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California State Archives State Government Oral History Program Oral History Interview with BILL HONIG Supenntendent of Public Instruction and Director Department of Education 1983 1993 January 12 19 and 27 2000 February 9 and 23 2000 Emeryville California By Charles Wollenberg Regional Oral History Office University of California Berkeley RESTRICTIONS ON THIS INTERVIEW None LITERARY RIGHTS AND QUOTATIONS This manuscript is hereby made available for research purposes only No part of the manuscnpt may be quoted for publication without wntten permission of the California State Archivist or Regional Oral History Office University of California at Berkeley Requests for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to California State Archives 1020 O Street Room 130 Sacramento California 95814 or Regional Oral History Office 486 Library University of California Berkeley California 94720 The request should include information of the specific passages and identification of the user It IS recommended that this oral history be cited as follows Bill Honig Oral History Interview Conducted 2000 by Charles Wollenberg Regional Oral History Office University of California at Berkeley for the California State Archives State Government Oral History Program TABLE OF CONTENTS INTERVIEW HISTORY i BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY in SESSION 1 January 12 2000 [Tape 1 Side A] 1 Family background and early education Public affairs interest Stanford and University of California 1958 Boalt Hall School of Law 1963 Clerk for California Supreme Court Justice Mathew 0 Tobriner Work in Department of Finance under Hale Champion 1965 1966 Civil nghts and other issues in the sixties Work m Democratic political campaigns [Tape 1 SideB] 16 Law practice 1966 Teaching law to schoolchildren through Constitutional Rights Foundation Work for Organization of Social and Technical Innovation (OSTI) Teacher Corps 1969 1970 Vietnam War protests Graduate school m Education and internships in San Francisco Public Schools Teaching special ed classes Commumty schools Appointment to State Board of Education Adoption of textbooks and need for change in curnculum [Tape 2 Side A] 32 Ideas on traditional teaching Relationship among State Board of Ed Wilson Riles and the State Department of Education Foundation grants for staff development in schools Need for change m administration of state education Superintendent Reed School Distnct Wilson Riles run for US Senate Honigs pnmary campaign for supenntendent of education 1981 1982 Runoff election 1982 Fundraising Hinng Clint Reilly to manage campaign SESSION 2 January 19 2000 [Tape 3 Side A] 51 Nonpartisan campaign for traditional education Strategy for reform after election win 1982 Funding the reforms Relationship with Governor George Deukmejian Senate Bill 813 1983 brings $750 million for schools Politics of bill passage and reform California Assessment Program (CAP) [Tape 3 Side B] 67 Cumcular frameworks Working with Governor Deukmejians staffto keepfunding Salesmanshipof schoolreforms/frameworks Low schoolbudget 1987 1988 Conflict with governor over school funding [Tape 4 Side A] 83 Switch from nonpartisan to Democratic registration Speech to the California Assembly Press speculation that Homg is running for governor Issues m science curriculum creationism vs evolution Adoption of textbooks to fit the framework SESSION 3 January 27 2000 [Tape 5 Side A] 94 Relationshipwith GovernorDeukmejian andlegislature Sacramentopolitics Passage of Proposition 98 1988 Implementation of Prop 98 Deukmejian eliminates CAP New appointments to Board of Education Relationship with Governor Pete Wilson Joseph Carrabinos mission [Tape 5 Side B] 109 Vouchers and charter schools Channel One controversy Joe Carrabino and the Board of Education Boards role vis a vis Department of Education Nate Shapell and the Little Hoover Commission Seeming compromise with Carrabino and Stem Control of Department of Education decided by Court of Appeal Family Nancy Homg and the Quality Education Project (QEP) SESSION 4 February 9 2000 [Tape 6 Side A] 128 Conflict of interest charges 1990 Background on workings of QEP San Francisco Examiner's part Attorney General Dan Lungrens office [Tape 6 Side B] 143 Federal suit 1983 concerning the migrant program and federal funds Self interest of vanous parties Civil vs criminal proceedings Deposition played before the grand jury Indictment and hinng of Patrick Butch Hallinan Politics of the case Linda Page as a witness Hallinans strategy [Tape 7 Side A] 159 Judge probation fines Community servicehoursm education Effects on personal life Politicstrumpsideology Accountability Finalprocessof appeals Financial and personal costs in misuse of justice system No proof beyond a reasonable doubt SESSION 5 February 23 2000 [Tape 8 Side A] 176 QEPs success in Mexico Community service in San Francisco Public Schools Visiting distinguished professor at San Francisco State University University School Educational Reform (USER) Reading reform New Standards Teaching Our Children to Read WorkingwithMarionJosephon phonics Consortium on Reading Excellence (CORE) [Tape 8 Side B] 191 Training teachers nationwide Attitudes of colleges about teaching reading Education issues of 2000 Math teaching Death of Nancy Media A child policy [Tape 9 Side A] 208 Training days Tying testing to standards Publication of test results Charter schools INTERVIEW HISTORY Interviewer/Editor Charles Woilenberg History Instructor and Social Science Department Chair Vista College OralHistonan Regional OralHistory Office University of California Berkeley Histoncal Consultant Oakland Museum of California Convenor California Studies Seminar University