Table Of Content

California State Archives State Government Oral History Program Oral HistoryInterview with Leroy F. Greene California State Assemblyman 1962 - 1982 California State Senator 1982 - 1998 July 19, 1999 and July 26, 1999 Sacramento, California ByDonaldB. Seney Center for California Studies California StateUniversity, Sacramento TABLE OF CONTENTS INTERVIEWHISTORy .i BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARy .ii SESSION 1, July 19, 1999 [Tape 1, Side A] 1 Family and early life---views onreligion--bigotry andprejudice--origins of the Greene family name and origins inEurope--observing Rosh Hashanah and otherJewish holidays--education inthe Newark, New Jersey public schools. [Tape 1, Side B] 16 Returning to the high schoolhe graduated from--going to Purdue University--studying engineering at Purdue--meeting first wife at Purdue- how womenwith ahigher educationwere treatedin the early 1940's- working for the IndianaHighway Department--working for the Tennessee Valley Authority during WWII--working for aprivate engineering firm doing warwork--moving to Californiato work for Kaiser Engineers ormore warwork--drafted into the Army for occupation duty in Japan--doing surveying inKorea--working in a Chicago engineering firm. [Tape 2, Side A] 30 Taking an engineeringjob with the State ofCaliforniaDivision of Architecture--establishing Leroy Greene and Associates, Consulting Engineers firm--Proposition 13 and the closing ofthe consulting firm- running for the Assembly in 1962 in anew district--ringing doorbells and running against elevenopponents inthe 1962Democratic primary. [Tape 2, SideB] 44 Running for the Democratic nomination inthe 3rdassembly district--the use ofhumor in politics--SenatorGreene's daughter--the 1962 general election campaign--the 1964 general election campaign--law and order as an issue in campaigns--using town hall meetings in campaigns--Jesse Unruh and the 1962 general election. SESSION 2, July 19, 1999 [Tape 3, Side A] 58 Committee assignments during the first term--appointment to the Education Committee--thejuicecommittees and money inpolitics--school construction finance bill--the impact ofProposition 13 onthe schools and other local governments--the state distributes money to the local governments to make up for the revenue losses underProposition 13. [Tape 3, Side B] 74 The recession ofthe early 1990's finally brings the impact ofProposition 13 to rest on local governments--the impact ofProposition 13 onhousing values--the problem ofpublic investment ininfrastructure--first term inthe legislature and the changes inthe legislature since then--the importance of the Californiaeconomy--JesseUnruh--the locating ofPackard-Bell in Sacramento--WillieBrown's help on legislation. [Tape 4, Side A] 88 How you handle someone else's poorlywritten legislation inyour committee--who you go to inthe legislature to getthings done--the trouble with term limits--history oflegislative bodies--changes in the Assembly during the 1960's--the attempt byHowardBermanto unseat Leo McCarthy as speaker--how WillieBrown first becomes speaker--the speakermust pay close attention to the needs ofhis majority--the effect ofterm limits onthe speakership--the lack ofpublic interest inthe legislature. [Tape 4, Side B] 105 More about Jesse Unruh and changes inthe assembly--the decline in camaraderie among the legislators--scandal inthe senate and establishing an ethics committee--the difficulty ofexpelling FrankHill from the senate after his conviction--AlanRobbins--separation ofchurch and state--opposed putting students on school governing boards--boards and commissions in general--legalizing prostitution. SESSION 3, July 26, 1999 [Tape 5, Side A]. 121 Campaigning and electioneering since the 1960's--walkingprecincts and using humor indealing withpotential voters--reasons for running for the assembly--money inthe campaigns and the effect ofpolitical reform- shrimpscam--the establishment ofthe Senate Ethics Committee. [Tape 5, Side B] 137 Many members ofthe legislature hadbeen staffmembers--SenatorWilliam Craven--more oncampaigning and the changingplace ofwomen- reapportionment and the creationofSenator Greene's district--the Republican leadership inthe senate choose John Doolittle overRay Johnson--the defeat ofAl Rodda--the 1964 election for the assembly- running for office inthe 1960'sversus the 1990's, the increasing use of media [Tape 6, Side A] 153 The FairPolitical Practices Commission and campaigning--writing a weekly column for the newspapers inthe District--usingnewsletters and questionnaires to reachconstituents--money in campaigns--Leo McCarthy and Howard Berman fight overthe assembly speakership--the Berman forces run some one against Assemblyman Greene inthe 1980primary--by the 1990'smoney is evenmore vital--fundraising--leadership inthe assembly and senate. [Tape 6, Side B] 168 Speakers during Senator Greene's service inthe legislature-- the Republican difficulty in securing the speakership afterthey won abare majority in 1994. SESSION4, July 26, 1999 [Tape 7, Side A]. 