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Jerry Brown as Governor:
Highlights of Eight Years of Progress
Brown on Agriculture and Farm Issues
As Governor of California, Jerry Brown recognized the
tremendous importance of agriculture to the economic well-being
of the state. To promote California agriculture:
o He created the Office of International Trade to promote the
export of California agricultural products, and to forecast
demands for agricultural products;
o He expanded the Agricultural Export Information Program to
provide data vital to the competitive strength of California's
producers and exporters,
o He established the Farm Products Trust Fund to protect farmers
from default by produce dealers and processors,
o He encouraged the growth of direct marketing - dozens of
certified farmer's markets throughout the state sell thousands
of tons of produce direct to consumers;
o He encouraged consumer participation on agriculture marketing
boards,
o He suspended minimum retail price controls on milk and milk
products, revising the laws to assure fair and reasonable prices
to consumers;
o He pioneered the development of integrated pest management
techniques and increased the amount of money spent on
alternative pest management programs,
o He developed the most comprehensive pesticide regulatory
program in the country,
o He established the Pest Response Task Force to review and
improve existing pest prevention systems,
o He constructed a modern laboratory to inspect and analyze
chemicals in agricultural products and foodstuffs,
o He opened a new veterinary laboratory in San Bernadino to
provide improved laboratory services for the livestock industry
in Southern California,
o He oversaw eradication of the Meditereanean Fruit Fly
infestation, which posed a grave threat to California
agriculture;
o He promoted the development of alternative sources of on-farm
energy, including ethanol production and the establishment of
biomass farming areas.
Brown on the Arts
Jerry Brown believes that art is an important part of
society, and his record as Governor of California is a
testimonial to that fact. As Governor:
o He created the California Arts Council, which awarded $38.2
million in grants to artists;
o He established a Summer School for the Arts and passed an
Exemplary Arts Education Act, to promote and fund art education;
o He signed the Art in Public Buildings Act, which made it
possible to commission 47 artists to create works of art in 29
public buildings;
o He signed the California Art Preservation Act, which prevents
works of art from being intentionally damaged or destroyed;
o He signed the California Live-Work Space Act, which allows
cities to change zoning laws so that artists can live and work
in the same space;
o He supported the Resale Royalties Act, which provides a 5%
royalty on the price of their art work when it is sold;
o He signed the Artist-Dealer Relations Act, which helped
artists to collect monies owed them by art dealers.
Jerry Brown demonstrated that politics can help the arts, while
enhancing the quality of life for all of the people.
Brown on Campaign Financing
As Secretary of State of the State of California, Brown
took the following measures:
o Called for full enforcement of election laws, requiring
specific and accurate donor lists from candidates,
o Argued in court for precise reporting of campaign
contributions,
o Filed briefs with the FCC to try and ensure free air time for
candidates, reducing the need for enormous campaign "war chests"
of money for the media.
Today, Jerry Brown will accept no campaign contribution greater
than $100.00, as opposed to the $1000.00 dollar limit imposed by
federal election regulations.
Brown on Consumer Issues
Jerry Brown's concern for people and willingness to
stand up for their rights is obvious in his record on consumer
issues. As Governor of California:
o He pushed for and signed legislation ensuring a comprehensive
right to privacy for the citizens of California,
o He enacted legislation prohibiting creditors and bill
collectors from engaging in harassment,
o He signed legislation prohibiting sex or marital status from
being a factor in denial of credit to an individual,
o He limited the amount of security deposit that a landlord
could charge a tenant,
o He enacted reforms to make small claims court more accessible
to consumers, including adding evening and Saturday sessions and
raising the claim ceiling to $1500;
o He established the nation's first "anti-redlining" measure,
prohibiting discrimination by lenders based on geographic
location or ethnic makeup of a neighborhood;
o He established "life line" utility rates, allowing people on
modest incomes to qualify for reduced rates for basic services;
o He ended industry domination of regulatory boards by drafting
legislation which placed a majority of public members on most
state boards,
o He prohibited discrimination by occupational licensing boards,
and required licensing examinations to be job-related;
o He established a Housing Advisory Service to assist people who
are rehabilitating or building their own homes,
o He vetoed legislation which would have allowed variable-rate
mortgages to have no upper limit on their interest rate,
o He allowed price advertising by doctors and dentists,
o He required item pricing by all retail grocery outlets,
including those with computerized check-outs;
o He allowed consumers to purchase "generic" brand prescription
drugs rather than the more expensive drugs prescribed by
tradenames,
o He enacted a "lemon law", protecting the buyers of defective
new cars;
o He set up a Marketing Hotline to provide consumers with
information about farmers and farmers' markets where they could
buy produce directly.
