1975: Moonbeam lives in the CA Governor's Mansion & Onwards

1975-01-06 CA State Assembly Chambers.jpg

CA Governor Jerry Brown (D) delivering his 8 minute Inaugural Address on the Speaker's rostrum while CA State Treasurer Jesse Unruh (D), CA State AG Evelle Younger (R), CA Lieutenant Governor Mervyn Dymally (D), CA State Controller Kenneth Cory (D), CA Secretary of State March Fong Eu (D) & CA Superintendent of Public Instruction Wilson Riles (D) seated below.
Monday, January 6th, 1975: CA State Assembly Chambers, CA State Capitol
Sacramento, CA.

It was an intriguing Inaugural Day as CA Governor Edmund Gerald Brown, Jr., (D) had been sworn in as the Golden State's 34th Governor. At the age of 36, he became the youngest Governor of the largest State in the United States with a large population of 21.54 million & counting, he also became mentioned as a possible contender for the White House in 1976 & 1980, but first he needed to focus on Sacramento...
 
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Historic CA Governor's Mansion: Sacramento

Following a long program of Inaugural festivities, where Governor Brown had flown to San Francisco to meet with hundreds of well-wishers at San Francisco City Hall & speaking inside the City Hall Rotunda & later flying to Los Angeles, where he met with Los Angeles, CA Mayor Tom Bradley (D) & other local elected officeholders at Los Angeles City Hall & holding a dinner at Getty House (which would later become the residence of the Los Angeles Mayor 2 years later) before flying back to Sacramento & getting inside the CA Governor's Mansion, the home that his father, former CA Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, Sr., (D) had resided for 8 years before the Reagan's snubbed it after only just 3 months.

Signing several executive orders such as putting up the luxurious state executive planes that Reagan had used during his Governorship, Gubernatorial helicopters, fancy chauffeured-limousines, etc, for sale in order to save the Golden State $$$. Brown & his girlfriend, Linda Ronstadt walked inside the Governor's Mansion, looking at the place that was obviously needed for major renovations & a couple of "cosmetic things".
 
Brown & Ronstadt
1:56 PM PST, Tuesday, January 14th, 1975
CA Governor's Mansion, Sacramento, CA.
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It was barely 8 days after becoming CA's 34th Governor & Brown was just getting the hang of living inside the Historic CA Governor's Mansion with his girlfriend, Linda Ronstadt (YES, that Linda Ronstadt). Looking at some places inside the Mansion that needed major repairs, "I cannot believe the Reagan's never lifted a finger to get this place renovated in major repairs, construction, fixing the toilets in the bathrooms for the guests & others to use, the stove is almost non-existent."

For Linda Ronstadt, on the other hand, she had some plans for her own on the Governor's Mansion, considering putting a recording studio on the first floor, but she also thought about using the modest apartment that Brown had resided when he was CA Secretary of State as a personal recording studio for her to use & she began paying for the tab on using the place. Many Californians viewed her as the de-facto CA First Lady.
 
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Do you know why Jerry Brown was called Moonbeam? He suggested that satellite photography be used to plan public works projects and the California republican party made that sound as if he was out of touch with reality.
 
Do you know why Jerry Brown was called Moonbeam? He suggested that satellite photography be used to plan public works projects and the California republican party made that sound as if he was out of touch with reality.

I note some of whom were hostile towards him like they were toward his Daddy.
 
Heck yeah. It’s been a while since I saw a Brown timeline lol.

Do you know why Jerry Brown was called Moonbeam?

The reporter also regretted coining the term.

San Diego Union Tribune said:
…legendary newspaper columnist Mike Royko of the Chicago Sun-Times. He coined the term “Governor Moonbeam.”

Royko came to regret what he later called a throwaway line and publicly disavowed it. He did so because Brown had earned his admiration.

“During the 1980 Democratic convention, Brown made a speech that was far more sensible than any of the other babblings at that grim gathering,” the late Royko recalled in a 1991 column. “So I wrote a column renouncing the Moonbeam label. I not only renounced it, I denounced it, rejected and declared it unfair, inappropriate and outdated.”
 
Heck yeah. It’s been a while since I saw a Brown timeline lol.



The reporter also regretted coining the term.