of California Berkeley History Instructor University of California Extension History Instructor Laney College 1965 1984 Consultant Clio Project School of Education University of California Berkeley 1984 1988 Review Editor California History 1974 1980 B A MA and Ph D University of California Berkeley Interview Time and Place January 12 2000 Session of one and a half hours January 19 2000 Session of one and a half hours January 27 2000 Session of one hour February 9 2000 Session of one and a half hours February 23 2000 Session of one and a half hours All sessions took place in Mr Honigs office in Emeryville California 11 Editing The interviewer/editor edited for punctuation paragraphing and spelling venfied proper names prepared footnotes and compiled a table of contents Insertions by the editor are bracketed Mr Honig edited the transcnpt clanfying and adding many passages and making minor corrections Tapes and Interview Records The original tape recordings of the interviews are in The Bancroft Library University of California at Berkeley Records relating to the interview are at the Regional Oral History Office Master tapes are deposited in the California State Archives BILL HONIG 2110ScottStreet SanFrancisco California94115 (415)921 8636 EDUCATION SanFranciscoState University SanFrancisco 1972 MasterofArts Degreein Education University ofCalifornia Berkeley Boalt Hall School ofLaw 1963 JunsDoctorDegree Admittedtothe CaliforniaBarJanuary6 1964 Umversity ofCalifornia Berkeley 1958 BachelorofArts PROFESSIONALEXPERIENCE President Consortiumon ReadmgExcellence Berkeley California July 1995 toPresent VisitingDistinguishedProfessor SchoolofEducation SanFranciscoStateUmversity SanFrancisco California April 1993toJune 1997 ConsultantPositions 1994to 1996 New Standards Project Readmg&Math FarWestLaboratoryforEducationalResearch&Development CahformaAllianceforMath & Science National BoardforProfessionalTeachmgStandards LosAngeles EducationalPartnership VanousEducationalPublishmg andSoftwareCompames CaliforniaSuperintendentofPublicInstruction &Director DepartmentofEducation Sacramento Cahforma January 1983toFebruary 1993 Superintendent ReedUmonElementarySchoolDistrict Tiburon California July 1979toJuly 1982 Teacher SanFranciscoUmfiedSchoolDistnct SanFrancisco Cahforma January 1972toJuly 1976 PROFESSIONAL AWARDS PersonoftheWeek onABCWorldNewsTomghtwithPeterJennmgs 1990 CahformaSchoolBoardsAssociation CaliforniaReadmgAssociationsMarcus FosterMemonalReading Award AmencanAcademyofAchievement sGoldenPlateAward 1990 PUBLICATIONS TeachmgOurChildren toRead TheRoleofSkillsina ComprehensiveReadingProgram CorwmPress (Thousand Oaks CA) 1996 LastChanceForOurChildren How You CanHelpSaveOurSchools Addison Wesley (Readmg MA) 1985 [Session 1 January 12 2000] [Begin Tape 1 Side A] WOLLENBERG January 13 the year 2000 HONIG Twelfth WOLLENBERG Bill we can start by talking a bit about your family background where you were bom where you were raised that sort of thing HONIG Well I was bom in San Francisco My father [Louis Honig] worked in an advertising agency for his father who started the firm back in about 1913 14 15 around in there He was a sports reporter my grandfather and when the earthquake occurred he got on the tram with the first pictures of the San Francisco earthquake and went back and got ajob as a reporter in New York and did that for a while and then thought advertising was going to be a big deal and started an advertising firm in the twenties My father graduated from UC Berkeley nght m the Depression in 32 and went to work for this firm So I was bom in 37 By that time my grandfather was still alive but my father was taking on more responsibility And then my grandfather died m about 1941 or 42 My grandfather was very community oriented He belonged to the Family Club and he had wntten a little play and was part of the San Francisco group So that was my grandfather WOLLENBERG Was he the first member on that side of the family to come to San Francisco'' HONIG No they came my great grandfather Michael Honig came in like 1849 or 1850 WOLLENBERG So he came dunng the Gold Rush'' HONIG Yes he came nght after and he was a tailor He was a rabbi who made his earnings as a tailor and then was a rabbi And then my fathers mother was a Lezmsky They came from Poland And they came over in 1851 into Sacramento River and sold goods to the gold miners or 1850 and then moved to San Francisco My mothers father came later in about 1870 1880 from Russia from Anixter Russia Their name was Anixter And then my mothers mother was Spanish and English Her name was Martin so it was a very mixed Jewish family Poland Russia Spain England Germany My grandfather on my mothers side ran a dairy My mother [Minam Honig] was bom above the dairy WOLLENBERG Whereabouts'? HONIG On Divisadero Street WOLLENBERG In San Francisco*? HONIG Yes They still had horses then and then WOLLENBERG Maybe Cow Hollow' HONIG No It was up on the other side of town It was down near Fulton around in there WOLLENBERG Hayes Valley HONIG Hayes Valley And then he sold it to Bordens eventually So when I knew him he was retired He bought property and the property that the Hilton Hotel is on now he owned So my parents were well off I mean theyre not wealthy theyre basically good middle class I was bom at Mount Zion Hospital near there and then we lived in a flat at 2255 Clay near where the Presbyterian Hospital now its CPM [California Pacific Medical] or whatever it is WOLLENBERG The hospital So you were bom just a block or two away from your home HONIG I was bom in Mount Zion but the hospital was there Presbyterian it used to be It was all red bnck And we lived there for thirteen years My dad became president [of the advertising company] when my grandfather died