These are just a few of the reasons why Jerry Brown's
administration was widely criticized by well-funded special
interests; because Governor Jerry Brown used his office to look
after the needs of the people rather than business' private
agendas.
Brown on Criminal Justice
As Governor of the State of California, Jerry Brown:
o Required mandatory prison sentences for persons using a gun in
the commission of a major crime,
o Required mandatory prison sentences for felons convicted of
repeat offenses,
o Signed legislation eliminating early parole for most inmates,
o Supported and signed legislation authorizing construction of
twelve new prisons,
o Required mandatory prison sentences for persons committing
violent crimes against the elderly, blind, or severely
handicapped;
o Signed into law the first Career Criminal Prosecution program
in the nation, to help take repeat offenders off the streets.
As a result, convictions in these cases increased by almost 50%,
sentences increased by almost 33%, and bail increased by 100%.
o Signed legislation providing state funding to local sheriffs
and police for a similar program, the Career Criminal
Apprehension Program;
o Created the Crime Resistance Task force, which funded the
establishment of local Neighborhood Watch programs;
o Signed the Victim / Witness Assistance Program into law.
This program, paid for entirely by fines levied on criminals,
provided funding for 34 centers which help over 60,000 victims
and witnesses of crimes each year.
o Signed legislation creating Rape Crisis Centers to assist
victims of sexual assault,
o Reduced the penalty for possession of small amounts of
marijuana, but imposed mandatory prison sentences on heroin
pushers;
In 1982 alone, Governor Brown signed 150 new anti-crime bills
which resulted in more than 5,600 criminals per year going to
prison for new or longer terms.
Brown on the Economy
While Jerry Brown was Governor of the State of
California:
o More than 2 million new jobs were created in California,
o He fought for and signed a $1 billion tax cut; at the same
time, California went from having the 4th highest taxes in the
U.S. to the 23rd highest.
o He reduced the growth of government in California more than
his Republican predecessor, while delivering exceptional
services to citizens;
o He vetoed nearly $2 billion in new appropriations,
o He blocked efforts to increase sales, income, liquor, and
gasoline taxes;
o He eliminated the oil depletion allowance for major oil
companies,
o He revised the "preferential income policies" which allowed
wealthy people to dodge state income taxes,
o The Western States Agricultural Commission was created to
promote trade in U.S. agricultural products,
o Established the World Trade Commission to promote
international trade, investment, and tourism;
o Exports from the state more than doubled, to account for 12.4%
of all U.S. exports,
o He oversaw the creation of the Department of Economic and
Business Development, which generated $1.1 billion in new
investment and helped create more than 15,000 new jobs;
o His administration saw venture capital rise to nearly three
times the amount of capital accumulated by any other state,
o He authorized California Industrial Development Bonds to allow
local governments to issue bonds to permit modernization and
expansion of industry,
o He created the Governor's Executive Fellows program to bring
private sector executives into state government to train
executives in State agencies,
o He signed legislation creating the Housing Finance Agency,
providing loans for moderate and low-income housing
construction;
o He created the Pension Investment Unit, which resulted in the
investment of more than $60 billion to create new jobs and new
state revenues.
Governor Brown provided real tax reform to California's citizens
and businesses:
o He eliminated the business inventory tax,
o He indexed California's personal income tax,
o He eliminated the capital gains tax on small business
investments,
o He created solar and energy conservation tax credits,
o He created tax credits for businesses hiring targeted
unemployed workers.
Above all, Jerry Brown used government to provide California's
businesses with an environment in which they could compete and
succeed.
