An idiosyncratic running commentary on politics and culture as viewed through the prism of local print media. Home of the Rodda Project, an on-line compilation of the papers of state Senator Albert S. Rodda.
The dominance of the two-party system—perhaps unavoidable in the way our government is structured—causes people to think of the U.S. Senate as divided into two caucuses, which in a way it is. But it's actually an amalgam of three caucuses: the Republican, the Democratic, and the Independent. The latter consists of Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, both of whom sport an “I” after…
The celebration of my 60th birthday quickly turned into “The Gene & Wei-Jen Show,” although I had no advance notice that such a thing would occur. A distinguished assemblage of 35 guests joined their humble host at the Club Pheasant in West Sacramento for an evening of refined sophistication, but soon discovered it was to be quite otherwise. Gene Weisskopf takes charge as the evening's emcee,…
The news of Martin Gardner's death sent me digging through my archives—which in my case is a fancy word for messy filing cabinets and cardboard boxes stuffed with decades of detritus. Despite the chaos, I found what I was looking for. It was my privilege to be acquainted with Martin and to have been in touch with him at intervals. Most recently, I was given the task of creating the index to his…
Eric Butow: My meds have kicked in and I'm feeling no pain. Has the party started yet? W Wei-Jen Harrison: The mysterious Orient has curative techniques that vastly exceed the power of mere drugs. I can tell you the secret! She appears to be whispering it in his ear. Amazing! His endorphin levels seem elevated already! Jim Walker warms up the crowd by sharing a witty joke with Andrew Hansen and…
One of the great men of California politics died on Saturday, April 3, 2010, at the age of 97. Albert S. Rodda was dedicated to public service, especially in the field of education. News of his death has been spreading through the wide network of old Rodda hands, the countless people who knew Albert as a teacher (Grant High School, Sacramento City College, Sacramento State University), a college…
On January 2, 2010, the Sacramento Bee published a Charles Krauthammer column under the title Obama denial of jihadists' war is absurd. It was mostly a column about words. Krauthammer is upset that the president doesn't use the words he prefers. Here are some pertinent excerpts: Obama banishes the term "war on terror." It's over—that is, if it ever existed. Obama referred to Umar Farouk…
The birthday boy and Rachel get ready to party, but don't seem to have much of an idea how to get started. Mark and Dan are definitely up to the task of having a party. Tom explains his theory on how to have a party to a rapt audience consisting of Nancy, while Elaine and Hannah discuss whether they've heard this theory before. Maria and Sandy wonder if the people at the other table are having a…
The Back Bench has been idle, one of those “abandoned” blogs that outnumber the ones actually being updated. I hope I'm back now. The past year was swallowed up in hectic accreditation activity at school, but things are opening up this summer. And I have something to post, too, since the San Francisco Chronicle saw fit to print my letter to the editor on June 16. Growing nut cases Thank you for…
The Rodda Project: A structural deficit in California budgeting Although he was no longer at the center of the debate over state finances after 1980, for many years Sen. Rodda remained a keen observer of the annual budget debate at the State Capitol. These brief comments were originally typed up by the Senator himself, probably on the old IBM PC Portable that had finally replaced his trusty…
It was my great privilege in 1979 to join the staff of state Senator Albert S. Rodda, a Democrat who represented the Sacramento region in the upper house of the California state legislature. I had been awarded a Senate Fellowship and Rodda's aides selected me from among the new cohort of Senate Fellows for a position in his office. Although it unfortunately turned out that Sen. Rodda would leave…
The Rodda Project: The Christian's Role in Politics Senator Rodda delivered this speech on January 30, 1967. His audience was the School for Christian Church and Service of First Evangelical United Church. The Christian and the Democratic Process: or “What on earth are we doing about getting good government?” In opening a discussion of this type, it might be well to quote or paraphrase a number of…
The Rodda Project: The Challenge of Higher Education Although this paper speaks to one of Senator Rodda's abiding concerns—higher education and its role in society—it carries no indication of having been prepared as either a speech or position paper. It had the cadences one would expect in one of the Senator's spoken addresses, but it may be simply an essay he prepared and kept among his papers…
