control over statewide legislative affairs and political appointments, making his removal from the Speakership politically difficult. Partially to remove Brown from his leadership position, Californians passed a state constitutional amendment imposing term limits on state legislators in 1990. [1] Willie Brown became the focus of the initiative and even challenged the law. The law was upheld by the courts and today California has set term limits for both the State Assembly and the Senate.[2] After term limits put Brown out of office, the Assembly re-structured their rules, giving most of the powers formerly held by the Speaker to a leadership committee made up of senior members of both major parties. Some academics say term limits are hurting democracy by capping the service of senators at two, four-year stints; and of Assembly members, at three, two-year periods of service. Some assemblyman are not completing the terms or filing for the senate upon completion of two terms.[3]

In 1995, Brown left the State Assembly to run for Mayor of San Francisco against incumbent Frank Jordan. Brown easily defeated Jordan. Brown served as San Francisco mayor from January 8, 1996 until January 8, 2004. He could not run for mayor again due to term limits, so he was succeeded by fellow Democrat Gavin Newsom.

[edit] Criticisms

Allegations of political patronage have followed Willie Brown’s tenure as San Francisco mayor. Examples include former Republican assembly members Paul Horcher and Brian Setencich, who supported Brown's retention of the speakership in 1995. Both were hired as special assistants at San Francisco City Hall after losing their assembly seats because of their support of Brown. Former San Francisco Supervisor Bill Maher (Not to be confused with Bill Maher of Politically Incorrect fame) was also hired as a special assistant after campaigning for Brown in his first mayorial race. ^[1]

Brown has been especially criticized for his relationship with political fund raiser Carolyn Carpenti, whom he met in 1995. In 1998, Brown arranged for Carpenti to obtain a rent-free office in the city-owned Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Carpeneti and Brown had a daughter in 2001 while Brown was still married to his long time spouse. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Carpeneti had been paid at least $2.33 million by nonprofit groups and political committees controlled by then Mayor Brown and his friends in a period of five years. ^[2]

[edit] Brown in the middle

Brown's flamboyant style made him so well-known as the consummate politician that when an actor playing a party politician in 1990's The Godfather Part III didn't understand director Francis Ford Coppola's instruction to model his character after Brown, Coppola fired the actor and hired Brown himself to play the role. Brown later appeared in 2000's Just One Night as a judge. He has also played himself in two Disney films, George of the Jungle and The Princess Diaries, and the 2003 Universal release "Hulk" (as the mayor of San Francisco).

From January 2006 through September 2006, Brown co-hosted a morning radio show with comedian Will Durst on a local San Francisco Air America Radio affiliate. He also makes a weekly podcast. The show was canceled in late September, 2006.

[edit] Quotes

"It was a horror chamber. It got to be a little bit better when…I could work in the fields and make a couple of dollars a day. At 12 years of age, I could actually make six bucks a week shining shoes. Using those dollars, to buy the things that ordinary kids had, relieved the misery a bit, but only a tiny bit."
"It takes greater skills to listen than it does to speak."

[edit] References

^ Lance Williams, Chuck Finnie, Chronicle Staff Writers; April 30, 2001; "Mayor's patronage army, Brown fattens payroll with loyalists, colleagues, friends"; San Francisco Chronicle; url accessed October 21, 2006
^ Lance Williams, Patrick Hoge, Chronicle Staff Writers; July 13, 2003; "Love and Money, Mayor's fund-raiser got millions", San Francisco Chronicle, url accessed October 20, 2006

Mayor's fund-raiser got millions

[6] Sf Chronicle, Biographer captures mayor in print
[7]SF Chronicle, Mayor's patronage army

[edit] Further reading

Clucas, Richard A. (1994) The Speaker's Electoral Connection: Willie Brown and the California Assembly. University of California Press.
Green, Robert Lee (1974) Willie L. Brown, Jr: Daring Black Leader (Black Leader Series). Franklin Publishers.
Lewis, Gregory (October 1, 1997) Running the show: Mayor Willie Brown's life of public service. In The Black Collegian.
Richardson, James (1997) Willie Brown: A Biography. University of California Press.
Richardson, James (1993) Willie Brown: The Early Years. Alicia Patterson Foundation.
Weintraub, Daniel M (July 1, 1995) Keeping the grip on power. In State Legislatures.

Political offices
Preceded by Frank Jordan	Mayor of San Francisco January 8, 1996–January 8, 2004	Succeeded by Gavin Newsom
Preceded by Leo T. McCarthy	Speaker of the California State Assembly December 2, 1980–June 5, 1995	Succeeded by Doris Allen

Speakers of the California State Assembly

White • Bigler • Hammond • Wall • Fairfax • Stow • Farley • Beatty • Whiteside • Stratton • Moore • Burnell • Barstow • Machin • Sears • Yule • Ryland • Rogers • Shannon • Estee • Carpenter • Berry • Cowdery • Parks • LaRue • Parks • Jordan • Howe • Coombs • Gould • Lynch • Coombs • Anderson • Pendleton • Fisk • Prescott • Beardslee • Stanton • Hewitt • Young • Wright • Merriam • Levey • Little • Craig • Jones • Peek • Garland • Lyon • Collins • Silliman • Lincoln • Brown • Unruh • Monagan • Moretti • McCarthy • Brown • Allen • Setencich • Pringle • Bustamante • Villaraigosa • Hertzberg • Wesson • Núñez

Persondata
NAME	Brown, Willie Lewis, Jr.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION
DATE OF BIRTH	March 20, 1934
PLACE OF BIRTH	Mineola, Texas, United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH