A larger-than-life figure in California politics has died.
Longtime Democratic lawmaker John Burton passed away Sunday at the age of 92, a day after his family announced Burton had entered hospice care.
Known for his profane and blunt personality, and working across the aisle, Burton was a champion of progressive and liberal causes including civil rights, environmental protections and healthcare reform. Outside of politics he was also a fierce advocate for foster youth, starting the John Burton Foundation for Children Without Homes.
Burton’s political career spanned decades across both Sacramento and Washington D.C. He was elected to the State Assembly in 1964, representing San Francisco. A decade later Burton was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served in Congress until 1983, when he stepped down to address a cocaine addiction.
Burton returned to state politics in 1988 in the Assembly and later the state Senate, where he became the Pro Tem before terming out in 2004. Burton also served as the chair of the California Democratic Party from 1973-1974 and 2009-2017.
Remembrances and condolences poured in from California lawmakers after Burton’s death was announced. Governor Gavin Newsom called for flags to be flown at half-staff and announced Burton’s posthumous induction into the California Hall of Fame in December.
In a statement Newsom recalled Burton’s passion for public service along with his candor, passion and determination, stating, “[t]here was no greater champion for the poor, the bullied, the disabled, and forgotten Californians than John Burton.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom, right, hugs former state Senate President Pro Tem John Burton, of San Francisco, after signing an executive order placing a moratorium on the death penalty at the Capitol, Wednesday, March 13, 2019, in Sacramento, Calif.Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo
Senator Alex Padilla said Burton was a mentor to “countless progressive leaders across California… bluntly honest and never shied away from a fight if it meant protecting the vulnerable and giving a voice to the voiceless.” Representative Doris Matsui remembered Burton as a “titan of California politics and a true public servant,” calling him “unapologetically authentic with unwavering conviction.”
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi hailed Burton as a mentor, confidant and a friend, calling him a “legendary liberal lion” and “a towering progressive warrior.”
“All who knew John knew that behind his profanity-laden language was a profound progressive vision for how to make real the promise of America,” she wrote.
Pelosi also wrote the foreword for Burton’s new memoir “I Yell Because I Care: The Passion and Politics of John Burton, California’s Liberal Warrior.” The book is co-authored by former Sacramento Bee reporter Andy Furillo, and a release event is scheduled Tuesday at the California Museum in Downtown Sacramento.
Days before his death, Furillo spoke with Insight Host Vicki Gonzalez about Burton’s style and legacy.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Interview highlights
What stood out to you about Burton’s political style?
More than anything, his ability to reach out across the aisle. I’d say that John was probably, if not the most liberal member of the Senate when he was the Pro Tem, he was right there. But he called himself a “fair partisan,” and he sought out “fair partisans” from the right. It’s really interesting.
One of his best friends in the legislature was Ross Johnson, one of the “cavemen” of the 1978 Proposition 13 year. Very conservative guy, and John and him got along famously. They would sing “Big Rock Candy Mountain” together on the Senate floor, and try and work out what they could because Ross was a fair partisan as well… and John just kind of sought that out in people.
You worked on Burton’s memoir with him. What did you learn about his life and career? Why was he so passionate about public office?
What drove him more than anything was wanting to give voice to the voiceless. Poor people, the blind, the aged and the disabled, working people… he felt their voices were not being heard in the halls of power. He made a lot of deals and pushed bills that expanded parks, protected wildlands, protected the coast… but his beginning and end was the poor people, people in his district.
He represented a lot of people who lived in the single-room occupancy hotels south of Market in San Francisco. People living off of hot plates and going down to the hall to the bathroom. Those are the people that he carried in his heart pretty much every day when he went to work.
The title of his memoir is “I Yell Because I Care,” and the cover shows him flipping a double bird at the podium. What inspired this?
When he was the Senate Pro Tem they had t-shirts made up with that slogan. It was kind of his mantra… he’s a very intensely emotional, intensely passionate guy. Also known for his language, which sometimes can be pretty colorful. He went through life on the top of his lungs, certainly went through politics on the top of his lungs… and people had to share that passion as well.
The picture was taken from his last night as the chair of the state Democratic Party. It was May 2017, and this is in the first months of the first Trump Administration. Democrats were wondering how they’re going to respond to Trump, and Nancy Pelosi had just given a pretty intense speech introducing John in terms of what Democrats were up against, what they needed to be, where their fight had to come from, how they had to lead the opposition.
He’s getting his plaudits at the end of the night… and he sees the women that were signing for the deaf. Somehow that inspired him like, “alright, all together now,” and then [he] uses an expletive toward Trump and boom, there go the middle fingers on both hands. That was his salute to Trump in May 2017.
John Burton, chairman of the California Democratic Party, gives a double middle finger salute to President Donald Trump during the California Democratic Party convention in Sacramento, Calif., Saturday, May 20, 2017.Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo
Pelosi actually wrote the forward for this memoir, was that an easy ask?
It was an easy ask, they go back a long way. John’s brother Phillip, the legendary Congressman out of San Francisco, [was] one of the most consequential congressmen of [the] post-World War II period. Phillip died and he was replaced by his wife Sala, and a few years after… Sala got cancer, and she’s in the last days of her life. John and Nancy Pelosi… they knew each other, they were kind of in the same circles, but not that tight.
Sala calls them both to her bedside as she’s dying and she basically says, “I want Nancy to replace me, and John… I want you to make it happen.” And John at that time was out of politics, and that kind of got him back into it to a great extent because he was her campaign chair in her first election. And they have been very tight ever since, joined at the hip even… in regards to the work that they’ve done in politics for working people [and] for the environment.
How do you think he displayed his passion for politics would fit into today’s political world? Would John Burton fare well today?
I don’t think there’s any question that he would fare well. There’s obviously still a lot of passion in politics on both sides today, but what would make him more effective today is he would be able to find people to work with. Granted, it’s quite a bit different now than it was when John was in office. There was a lot of socializing going on between the two sides, I think there was more respect for each other then.
There have been some wild cards thrown in the last couple of years, where some of the institutional structures have frayed a little bit. That makes it more difficult, there’s a lot more distrust. But, I’m pretty sure that he wouldn’t be backing down to nobody, I’ll tell you that right now, but he would find a way. He would find people on the other side to work with and cooperate with.
You can listen to the full conversation, as well as hear from Sarah Pauter, Executive Director of John Burton Advocates for Youth, here.
An event celebrating the release of Burton’s memoir “I Yell Because I Care” and the launch of the John Burton Fellowship will take place Tuesday, Sept. 9 from 5-7:30 p.m. at the California Museum in Downtown Sacramento.
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