Brown on Education
Both as Governor of California and as a Trustee of the
Los Angeles Community College District, Jerry Brown has
demonstrated a solid commitment to education:
K-12:
o As Governor, he more than tripled the state's K-12 educational
budget, from $2.6 billion to $7.9 billion,
o By working with the legislature, he ensured that by 1982, 96%
of the school population was spending, per student, within $100
of each other;
o He tightened requirements for graduation from high school,
o He signed the California Worksite Education and Training Act,
which promotes educational programs directly linked to
employment;
o He signed legislation which gives local school teachers and
administrators more control over the educational curriculum at
their schools, providing an educational approach which is best
suited to the locality;
o He signed legislation establishing the California Mathematics
Project, to develop and support programs which enhance
mathematics education;
o He placed nearly $10 million in the state budget to fund the
training of teachers in such areas as mathematics and computer
science,
o At the same time, he provided tax deductions for computer
manufacturers to donate computers to schools,
o He oversaw legislation which provided state funding for
training related to an employer's hiring needs;
o He signed legislation providing special assistance to students
who are unable to speak English,
o He signed legislation ensuring that at least one meal per day
would be provided for all underprivileged students from
kindergarten through the twelfth grade;
o He increased support from $276 million to $726 million for
students with special educational needs.
Colleges and Universities:
o Under his administration, funding to state universities and
community colleges nearly doubled, and funding for equal
opportunity programs tripled;
o He opposed charging tuition at the state's colleges and
universities, and tried to minimize increases in student fees,
o He increased funding for student aid by more than $50 million,
o He initiated special programs and "centers of excellence"
such as the California Space Institute, the Microelectronics
Research facility, and the Institute for Global Security and
Cooperation, among many others.
Clearly, Jerry Brown understood that in order for our country to
remain competitive, education must be a priority.
Brown on Energy Policy
As Governor of California, Jerry Brown saw the worst
days of the Oil Embargo and our country's dependence on foreign
sources of fuel. He set about making California's energy policy
a model for the rest of the country. He focused on two
concepts: energy conservation and alternative sources of energy.
He made substantial progress in each. In the field of energy
conservation:
o He instituted the nation's first mandatory energy efficiency
standards for buildings and appliances - saving consumers
hundreds of millions of dollars in energy costs each year;
o He reduced the projected growth rate for energy consumption to
1.3% and allowed the state to delay construction of several
expensive power plants,
o He signed legislation providing for a 40% tax credit for
installation of insulation and other conservation measures,
o This credit, and other programs, were so successful that while
economic output of the state doubled, energy consumption
increased by only 10%;
o He established a three-year, $360 million program to expand
and improve the state's mass transit facilities,
o He encouraged the Public Utility Commission to use its
rate-making authority to promote a wide variety of energy
conservation and management techniques,
o He sponsored and signed legislation appropriating $20 million
to finance energy conservation projects in schools, hospitals,
and community agencies.
At the same time, Governor Brown was looking to the needs of the
future, and promoting alternative energy sources. Toward this
end:
o He formed the State Energy Commission, which diversified the
supply of energy and developed alternative sources of energy.
Energy programs of this sort should save the people of
California over $100 billion by the year 2000.
o He established the nation's first Nuclear Safeguard Laws, a
legislative package banning construction of new nuclear power
facilities until safety and waste storage problems are resolved;
o He enacted a 55% solar energy tax credit, the nation's largest
and most flexible;
o He enacted "solar rights" legislation which removed local
zoning and contractual restrictions on solar installations,
o He established a Solar Business Office to promote rapid
commercialization of solar energy,
o He granted solar housing a priority in spending state housing
funds,
o He supported the installation of hydroelectric generation
facilities on existing flood control or water storage dams,
o He expedited licensing procedures for geothermal projects,
o He provided incentives for industry to develop cogeneration,
o He enacted legislation to establish a wind energy information
center, to disseminate information about wind energy to
potential users;
o He created the Alternative Transportation Fuels Program to
commercialize production and use of fuels such as ethanol and
methanol,
o He appropriated over $20 million for alcohol and biomass fuel
development,
o He required all new state buildings over 10,000 square feet to
install solar hot water heating systems.
Jerry Brown has the foresight and conviction to enact a more
comprehensive and far- reaching set of energy programs than
exist in any other state.
