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Willie Brown’s “Basic Brown” Should Be Read By All Those Contemplating Legislative Leadership
By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento
I’ve just finished Willie Brown’s, “Basic Brown”. Brown is a wonderful story teller and this is a book of his stories. He’s at the center – hence the hero – of all of them, and the self-praise and arrogance that always angered the press corps is very evident. Those who know him, however, will recognize the tongue in cheek, smile, shake their head and remember former SF Supervisor Joe Beeman saying, “Willlie, Willie…!
As someone who had a front row seat in about half the events that make up these stories, I can say they are fact based. Sometimes twisted a bit for literary effect, but fact based. I might have told them differently – probably less well.
There is great value, however, in reading Brown’s remarks on money, politics and reform. He reflects the old fashioned view that Money won’t corrupt if you counter its influence with strength of character. He also understood that while we all have interests as consumers, we also had to consider the impact of legislation on economic interests as well.
Brown’s view of reform – that it creates rules that require ‘gaming’ the system to win, and that the ‘gaming’ denies the public the transparency needed to make judgments is valid, I think.
His analysis of the philandering endemic to public life is perceptive and also accurate – and among the best things written on the subject.
And Brown’s method of keeping order in the Assembly is worth underlining:
“If I had any suspicion that a member had done something improper to introduce a bill, I’d kill the bill outright – even if it was something I was philosophically in favor of.…there’s greed everywhere. .You have to assume that the potential for greed is there, (and) you have to find the greed first. You’ve got to find the guy who is starting to get into thieving – whether it’s the member thief, the corporate thief, the lobbying thief, the staffer thief – and, make him back out of it before he gets caught.”
“Before he gets caught”! That’s a remarkable statement, I think, and goes a long way to explaining the basic conflict between the media and political leaders. Brown didn’t seek to punish the culprit; he sought to stop the crime.
To do this, he notes, you need “an alert, leaned and sage speaker” with an intricate network of spies. Term limits, Brown notes, means that “no speaker gets to develop the skills and tenure to discern trouble and then to enforce sanctions against Members who are playing it risky”.
Accurate. A reason for supporting 93 that has been raised by no one else.
A vignette. Although I had known Brown for 20years before I worked for him (for another 15), he always looked at any idea I brought to him with that suspicion borne of the conviction that the “potential for greed was there”. After twice in a two week period having almost been run off the road by an old person whose panic stop in the fog sent her car into a spin I suggested in a policy staff meeting that Brown author legislation requiring anti-lock brakes be placed on all cars sold in the state. He subjected me to a 15 minute cross examination as to my motives, who’d I’d talked to, any investment I might have made, the kind of car I drove until my answers convinced him that “greed” wasn’t behind my suggestion. Then and only then did he carry the bill.
Bill Cavala was Deputy Director of the Assembly Speaker’s Office of Member Services where he worked for over 30 years.
He attended undergraduate and graduate school in the 1960’s and received a doctorate in political science at UC Berkeley. He taught political science at UC Berkeley during the 1970's while he worked part-time for the State Assembly.
Cavala left teaching at UC Berkeley and went to work for Assembly Speaker Willie Brown in 1981 until his tenure as Speaker ended in 1995, and he has worked for his five successors as Speaker up to and including Speaker Fabian Nunez.
Mr. Cavala manages election campaigns for Democratic candidates.
Comments
Bill, where have you been? Missed you here.
Ok, so you former boss Willie Brown was a saint and said sage things...
I did find illuminating his looking for the "greed" behind any motive or legislation that was being proposed in the Assembly or by a legislator/politician.
To use the above to now pose questions:
1. "Brown’s view of reform – that it creates rules that require ‘gaming’ the system to win, and that the ‘gaming’ denies the public the transparency needed to make judgments is valid, I think."
Do you think the way Proposition 93 was written by Jerry Brown AND how it is portrayed on TV and mailers could be "gaming" the system? I mean, the part about extending existing politicians terms is not even mentioned seems "gaming the system" to me. Your thoughts?
2. “If I had any suspicion that a member had done something improper to introduce a bill, I’d kill the bill outright – even if it was something I was philosophically in favor of.…there’s greed everywhere. .You have to assume that the potential for greed is there, (and) you have to find the greed first.
Not a bill, but Proposition 93 is the work of greed is it not? I mean Speaker Nunez would be termed out unless Proposition 93 (as misrepresented via #1 above alludes to) can be construed as greed couldn't it when you consider:
-Nunez asked legislators to chip in $50K each to support Prop 93, in Nunez best interest...
-Nunez senior staffer Gale Kauffman is in charge of the "Yes on 93" campaign, on Nunez's behalf is she not? (It ain't grassroots and where will Gale work after Feb 5th?)
-Staying on after existing term limits would otherwise remove him from office would allow Nunez to stay politically visible/viable to run for Mayor of LA or possibly Governor next time around would it not? Nunez needs the headlines...
3. From above, "You’ve got to find the guy who is starting to get into thieving – whether it’s the member thief, the corporate thief, the lobbying thief, the staffer thief – and, make him back out of it before he gets caught.”
“Before he gets caught”!
-Nunez is already in the pocket of special interests...or vice versa, with his purchases of Loius Vutton clothes, French (not Californian) wine, multiple trips to Europe and his $1.2 million home in SAC (far from his "poor" LA inner city constituents isn't it? A future Governors residence perhaps?)
All via using campaign cash donated by special interests to buy nice things for himself. Recall he got $3 million last election cycle in campaign contributions...and he ran against NOBODY. Why give money to a candidate who is a sure winner unless you are buying his future legislation?
4. From above, "Term limits, Brown notes, means that “no speaker gets to develop the skills and tenure to discern trouble and then to enforce sanctions against Members who are playing it risky”."
Hasn't Nunez had enough time in office already to determine said skills to decern trouble generated by himself? I doubt he will perform sanctions upon himself.
Maybe it is as simple that Fabian Nunez is no Willie Brown...yet Nunez is who is in the drivers seat now.
Proposition 93 was designed and written by those concerned about THEMSELVES; their ability to retain power and live the lavish lifestyles access to said power has allowed them to take for themselves or that has been showered on them by those who can afford to curry their favor.
Recall both Nunez and Perata PROMISED term limits "for them" would be in conjunction with redistricting for the state. We got Prop 93 FOR THEM and NO REDISTRICTING as THEY PROMISED. At the least self serving with a dash of lying tossed in...
Toss this group of self serving bums out NOW. Resubmit these "term limits" when they will apply to all SUBSEQUENTLY elected politicians and NOT extend those in office today with more time beyond existing voter approved term limits. Let us elect leaders who DON'T NEED a long time on the job to "get experience" before they can become "effective" legislators. What a crock...
Vote NO-NO on Proposition 93!
Bill, I look forward to your reply/views on #1-4 above. A comparison of yours between Brown and Nunez would in addition be interesting.
Posted by: Jay Gould at January 30, 2008 07:29 PM
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