I'm currently researching highlights from the 1975 legislative session in Sacramento in this TL, but it will include other politicos, some of whom, who had Gubernatorial ambitions, so stay tuned.
 
Brown
10:00 AM PST, March 1st, 1975
Los Angeles, CA
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Governor Brown's first year in office was getting very busy, especially finding ways to fine-tuning the Golden State's Clean Water Program Initiative, which he proposed to the CA State Legislature during a special Budget Address last month. It was also time to get on the statewide touring circuit on how all Californians would benefit...
 
Reagan
2:21 PM PST, May 29th, 1975

Reagan Residence, Bel Air, CA.
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Less than 4 months after leaving Sacramento, former CA Governor Ronald Reagan (R) was preparing a campaign for the White House in 1976. He turned down requests & pleas from several CA GOPers to run for the United States Senate in 1974 or 1976 & showed no interest of a cabinet post in the administration of POTUS Gerald Ford, whom Reagan believed, was weak on tough issues. Since heading back home to Los Angeles on January 6th, rumors & speculation began to swirl the former CA Governor might return to the TV business, where he came from long before getting into politics. What exactly his role would be was not specified, but obviously something political. Journalists believed this would give Reagan a nationwide audience & the option to stay in the news & sharing his staunch conservative beliefs without being engaged in the day-to-day politics. In the long run, the radio circuit & TV speaking circuits were obviously preparations for a 2nd attempt at the Presidency in 1976 (some Reagan allies began hosting fundraisers in NC, SC, FL, GA, VA, AZ).

NC Governor Jim Holshouser (R) decided to remain neutral in a possible GOP Primary bloodbath between the incumbent President & former CA Governor, but United States Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) decided to up the ante in convincing Reagan to jump in....
 
Bradley
1:39 PM PST, May 31st, 1975

Mayor's Office, Los Angeles City Hall, Los Angeles, CA.
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Los Angeles, CA Mayor Thomas Bradley (D) was on the move, shaking up the City of Angels, opening up citywide government to women & minorities, who had been left out of the decision-making process in previous administrations. He had an impressive story....

Born on December 29th, 1917 in Calvert, TX to Lee Thomas & Crenner Bradley, poor sharecroppers who lived in a small log cabin outside of Calvert. He had four siblings: Lawrence, Willa Mae, Ellis, & Howard. The family moved to AZ to pick cotton & then in 1924, to the Temple-Alvarado area of Los Angeles, CA, where Lee was a Santa Fe Railroad porter & Crenner was a maid.

Bradley attended Rosemont Elementary School, Lafayette Junior High School, & Polytechnic High School, where he was the first African American student to be elected president of the Boys League & the first to be inducted into the Ephebians national honor society. He was captain of the track team & all-city tackle for the high school football team. He went to UCLA in 1937 on an athletic scholarship & joined Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. Among the jobs he had while in college was as a photographer for comedian Jimmy Durante.

Intrigued by serving the community in law enforcement, Bradley left his studies to join the Los Angeles Police Department in 1940. He became one of the just 400 African Americans among the department's 4,000 officers. He recalled "the downtown department store that refused him credit, although he was a police officer, & the restaurants that would not serve blacks." He told a Los Angeles Times reporter: "When I came on the department, there were literally two assignments for black officers. You either worked Newton Street Division, which was a predominantly black community, or you worked traffic downtown. You could not work with a white officer, & that continued until 1964."

Bradley & Ethel Arnold met at the New Hope Baptist Church & were married on May 4th, 1941. They had 3 daughters: Lorraine, Phyllis & a baby who died on the day she was born. He & his wife "needed an Anglo intermediary to buy their first house in Leimert Park, then a virtually all-Anglo section of the city's Crenshaw district. He later attended Southwestern University Law School while serving with the LAPD & began his practice as a lawyer when he retired from the Los Angeles Police Department in 1961 with the rank of Lieutenant.

His entry into politics began when he decided to become president of the United Club. The club was part of the CA Dem Council, a liberal, reformist group organized in the 1950s by young Dems energized by the presidential campaigns of IL Governor Adali E. Stevenson (D). It was predominantly Anglo & had many Jewish members, thus marking the beginnings of the coalition, which along with Latinos, that would carry him to electoral victory so many times. His choice of a Dem circle put him at odds with another political force in the African American community, representatives of poor, all-African American areas who were associated with the political organization of Jesse M. Unruh, who was serving in the CA State Assembly for many years. The early stages of Bradley's political career was marked with clashes with African American leaders such as Mervyn Dymally, who was aligned with Unruh.