Brown on the Environment
Jerry Brown may well be most fondly remembered as the
Governor of California who did the most to protect and preserve
the environment. In spite of opposition from special interest
groups, he managed to:
o Impose a moratorium on nuclear power plants until safety and
waste storage problems are resolved,
o Adopt the toughest anti-smog laws in the country,
o Establish the nation's toughest programs for improving air
quality, with a result that pollution dropped by up to 50% even
though vehicle traffic increased by 20%;
o Implement standards restricting the introduction of several
carcinogens into the air we breathe,
o Implement a strong enforcement program to control hazardous
materials,
o Develop the largest pesticide regulatory program in the
country,
o Provide periodic checks on toxins in California's waterways,
through the Toxic Substances Monitoring Program;
o Authorize ongoing state inspections of landfills, to prevent
public health hazards;
o Ban the manufacture and sale of fluorocarbons for aerosol
propellants,
o Establish the California Conservation Corps to put young
people to work in environmental and conservation projects,
o Develop a statewide policy to protect California's remaining
wetlands,
o Have major portions of five of California's wild rivers made
part of the Federal Wild and Scenic Rivers system, assuring
their preservation;
o Implement special programs to improve the quality of
California's rivers,
o Add more than 700,000 acres to the State Park system,
o Have more than 500,000 acres of the State Park system
classified as "wilderness", marking it for preservation;
o Acquire a total of 16,613 acres of land for the preservation
of rare and endangered species, and for critical wildlife
habitat;
o Establish the Coastal Conservancy, an agency charged with
protecting the scenic and ecological values of the California
coast by managing and acquiring land;
o Appropriate $2.5 million for the support of non-game and rare
and endangered wildlife programs,
o Bar the Forest Service from developing roads in large portions
of the California wilderness (this would have made the land
accessible to loggers and others),
o Establish an Energy Resources fund,
o Introduce a comprehensive 20-year plan to channel money from
the state's oil, geothermal, and state forest revenues into
maintaining the productivity of renewable natural resources
through the Renewable Resources Investment Fund;
o Create a state office to stimulate development of
environmentally-friendly technologies,
o Use monies from the Energy Resources fund to reforest
timberlands, stock rivers with fish, preserve wetlands, promote
soil and water conservation, and develop recreation and open
space in urban areas;
o Enact legislation creating a statewide emergency response
system for toxic chemical spills,
o Put into place tough new civil and criminal penalties for
illegal toxic waste dumping,
o Deliver a water conservation awareness kit to millions of
California households, saving vast amounts of water, and the
electricity used to pump it;
o Implement state recycling programs for paper and motor oil,
reducing wastes and saving tens of millions of dollars;
o Begin the process of converting the state vehicle fleet to
methanol and ethanol use, giving the state of California the
largest test vehicle fleet in the nation;
o Form the State Energy Commission, which diversified the
supply of energy and developed alternative sources of energy.
Energy programs of this sort should save the people of
California over $100 billion by the year 2000.
o Sign into law the 40% conservation tax credit - so effective
that while economic production doubled, energy use increased by
only 10%;
Jerry Brown foresaw the energy problems which the United States
is facing, and has worked hard to secure a future in which we
can be less dependent on foreign energy supplies.
Brown on Equal Opportunity
Jerry Brown has always believed in equal opportunity for
all people. His position as Governor of California allowed him
to put those beliefs into practice. His record on equal
opportunity is unmatched in the history of the state, and
possibly the history of the United States:
o He strongly supported - and continues to support - a woman's
right to personal choice concerning her body and her
reproductive system,
o He extended child care and unemployment disability benefits to
all working women,
o He authorized the spending of $10 million to encourage the
development of innovative new child-care programs,
o He prohibited the payment of differing wages for jobs
requiring equal skill, effort and responsibility that are
performed under similar working conditions;
o He signed legislation requiring government social service
organizations to promote the training of women for job
classifications in which 70% of employees were men,
o He signed legislation prohibiting sex or marital status from
being a factor in denial of credit to an individual,
o He granted state employees one year of leave for purposes of
pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery;
o He mandated that women who are pregnant not be discriminated
against in hiring based upon their pregnancy,
o He designated sexual harassment as an unfair employment
practice,
o He amended the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination
based on sex or marital status,
o He gave state District Attorneys greater power to enforce
court orders for child support payments,
o He banned mandatory retirement for public and private
employees.