170 Serving as Chairman ofboththe Assembly and Senate Education Committees--sponsoring legislation dealing with PKU--sponsoring legislationto insure safebirths for at riskbabies inrural counties- legislation ondeducting tips from salaries--legislationorwhat is "fresh fish" etc.--appointed chairofthe Education Committeeby Jesse Unruh--the various education lobby groups inthe state. [Tape 7, Side B]. 187 Why Greene was not appointed chair ofthe Senate Education Committee when first electedto that body--The CaliforniaTeachers Association and other education lobby groups--political disturbances and violence onthe university campuses inthe 1960's--investigating gas seepage under schools -people asking for unreasonable legislation--testing and socialpromotion- being made chairofthe Senate Housing Committee--serving on other educationrelatedbodies--competency testing for teachers. [Tape 8, Side A] 203 Competencytesting for teachers--the curriculumneeded to prepare teachers for the classroom--educational academies--the five governors Senator Greene servedwith. Names List. 1-9 INTERVIEW HISTORY Interviewer/Editor Donald B, Seney Professor, Department ofGovernment California State University, Sacramento B.A., San Jose StateUniversity (Political Science) M.A., Ph.D., University ofWashington, Seattle (Political Science) Interview Time and Place July 19, 1999 LeroyF. Greene's office in Sacramento, California. Two sessions oftwo hours. July 26, 1999 Leroy F. Greene's office in Sacramento, California. Two sessions ofone and ahalfhours. Editing Dr. Seney checkedthe verbatim manuscript ofthe interview against the original tape recordings and edited for punctuation, paragraphing and spelling and verified the proper names. Insertions bythe editor are bracketed. The interviewer also preparedthe introductorymaterials. Mr. Greene reviewed a copy ofthe editedmanuscript and approved itwith only minor corrections. Papers Mr. Greene made available to Dr. Seney a large volume ofwell-organizedpapers from his service in boththe California State Assembly and the California State Senate. Those papers are now housed inthe University Archives, California StateUniversity, Sacramento. Tape and Interview Records The original tape recordings ofthe interview are inthe University Archives, The Library, California StateUniversity, Sacramento, California. Mastertapes are preserved at the California State Archives BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY Leroy G. Greene was bornJanuary 31, 1918 inNewark, New Jersey. He attended public school in Newarkand Irvington, New Jersey. Mr. Greene graduated from Purdue Universityin 1941 with a degree in engineering. He marriedDennyMillerthat yearand beganwork designing bridges for the IndianaHighwayDepartment. At the outbreak ofWorld WarII he was exempted from military service due to poor eyesight. During the war years Mr. Greene worked on a variety ofwar relatedprojects that his engineeringbackground qualified him for. He was finally drafted in 1945 and spent nearly two years with our occupation forces inJapan and Korea. In 1947 he returnedto the United States andworked for aprivate engineering firm in Chicago, Illinois. When the opportunitypresented itself, he took and passed the examination for an engineering license in California after coming to California. Mr. Greene worked for the California State Department ofArchitecture checking school constructionplans. With that experience he formed the firm ofLeroyF. Greene and Associates, Consulting Engineer in 1952. He operatedthis firm in suburban Sacramento, where he lived, with an office in Fresno. When the 1960 census required that another assembly districtbe established in Sacramento County in 1962, Mr. Greene decided to run for the Assembly seatas a Democrat. He was successful inthis first try for public office and continuedto represent aportion of Sacramento inthe Assembly until 1982 when he was electedto the California State Senate. During Mr. Greene's long service inthe Assembly, he served as chairman ofthe Assembly Education Committee for fourteen years. During this period he sponsored a great deal oflegislationdealing with