Bradley applied for the 10th District seat in June 1961, when he was still an LAPD police lieutenant living at 3397 Welland Avenue; the post had been vacated by Charles Navarro when he was elected City Controller. The City Council, which had the power to fill a vacancy, instead appointed Joe E. Hollingsworth. Not to be deterred by this setback, Bradley ran against Hollingsworth in April 1963. There were only two candidates---Hollingsworth & Bradley--- & also two elections: one for the unexpired term left by Controller Navarro, ending on June 30th & one for the full 4-year term starting July 1st. Bradley emerged victorious, winning by 17,760 votes to 10,540 in the first election & by 17,552 to 10,400 votes in the second. By then, he had retired from the LAPD, & he was sworn in as a City Councilmember at the age of 45 on April 15th, 1963 becoming the first African American to serve on the Los Angeles City Council & won reelection in 1967 & again in 1971, serving for a total of 10 years.

One of the first votes he made on a controversial subject was his opposition to a proposed study by City Attorney Roger Arnebergh & LAPD Police Chief William H. Parker of the Dictionary of American Slang, ordered in an 11-4 vote by the City Council. Councilman Tom Shepard's motion said the book was "saturated not only with phrases of sexual filth, but wordage derogatory of minority ethnic groups & definitions insulting religions & races."

Bradley told Los Angeles Times reporter Richard Bergholz the next month that he "has been asked why he doesn't participate in public demonstrations. His answer: his power as a City Councilman can best be used in trying to bring groups together, & that's where his time & energy should be spent." He said he would work to establish a human relations commission in the city.

More on Bradley later in the TL.
 
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Dymally
12:44 PM PST, June 6th, 1975

CA Lieutenant Governor's Office, CA State Capitol, Sacramento, CA
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Things were looking interesting for CA Lieutenant Governor Mervyn Dymally (D), who made history not only as the Golden State's first African American Lieutenant Governor & 2nd highest-elected statewide officeholder, but the 2nd African American to win statewide office.

Mervyn Malcolm Dymally was born on May 12th, 1926 in Cedros, Trinidad & Tobago; he received his secondary education at Saint Benedict & Naparima Secondary School located in San Fernando, Trinidad & Tobago. He moved to the United States to study journalism at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, MO. After a semester there he moved to the greater Los Angeles area to attend Chapman University, & completed a Bachelor of Arts Degree (BA) in Education from California State University, Los Angeles in 1954; he also became a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity in 1949. He first married Amentha Wilkes, where they later divorced after several years & later married Alice Gueno, where they would have 2 kids.

In 1969, while serving in the CA State Legislature, he earned a Master's Degree in Government from California State University, Sacramento. Dymally earned his Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Human Behavior from United States International University in San Diego.

After teaching in the Los Angeles Unified School District for a number of years, Dymally jumped into politics by becoming field coordinator in 1960 for the successful Presidential campaign of then-United States Senator John F. Kennedy (D-MA). In 1962, he was elected to the CA State Assembly representing District 53 & was reelected in 1964. In 1966, he was elected as the first African American elected to the CA State Senate representing the 29th District & was reelected in 1970; during his 8 years in the CA State Senate, Dymally chaired a number of committees including Social Welfare, Elections & Reapportionment, Veterans Affairs & Joint Committee on Legal Equality for Women, from which he authored the legislation that eventually resulted in the Golden State's ratification of the ERA. He was also chairman of the CA State Legislative Black Caucus & Senate Dem Caucus. These hardworking efforts achieved statewide acclaim, which resulted in his election as CA's 41st Lieutenant Governor in 1974 where he campaigned on the state's energy & environmental problems as well as equal rights for women. On Election Night, November 5th, 1974, Dymally defeated incumbent CA Lieutenant Governor John L. Harmer (R) in a hard-fought contest, Dymally garnered 2,986,537 votes (49.19%) to Harmer's 2,812,636 votes (46.32%).