o He amended the state discrimination laws to include age,
making it illegal to discriminate against senior citizens;
o He prohibited the use of public funds to provide facilities
and programs for one sex only;
o He appointed 287 Asians, 435 African-Americans, 549 Hispanics,
and 46 Native Americans to government positions (including the
first Hispanic and African American California State Supreme
Court Justices);
o He named women to fill nearly one third of the appointed posts
in the state. These appointments included 131 judges, 5 Cabinet
Members, 22 Department Directors, and 10 Deputy Directors;
Brown on Health Care
As Governor of the State of California, Jerry Brown made
health care for all citizens a priority. As a result:
o He created the Governor's Council on Wellness and Physical
Fitness, to help prevent illness and disease, focusing on a
medical system oriented toward maintenance of health rather than
cure of disease;
o He developed health programs emphasizing preventative health
care by increasing the number of family physicians, primary care
nurse practitioners, and physician's assistants;
o He sponsored legislation allowing registered nurses to
practice as midwives and public health professionals,
o He created a training program for nurses who are LVNs to
become RNs through an apprenticeship. This program was the
first of its kind in the country.
o He established programs to identify and provide services such
as nutrition and health care to high-risk mothers and infants,
o He greatly expanded family planning and prenatal health
programs, such as the ongoing Obstetrical Access Project, with
sites throughout the state to improve the health of mothers and
their infants;
o He increased funding for the Rural Health Care Program,
providing services to areas which did not have access to them;
o He created a Farm Workers Health Services Program, to increase
health care services to migrant farm workers and their families;
o He signed legislation providing financial assistance to urban
and rural heath care programs for Native Americans,
o He developed many health education programs, including dental
health programs for elementary school students and a
preventative health program for senior citizens;
o He established a toxic waste "superfund" to compensate
workers suffering from the effects of toxic chemicals,
o He created a state Department of Alcohol and Drug Abuse to
help free people from substance abuse,
o He oversaw the establishment of a statewide education program
to stop drunk driving,
o He developed programs to encourage the establishment of
community mental- health treatment centers,
o His Department of Rehabilitation oversaw the creation of more
than 25 community-based living centers for disabled
Californians,
o He gave protections to workers who needed special devices to
overcome a handicap,
o He signed into law the Robinson Act, which provides for
negotiation between health care providers and consumers,
lowering expenditures;
o He appointed a Special Committee on Health Care to develop
recommendations for health care cost containment. Many of their
ideas were written into law.
o He broadened reimbursement policies to increase the
availability of chiropractic, acupuncture, and podiatry
services;
o He instituted a $25,000 tax deduction for any taxpayer who
remodeled a home or business to make it accessible to
handicapped people.
Clearly, Jerry Brown has a record of making health care
available to his constituents, especially those in most dire
need of these services.
Brown on Investing in People
Jerry Brown made the following statement in his January
7, 1982 State of the State address:
"If we think clearly and act correctly, we can make the
tools to lift millions out of poverty and ignorance and we can
pioneer the new technologies that emphasize quality over
quantity."
Working with the legislature and leaders in industry, labor,
and education, Jerry Brown initiated a series of programs
designed to lead California into the information age. Among
them:
o The California Commission on Industrial Innovation, a
blue-ribbon panel of citizens chaired by Governor Brown, which
formulated an economic blueprint for California for the rest of
the century. The commission provided fifty specific proposals
for educational excellence, renewed productivity, and improved
competitiveness.
o Calling for higher standards in high-school education,
including requiring at least three years of math and two years
of science for all high-school graduates, with even more
stringent requirements for college-bound students;
o Acting on this decision, both the California State University
and University of California systems raised their entrance
requirements in mathematics.
o In the 1982-83 budget, $9.7 million was allocated to upgrade
math and science education by doing the following: training 350
new math teachers, opening 15 regional Teacher Education /
Computer centers, equipping several mobile vans to provide
in-service training in computer-aided instruction, setting up a
statewide clearinghouse to purchase, evaluate, and disseminate
educational software;
o Funds were allocated to support projects such as the
Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) program,
geared to motivate and support women and minority students and
help them complete college degrees in math, engineering, and the
sciences.
o Through the California Worksite Education and Training Act ,
tens of millions of dollars have been spent putting over tens of
thousands of people to work in skilled labor positions. More
than 2,500 employers have become involved in the program, which
is widely recognized as one of the most successful in the
nation.
o More than $2 million has been invested in community colleges
to establish employment-based high technology training. 27
campuses have implemented such programs, with priority given to
projects in new and emerging technologies.
o A total of $9.5 million went to California universities, to
establish microelectronics research laboratories and purchase
equipment.
o Workers displaced by new technologies have been assisted by
more than 20 Displaced Workers Reemployment Centers around the
state. These centers have attracted interest and support from
businesses and labor groups such as General Motors and the
United Auto Workers.
o The Employment Preparation Program has been expanded to assist
welfare applicants in finding jobs as an alternative to
requiring welfare money;
o Monies from the state Unemployment Insurance fund were
allocated to prepare Californians for jobs in growth industries.
