Oral History Interview with John A. Fitzrandolph
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California state Archives state Government Oral History Program Oral History Interview with JOHN A. FITZRANDOLPH staff Attorney, California Constitution Revision commission, 1966 - 1968 March 23, April 11, May 9, 1989 Los Angeles, California By Carlos Vasquez Oral History Program University of California, Los Angeles RESTRICTIONS ON THIS INTERVIEW None. LITERARY RIGHTS AND QUOTATION This manuscript is hereby made available for research purposes only. No part of the manuscript may be quoted for publication without the written permission of the California State Archivist or the Head, Department of Special Collections, University Research Library, UCLA. Requests for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to: California State Archives 1020 0 Street, Room 130 Sacramento, CA 95814 or Department of Special Collections University Research Library 405 S. Hilgard Avenue UCLA Los Angeles, CA 90024-1575 The request should include identification of the specific passages and identification of the user. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: John A. FitzRandolph, Oral History Interview, Conducted 1989 by Carlos Vasquez, UCLA Oral History Program, for the California State Archives State Government Oral History Program. California State Archives Information (916) 445-4293 March Fong Eu Document Restoration (916) 445-4293 10200 Street, Room 130 Exhibit Hall Secretary of State (916) 445-0748 Sacramento, CA 95814 Legislative Bill Service (916) 445-2832 (prior years) PREFACE On September 25, 1985, Governor George Deukmejian signed into law A.B. 2104 (Chapter 965 of the Statutes of 1985). This legislation established, under the administration of the California State Archives, a State Government Oral History Program "to provide through the use of oral history a continuing documentation of state policy development as reflected in California's legislative and executive history. " The following interview is one of a series of oral histories undertaken for inclusion in the state program. These interviews offer insights into the actual workings of both the legislative and executive processes and policy mechanisms. They also offer an increased understanding of the men and women who create legislation and implement state policy. Further, they provide an overview of issue development in California state government and of how both the legislative and executive branches of government deal with issues and problems facing the state. Interviewees are chosen primarily on the basis of their contributions to and influence on the policy process of the state of California. They include members of the legislative and executive branches of the state government as well as legislative staff, advocates, members of the media, and other people who played significant roles in specific issue areas of major and continuing importance to California. By authorizing the California State Archives to work cooperatively with oral history units at California colleges and universities to conduct interviews, this program is structured to take advantage of the resources and expertise in oral history available through California's several institutionally based programs. Participating as cooperating institutions in the State Government Oral History Program are: Oral History Program History Department California State University, Fullerton Oral History Program Center for California Studies California State University, Sacramento Oral History Program Claremont Graduate School Regional Oral History Office The Bancroft Library University of California, Berkeley Oral History Program University of California, Los Angeles The establishment of the California State Archives State Government Oral History Program marks one of the most significant commitments made by any state toward the preservation and documentation of its governmental his tory. It supplements the often fragmentary historical written record by adding an organized primary source, enriching the historical information available on given topics and allowing for more thorough historical analysis. As such, the program, through the preservation and publi cation of interviews such as the one which follows, will be of lasting value to current and future generations of scholars, citizens and leaders. John F. Burns State Archivist July 27, 1988 This interview is printed on acid-free paper. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTERVIEW HISTORY i BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY ii SESSION 1, March 23, 1989 [Tape 1, Side A] 1 Growing up in New York and New Jersey and moving to California--Attending Pasadena schools and running for student body president--Coming in contact with racial prejudice--Serving on the board of directors of the Pasadena Young Republicans--Reasons for changing party affiliation--Attending Pasadena City College and joining the the debate club--Controversial debate topics--Studying public administration at the University of Southern California--Service in the United States Army in West Germany- Attending law school as a married student- FitzRandolph is accepted into the Ford Foundation Legislative Intern Program in the last year of law school--Assignment to the California Constitution Revision Commission- Comments on the quality of members on the commission and that body's relationship to the Speaker of the Assembly, Jesse M. Unruh. [Tape 1, Side B] .• 41 A more assertive legislature vis-a-vis the executive branch--The growth and institutional strengthening of the legislature--The demise of nonpartisanship in the legislature--Unruh's push for a full-time legislature--Resistance to change in the constitutional revision process- Trying to assure that governors and lieutenant governors are of the same party--More on the commission's members--A short stint as Governor Ronald Reagan's assistant director of the California State Department of Housing and Community Development--Service as chief consultant for the assembly Democratic minority caucus--Comments on the differences and divisions within the Democratic caucus--How the Democrats failed to use the Baker v. Carr decision more effectively--FitzRandolph pinpoints districts in which Democrats could win and insures those victories--Direct mail campaigns--How caucus resources were concentrated to win key races. SESSION 2, April 11, 1989 [Tape 2, Side A] 81 The Republicans' Cal Plan--How a fragmented Democratic minority counteracted this plan- Comparing Jesse Unruh and Robert Moretti as assembly speakers--The impact of Unruh's 1970 race for governor--How FitzRandolph was able to galvanize a fragmented Democratic caucus--An assessment of Assemblyman Leo T. McCarthy- FitzRandolph's strategy for winning key assembly races--The role of organized labor- Counteracting the Reagan victory by playing on party loyalty--More on effective use of direct mail campaigns--Centralizing resources and using them in individual campaigns, often against candidates' own plans--Moretti positions himself to run for the speakership--FitzRandolph becomes Moretti's chief of staff--The limited power of an assemblyman--Discussion of Moretti's leadership style--Running candidates in special elections--The race for Democratic party chairman--How being an unknown can be an asset in California state polites. [Tape 2, Side B] . 123 How the volume of work changed when annual sessions were implemented--The drawbacks of Moretti's personal image--His primary campaign bid for governor--Why Moretti opposed the 1974 Political Reform Act--Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr.'s bid for governor--Comments on Willie L. Brown, Jr., as Speaker of the Assembly--The Waxman-Berman fight for the speakership--More voters prefer the "nice guy" image of the politician in both state and national politics- Why the Democratic party is floundering. SESSION 3, May 9, 1989 [Tape 3, Side A] •.• 160 Why an "undefined" candidate has an advantage in California politics--Jerry Brown's judicial and minority appointments--The role the media plays in "defining" a candidate--How this has evolved over a quarter century in California--How electronic media have replaced grass-roots organization--Working on United States Senator John V. Tunney's staff--Why senators prefer foreign affairs to local and national issues- Why Senator Alan Cranston has been so successful in holding office--Why "bland" politicians do well in California--Too much substance in political debates can be self-defeating- FitzRandolph's role in the anti-Proposition 13 campaign--Proposition 13 was not against taxes so much as against po1iticians--The impact of Proposition 13--The background of the 1974 Political Reform Act. [Tape 3, Side B] •• 202 How the Political Reform Act helped the more sophisticated lobbyists--An assessment of the original Fair Political Practices Commission- The uses and abuses of the initiative process- The example of the 1988 initiatives on insurance--Single-subject versus multiple subject initiatives--Why legislative leadership requires attention to one's political base- Professional versus amateur legislators- Partisanship in California politics--The need to reform campaign financing--A discussion on legislative inbreeding--Why a successful politician must work hard, a case study--Who should be in charge of reapportionment and why- The logic of a unicameral state legislature. [Tape 4, Side A] • 243 Checks and balances and special interests--More on the initiative process--Why there are reasons to be optimistic about American politics. INTERVIEW HISTORY Interviewer/Editor: Carlos Vasquez Director, UCLA State Government Interview