Having taken office on January 6th, 1975, Dymally served as President of the CA State Senate, chaired the State Commission for Economic Development & the Commission of the Californias; served on the Board of Regents of the University of California, Berkeley; California State University Board of Trustees; Ocean Protection Council; CA Emergency Council & the CA State Lands Commission.

Little did Dymally know that he would be ascending to the Golden State's highest office when Brown's 1976 Presidential campaign would be successful.... so more on Dymally later.
 
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Younger
12:13 PM PST, July 11th, 1975

San Diego, CA
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Having won reelection as CA State AG, the CA GOP turned to Younger, who they felt, could be a strong contender for the CA Governor's Mansion in 1978. He had the resume & experience to show for it...

Born on June 19th, 1918 in Stamford, NE; he was a descendant of the Younger Brothers, a notable 19th Century gang of American outlaws that were often associated with the Jesse James gang. He graduated from the University of Nebraska receiving his Juris Doctorate (JD) Degree. Following graduating from law school, Younger joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation, becoming an FBI Special Agent & at the age of 24, he became one of the top agents of controversial & dictatorial FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, he also became a member of the CIA forerunner the Office of Strategic Services, serving in the Burma-China-India Theater during World War II plus serving in the United States Army during World War II & later in the Korean War.

He married the former Mildred Eberhard on July 3rd, 1942 & would be the parents of son, Eric. Younger served as a CA State Municipal Judge from 1953 to 1958 & later serving as Superior Court Judge from 1958 to 1964, when he was elected Los Angeles County DA.

Earlier in his career on the bench, Younger hosted KTLA-TV's weekly crime drama "Armchair Detective" & was later a consultant & presiding judge on the reality TV Show, "Traffic Court" on ABC 7 KABC-TV Los Angeles; he also authored the book, "Judge & Prosecutor in Traffic Court. During his 7 years as Los Angeles County DA, Younger oversaw criminal cases which included the prosecutions of Charles Manson & Sirhan Sirhan. He was the first prosecutor in the United States to prosecute mass felony charges against college campus demonstrators in the 1960's. Also during this time, Younger rose to the rank of Major General in the United States Air Force Reserve, & was the first to be promoted to the rank of Brigadier General (Reserve) as a Special Agent in the USAF Office of Special Investigations.

His high-profile successful prosecutions gained him national & statewide acclaim, which resulted in him being elected as CA's 26th State AG in 1970, becoming the first GOPer to win the Golden State's Chief Law Enforcement post in a generation, ending 20 years of Dem dominance of this office. Younger garnered 3,140,087 votes (49.28%) to Charles O'Brien (D)'s 3,053,916 votes (47.93%) & taking office on January 4th, 1971. During his tenure, Younger helped develop the CA Environmental Quality Act. He also advocated for a broad interpretation of its applicability, filing a brief in the landmark case Friends of Mammoth vs. Board of Supervisors in 1972; the ruling in the case considered one of the most important for environmental rulings, requiring an evaluation of environmental impact prior to any public agency sanction of new construction. In 1974, he won reelection garnering 3,312,125 votes (55.00%) to William Norris (D)'s 2,707,998 votes (44.97%) & was sworn into office on January 6th, 1975.
 
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Somewhere in Palo Alto

Over in Palo Alto, there was Katrina Velasquez (a Filipino American from Sacramento), who was obsessed with Linda Ronstadt by covering parts of her binder-book with picture montages of the Governor's First Girlfriend, "Oh baby, I want you so bad Linda. This Brown jerk doesn't deserve you, I need to see you, touch you & kiss you all over your body baby." It was clear this woman was fantasizing about being with Ronstadt at any costs.
 
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Somewhere in Palo Alto

Over in Palo Alto, there was a crazed woman, who was obsessed with Linda Ronstadt by covering parts of her binder-book with picture montages of the Governor's First Girlfriend, "Oh baby, I want you so bad Linda. This Brown jerk doesn't deserve you, I need to see you, touch you & kiss you all over your body baby." It was clear this woman was fantasizing about being with Ronstadt at any costs.

Eep

Also, I am greatly enjoying your work! I really hope Jesse helms crashes and burns.
 