The program focus is employer commitment to hire and upgrade
these trainees, rather than providing training for training's
sake.
Jerry Brown has proven a commitment to advancing the welfare of
all citizens by education, job training, and government /
employer / labor cooperative relations. It is a common sense
approach that works. Brown on Senior Citizens' Rights
Jerry Brown is a staunch supporter of equal rights for
all people, including the elderly. He has, as Governor of
California, worked to protect the rights of senior citizens by:
o Banning mandatory retirement for public and private employees,
o Creating a state funded program of preventive health services
for people over 60,
o Allowing senior citizens to completely defer their property
taxes until home ownership changes hands,
o Exempting all property transferred to a surviving spouse from
inheritance and gift taxes,
o Providing tuition-free classes at California state
universities for persons over 60 years of age, for both credit
and audit purposes;
o Creating the Multipurpose Senior Services Project pilot
programs to provide information on care and resources to allow
people to stay at home rather than be institutionalized,
o Making discrimination on the basis of age illegal in all
state-funded programs or grants and any contract worth over
$100,000 involving state monies;
o Establishing the Golden State Seniors Discount program, which
enables senior citizens to obtain discounts with participating
merchants throughout the state.
Brown on Social Services
As Governor, Jerry Brown took action to improve the
administration of social services in California. For example:
o He established the Cooperative Agency's Resources for
Education program, which assisted families in moving off welfare
to self-support. The program saves the state more than $70,000
for each family, and is so successful that New York City
expressed interest in setting up a similar program;
o He initiated the Employment Preparation Program to provide job
search assistance to welfare applicants,
o He implemented Project Intercept which has collected literally
hundreds of millions of dollars in child support payments.
o He initiated the Quality Control / Corrective Action program,
which helped to cut the number of errors in the Aid to Families
with Dependent Children offices in half;
o His Department of Social Services, in cooperation with the
Urban League, made dramatic improvements in the placement of
minority-group children in adoptive homes;
o He supported and signed legislation requiring that the agency
responsible for care of a child must have a written assessment
of a child's case, develop a case plan for the child, help to
reunify the child with his or her family, and insure that the
child receive an administrative review every 6 months and a
court review every 18 months;
o He supported and signed legislation requiring that the
Adoptions Assistance program provide benefits to eligible
hard-to-place children who would not be adopted without this
assistance.
Brown on Transportation
As Governor of the State of California, Jerry Brown
recognized the importance of transportation policy to future
development. He took steps to establish a transportation policy
that Californians could rely on to support the necessary
infrastructure in their growing state. As a result, while Jerry
Brown was Governor:
o He oversaw the completion of approximately 1,500 lane miles
of new freeway, at a cost of $1.1 billion;
o Overall mass transit ridership increased by more than 90%, to
1.2 billion passengers,
o A van and car pooling was instituted which saved 79 million
gallons of gasoline and cut air pollution by 45,000 tons of
emissions,
o He signed an Omnibus Mass Transportation Bill which provided
$368 million for mass transit facilities,
o He increased funding for "intermodal" transportation
facilities (places where two or more different forms of
transportation come together), making it more convenient for the
public to use mass transit;
o He signed legislation authorizing the construction of several
railway projects, including trains operating between San Diego
and Los Angeles, rail freight yards in San Ysidro, and the
rehabilitation of the McCloud River Railroad.
Jerry Brown believes that transportation is central to economic
growth, and as Governor of California, took measures to insure
transportation infrastructure was not neglected.