The Rodda Project: Concepts of freedom in contexts of God Albert Rodda was a lifelong Methodist who was married to a lifelong Roman Catholic. Both Albert and Clarice practiced their religions faithfully, although on close parallel paths, creating a stable mixed marriage at a time when mixed marriages were regarded more askance than they are now. Senator Rodda was thoughtful about his religion, but…
The Rodda Project: Paying for a university education Ronald Reagan insisted on two things upon taking office as governor of California. One was the head of Clark Kerr, president of the University of California. The second was the imposition of tuition on UC students. Kerr was soon gone, replaced by Charles Hitch. The Regents of the University of California also agreed to impose education fees for…
The Rodda Project: A graduation speech In 1966, Senator Rodda was invited to give the commencement speech for the graduation ceremonies at Phineas Banning Adult School in Wilmington, a city in southern California. Sen. Rodda took the opportunity to speak on one of his favorite topics: the power of education to preserve and improve our lives. It was a cautionary speech, acknowledging both the…
The Rodda Project: The Story of SB 160 Albert Rodda's best-known legislation is Senate Bill 160—usually simply cited as “the Rodda Act”—which established collective bargaining for California's public school teachers. This undated document from the Senator's files contains a record of his extemporaneous remarks on the significance of his legislation, so it is most likely from the latter part of…
The Rodda Project: Biographical sketch Albert Stanley Rodda's political career did not begin with his election to the California State Senate in the Democratic landslide year of 1958, nor did it end with his upset defeat for re-election in the Reagan landslide year of 1980. While his 22 years in the State Senate marked the apogee of his power and influence, they also fit neatly into the context of…
The Rodda Project: The battle against Proposition 9 (1980) The background to Senator Rodda's paper The attempt to follow up the success of Proposition 13 ran into a snag with Proposition 9. Ballot initiatives in California are not required to meet any particular standards of clarity or specificity. The drafters of Proposition 9 neglected to contain any language relating to its effective date. Some…
A teacher rates the president The current president of the United States is at a low ebb in the political polls. His popularity is now tied with Nixon's lowest rating. It can't be a happy time for the White House. With Republicans edging away from their enormously unpopular leader, where will Mr. Bush find support? He need only look at the letters published in The Bee . Although the newspaper has…
The Rodda Project: Restoration of the State Capitol (1982) The background to Sen. Rodda's remarks Many states decided to embark on special projects in concert with the national observation in 1976 of the bicentennial anniversary of American independence. California decided to refurbish the classic features of the State Capitol in Sacramento, whose dome is an echo of the U.S. Capitol building in…
Crisis in West Sacramento In 1985 a neighborhood in West Sacramento was riven by an escalating prank war. The two parties—let's call them the Smiths and the Joneses—kept trying to top each other. As the competition continued unabated, it became inevitable that they would approach the verge of total war. Could tragedy be averted? It was a purportedly friendly competition. All in good fun. The Jones…
The Rodda Project: The battle against Proposition 9 (1980) The background to Sen. Rodda's paper Howard Jarvis and his allies hit the ground running after their success with Proposition 13 in 1978. After slashing California's property taxes, the tax rebellion forces offered up a state spending cap (passed by the voters as Proposition 4, the Gann initiative) and then took aim at the state personal…
The Rodda Project: The Special Importance of our Heritage of Religious Freedom General Assembly Meeting Church Service Bureau May 11, 1976 In this Bicentennial Year it is important, I think, for all citizens to stop for a moment and reflect about its significance. As I have done so, I have been impressed with the fact that the colonial struggle for independence from England not only created a new…
The Rodda Project: A definition of liberalism Senator Rodda's files contain many different kinds of documents. One of the more curious works is a letter that he labeled a “semi-finished draft.” He was probably less than completely satisfied with it and intended to keep tinkering with it. The copy I have is dated February 7, 1973. The text itself indicates that Sen. Rodda wrote the letter in…
The Rodda Project: Prelude to Proposition 13, April 1978 The background to Sen. Rodda's paper In 1978 the state of California was enjoying a burgeoning budget surplus. Actually, “enjoying” is the wrong word. Governor Jerry Brown was a tight-fisted Democrat under whom the state budget grew even more slowly than under the administration of his predecessor, Republican Ronald Reagan. The revenues…