Ronstadt
3:27 PM PST, July 17th, 1975

Carmichael, CA
LindaRonstadtPerforming.jpg

Things were getting intriguing for CA First Girlfriend Linda Ronstadt, who not only paid $183.00 per month on the modest apartment in Sacramento for recording sessions, but also was planning on using the Carmichael Mansion (which Brown snubbed due to looking like the Taj Mahal) for her own personal use when a swimming pool was installed there as well as a private massage parlor.

"Whenever things get hectic in Sacramento, I like to head to Carmichael to relax & have fun all by myself without any security detail or anything." Ronstadt said to herself.
 
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International & National Events during Moonbeam's 1st year in office

April 5th, 1975: Taiwanese President Chiang Kai-shek dies from a massive heart attack at the age of 87. VP Yen Chia-kan ascends to the Presidency, becoming the 5th President; Yen signs executive orders, declaring a 30-day period of official mourning across Taiwan
general-chiang-kai-shek-memorial-taipei-china-shutterstock-editorial-7340576f.jpg

April 9th, 1975: Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), plays its first game at the Araneta Coliseum.

April 12th, 1975: Famed Dancer & Entertainer Josephine Baker passes away at the age of 68 from a cerebral hemorrhage at Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital.
Baker_Harcourt_1940.jpg


May 5th, 1975: The Busch Gardens Williamsburg theme park opens in VA.

May 25th, 1975: Golden State Warriors (NBA) win their 3rd NBA Championship in franchise history (1947, 1956, 1975) & their 1st since they used to be the Philadelphia Warriors. They defeated Washington Bullets in a sweep (4-0).

75warriors.jpg


May 27th, 1975: Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) win their 2nd consecutive Stanley Cup Championship defeating Buffalo Sabres in 6 games (4-2).

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June 5th, 1975: The Suez Canal opens for the first time since the Six-Day War.
The United Kingdom votes YES in a referendum to stay with the EU.

June 11th, 1975: After a referendum & 7 years of military rule, Greece is established as the Hellas Republic.

July 5th, 1975: Cape Verde gains independence after 500 years of Portuguese rule.

August 3rd, 1975: The Louisiana Superdome opens in New Orleans.
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March Fong-Eu
10:59 AM PST, July 26th, 1975

CA Secretary of State's Office, Sacramento, CA.
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CA Secretary of State March Fong-Eu (D) was a history-making trailblazer in the Golden State: overcoming obstacles during her life. Born March Kong on March 29th, 1922 in Oakdale, CA, in the San Joaquin Valley, where her Chinese immigrant parents Yuen Kong & Shiu Shee ran a hand-wash laundry. Her grandparents immigrated to the United States from Huaxian County (now Huada District) in the South China province of Guangdong. The family later moved to Richmond, CA. Fong-Eu earned a Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree in Dentistry from the University of California-Berkeley in 1943 & a Master of Arts (MA) Degree from Mills College. She also earned a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D) from the Stanford University Graduate School of Education in 1954. She became a dental hygienist & served one term as president of the American Dental Hygienist Association. In the 1950s, she served on the Alameda County School Board of Trustees.

Intrigued by making a difference on the political front, Fong-Eu was elected to the CA State Assembly from District 15, representing Oakland & Castro Valley for 4 2-year terms: reelected in 1968, 1970 & again in 1972. She was the first Asian American female elected to a State Legislature in the United States. She is perhaps best known for her successful campaign to ban pay toilets, arguing they discriminated against women since urinals were free. Benefiting from the Dem Wave of 1974 amid the backlash of Watergate Scandal (which led to the resignation of Richard Nixon from the Presidency) as well as the controversial pardon of President Ford, Fong-Eu was elected CA's 25th Secretary of State in 1974 & took office on January 6th, 1975, becoming the first Asian American woman ever elected to statewide office in the United States. She remained the only woman to serve as CA Secretary of State until 2006, when Californians elected Debra Bowen (D). Reelected in 1978, 1982, 1986 & again in 1990, she served 5 consecutive terms in office. In 1978, she swept all 58 Counties, even heavily GOP stronghold Orange County, making her one of only five Dems to win the county in the Golden State in the last half century. Among the innovations she had introduced during her 20 years in office included voter registration by mail; providing absentee ballots to anyone who requested them; posting results on the Internet; & including candidate statements in ballot pamphlets.
 
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