the construction ofschools as well as matterofcurriculum. He paidparticular attention to matter affecting his district as well. In 1967, he sponsored legislationrequiring that all newbornbabies in Californiabe tested for phenylketonuria (PKU) a somewhatrare conditionthat, ifundetected and untreated, will cause mental retardation. During Mr. Greene's sixteenyears inthe Senatehe served as chair ofthe Senate Education Committee for eightyears. There he continuedto help preside overthe California educational system. In 1998, he left the Senate as aresult ofthe recently voterimposedterm limits. Mr. Greene continues his interest in education as head ofLeroyF. Greene and Associates, an education consulting firm. 11 Session 1, July 19, 1999 [Begin Tape 1, Side A] SENEY: My name is Donald Seney. I'mwith SenatorLeroy Greene inhis office in Sacramento, California. Today is July 19, 1999. Good morning, Senator. GREENE: Good morning, sir. SENEY: As I said, Iwant to startwith "the earliesttimes," and ifyou want to use that line, that's fine. GREENE: Well, the way Iwould start offmy life story is say something like: Well, when I was born, Iwas very young. In fact, I couldn't even say adamn thing and I couldn't evenwalk. But I got past all that, you know, and afterbeing toilet trained and then winding up going to school and stuffofthat kind, I found that Iwasn't too much ofan academician. In fact, my high schoolyearbook, when they tell you how did you graduate and so on, and it said ofme how I graduatedwas by "outwitting the faculty." SENEY: You were bornin 1918. GREENE: Iwas born onJanuary 31, 1918. SENEY: So today you are 81 years old. And this was inNew Jersey. What part ofNew Jersey? GREENE: Newark, New Jersey. 2 SENEY: How long did you live inNewark? GREENE: Well, the first eighteenyears ofmy lifewas spent inNewark, or animmediate suburb to it called Irvington. Newark and Irvington, we lived in those two places. And whenIwas 18 is when Iwent offto college, and I wanted to be an engineer. SENEY: Iwant to ask you about your morn and dad. What did your dad do? GREENE: My dad was an insurance agent. He worked for the Prudential Insurance Company for about 47 years. Started outwhen he was about a 17-year-old, or something like that, andhe spenthis entire lifeworking for Prudential. My motherwas an 8th grade graduate, but shewas the reader inthe family. She read an awful lot, my mother. My father was the highly educated one. I think he got to two years ofhigh school. He was the educated guy. SENEY: Well, that wasn't uncommon, was it, inthose days? GREENE: No, itwas not at all uncommon. Mymotherneverworked for money. She worked endlesslyto raise a family. I have a sister. She was born in 1924. There's about six, sevenyears between us. And that meant, when there were that many years betweenmy sister and myself, that my relationship withherwas one ofaffection, and we were sufficiently apart in age that there was no rivalry. The only thing I didn't like about my sisterwas my mothertold me that Iwas supposedto watch herwhen Iwanted to go out and play. Thatwas the only resentment Ihad ofmy sister. 3 But Iremember herwith great affectionbecause on a Sunday, you know, back in those days -- we're going backto the '20s and '30s -- that on a Sundayyou'd go out for adrive, and so on, and we had one extremelyunusual experience. It was inthe wintertime and ithadbeen snowing. And my little sisteris about four years old, orthree-and-a-half, or something like that. So she's standing onthe floor ofthe backseat ofthe car, against the door and looking out. The door opened and my sister fell out ofthe car. And I said, "Dad, Dad, Doris [Greener fell out ofthe car!" Ittook about ahalfablockto stop. The most fortunate thing inthe world was itwas the wintertime and the snowplow had beenthrough. Itpiledup the snow against the curb and she fell into abankof snow. Saved that little girl's life, by falling on abank ofsnow. We ranback and grabbed her and she's complaining, she's crying, "You leftme! You went away from me. You leftme here." Anyway, thatwas a very strange experience to have. SENEY: How do you count yourparents' influence onyou? GREENE: Well, my mother and I used to fight a lot, and ittook until Iwas middle-agedto figure outwhat that was all about. Itwas notbecausewe were different, itwas becausewe were alike. Shewas a stubborn lady, Iwas a stubbornkid. Ithought I knew everything there was to know and she thought she did, I guess. I think that's alittlebitunfair to my mother, but shewas a strong-willedperson. Unless otherwiseindicated,materialinbracketswas insertedbyeditor. 1