Brown on Women's Issues
Jerry Brown has a strong commitment to protecting
women's rights. As an ardent supporter of the Equal Rights
Amendment, he has taken the following actions as Governor of
California:
o He strongly supported - and continues to support - a woman's
right to personal choice concerning her body and her
reproductive system,
o He extended child care and unemployment disability benefits to
all working women,
o He augmented child care programs by $12 million annually,
o He authorized the spending of $10 million to encourage the
development of innovative new child-care programs,
o He prohibited the payment of differing wages for jobs
requiring equal skill, effort and responsibility that are
performed under similar working conditions, requiring equal pay
for equal work;
o He designated sexual harassment as an unfair employment
practice,
o He signed legislation prohibiting sex or marital status from
being a factor in denial of credit to an individual,
o He granted state employees one year of leave for purposes of
pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery;
o He mandated that pregnant women not be discriminated against
in hiring based upon their pregnancy,
o He amended the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination
based on sex or marital status,
o He enacted legislation requiring the Department of Health
Services to maintain a prenatal health program to address needs
of women with high risk pregnancies and their infants,
o He signed legislation requiring government social service
organizations to promote the training of women for job
classifications in which 70% of employees were men,
o He gave state District Attorneys greater power to enforce
court orders for child support payments,
o He prohibited the use of public funds to provide facilities
and programs for one sex only, and required that as much as
possible, equal opportunities for male and female athletes be
provided by state colleges and universities;
o He revised the circumstances under which a marriage may be
summarily dissolved by a judge,
o He named women to fill nearly one third of the appointed posts
in the state. These appointments included 131 judges, 5 Cabinet
Members, 22 Department Directors, and 10 Deputy Directors.
Jerry Brown has also strongly supported tougher penalties for
crimes against women. He has signed legislation which:
o Provides on-call staff in county hospitals to examine victims
of rape or other sexual assault at all times,
o Prohibits granting of probation in cases of rape by force or
violence,
o Extends the statute of limitations for prosecution of sexual
assault cases from 3 to 6 years,
o Creates a new statutory procedure allowing immediate
injunctive relief for victims of harassment,
o Strengthens the rights of recipients of child support,
o Allows courts to provide injunctive relief in order to prevent
acts of domestic violence,
o Permits a spouse to be prosecuted for the offense of rape,
o Establishes courtroom procedures to protect victims of rape
("rape shield" laws),
o Establishes a one year minimum prison sentence for people
convicted of pimping or pandering.
Jerry Brown is committed to establishing the rights of women and
seeing that those rights are protected.
Brown on Worker's Rights
As Governor of California, Jerry Brown stood up for
working men and women , even when it cost him the support of
powerful special interests. While Governor, he set standards
for reforms which, if adopted nationally, would make life better
for millions of working men and women. For example:
o He increased the maximum unemployment insurance benefits for
workers, allowing them to feed themselves and their families
while looking for work;
o He drafted and implemented legislation allowing collective
bargaining and stronger legal remedies for California's farm
workers,
o He extended collective bargaining to public school teachers
from kindergarten to the junior college level,
o He broadened protections against unfair labor practices,
o He funded a pioneering program to make workers and industrial
and government officials aware of the hazards of toxic chemicals
in the workplace;
o He protected workers who complain about health and safety
hazards from retaliation by their employers, and extended
criminal sanctions to the occupational health field;
o He supported and signed the Occupational Carcinogen Control
Act, which made California the first state to require the
registration of carcinogens;
o He issued an executive order prohibiting state job
discrimination based on sexual preference,
o He increased benefits for employees disabled on the job, and
provided that tips and gratuities be counted as wages for
computing benefits;
o He curbed the use of temporary restraining orders and
injunctions in labor disputes, allowing workers with legitimate
grievances a chance to air them;
o He oversaw the largest increase in temporary disability
benefits in the 63-year history of the workers' compensation
system; minimum and maximum compensation increased by more than
25%, and death benefits increased by 500%.
o He gave the Labor Commissioner broad authority to penalize
firms which illegally failed to insure their employees against
job-related injuries, broke child-labor laws, or withheld wages;
o He increased the minimum wage above the federal minimum,
o He strengthened and vigorously enforced the state child labor
laws,
o He set up a special program to make exploiting illegal aliens
an activity which was no longer profitable,
o He set up an inter-agency task force to identify and prosecute
employers who "cashed out" workers, short-changed trust funds,
and evaded taxes;
o He enacted legislation prohibiting the use of professional
"strike breakers."
o He created the Department of Economic and Business Development
to stimulate job opportunities,
o He initiated the nation's first "Work Sharing Unemployment
Insurance" program as an alternative to worker layoffs,
o He prohibited the forced retirement of older workers,
o He fought for and implemented a number of job training
programs; the program tripled in size in five years, and
included health and vocational apprenticeships.
Despite the serious recession in the late 1970's, California -
under the leadership of Jerry Brown - saw its job market expand
faster than any other industrial state and 70% faster than the
rest of the nation.