John Burton 1932-2025: A California Political Legend

For half-a-century, Burton played a major role in our political life, a proud liberal who advocated for working people, the poor, and civil rights, while shaping Democratic dominance in the state.

On May 12, 2010, John Burton, then chair of the California Democratic Party, demanded a correction for a column my partner and I had posted about him that day on our state politics website, Calbuzz.

Two days later, we complied:

In our Saturday post about the California Democratic Party’s ad attacking Meg Whitman, but masquerading as an “issues ad,” we described the abrupt ending to our conversation with CDP Chairman John Burton. Through his spokesman, Burton on Monday complained that he had been misquoted. Burton says he didn’t say “Fuck you.” His actual words were, “Go fuck yourself.” Calbuzz regrets the error.

Burton’s correction demand, and the wicked, trolling humor behind it, are imprinted in memory as a prototypical interaction with the legendary California political leader, who died Sunday. He was 92.

The late Mr. Burton was a rare public figure truly deserving of the Shakespearean-derived, ancient newspaper cliché for the dead: We shall not see his like again.

A proud liberal. A fearless, fiery and famously profane politician, Burton was a throwback – a proud and principled liberal who not only shaped the modern era of Democratic Party dominance of California while mentoring generations of his party’s leaders (Nancy Pelosi, Barbara Boxer and Gavin Newsom for starters), but who also developed close friendships with countless colleagues across the aisle, while serving as a reliable and mutually respected negotiating partner to some of the most consequential Republican governors in state history (Ronald Reagan, Pete Wilson, and Arnold Schwarznegger, for starters).

“John Burton was liberal when it was popular to be liberal and he was liberal when it was not popular. I always admired that,” Jim Brulte, a former Republican state Senator, who tangled with Burton in the Legislature and as feuding partisan leaders, told the Los Angeles Times.

For more than three decades, I covered John’s peripatetic political career -- as a state legislator, congressman, Mr. Fixit private attorney, campaign operative and party chairman, among other roles.

A then-Assembly member, he was elected to the House in the Democrats’ Watergate wave election of 1974. From the first, he demonstrated lifelong, vocal advocacy for labor, the poor and civil rights, even when being overshadowed by his more famous political boss brother, Phillip Burton.

Grievously overcome by the 1978 City Hall assassination of his best friend, San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, Burton decided not to seek re-election in 1982, his spirit sapped and energy devoured by inner demons and a noxious addiction to cocaine.

After making public his disease, he entered rehab, healed and, a few years later, began a spectacular second political act, when San Francisco voters sent him back to Sacramento in a 1988 special election for an open Assembly seat.

Reunited with close friend, and even closer political ally, Willie Brown, then the powerful Assembly Speaker, Burton within a few years had moved to the state Senate, where fellow members soon chose him as President Pro Tem (a powerful office soon to be held by Santa Barbara’s own Monique Limón).

Conducting a six-year master class in legislating, he unfailingly demanded and enforced co-equal power and prerogatives for state lawmakers in going up against governors, both of his own party – Gray Davis – as well as the opposition – Arnold.

The oral history interview. Although I’d covered him on the beat, it wasn’t until 2018 that I developed a genuine appreciation for Burton’s rare combination of policy chops and political skill. Invited to interview him for a special oral history project sponsored by the California State Library, I prepared for the five-hour interview by researching deeply both his personal life and political odyssey.

By way of understatement, Burton was never an easy interview.

Amid improvisational flights about long-dead legislators and rabbit hole descents about long-forgotten legislation, however, he provided a splendid, singular perspective on modern California politics, history, and governance, a tour de force punctuated by snarling curses at questions he thought were posed unfairly and enhanced by a heavy ratio of f-bombs to nouns and verbs.

I began by asking him to mention a few words that best described the values and principles that had animated him in politics. His answer was a simple but profound summary of his decades in public life:

“I think government’s there to help the people who can’t help themselves. And there’s a lot of people that can’t help themselves.”

Back then, it was only the second year of Trump’s first term, but Burton already was clear and forceful in warning about the risk he saw pointed at our democracy.

“I think we’re facing incipient fascism,” he said seven years ago. “The man couldn’t tell the truth if it hit him in the face.”

“I’m worried about the country,” he added. “Christ, I’m an old man, but I’ve got a daughter, I’ve got grandkids. People ought to start worrying about this country, because this guy is a bad human being.”

RIP brother.

You’ll find Burton’s complete oral history here.

Further reading

Among the torrent of pieces about Burton that have appeared since Sunday, several stand out:

“John Burton, powerful liberal who shaped California politics for decades, dies.” — Dan Morain, Los Angeles Times.

“John Burton, architect of California Democratic political machine, dies at 92.”— Scott Shafer, KQED.

“John Burton was more than his persona.” — Greg Lucas, California State Librarian, for Politico.

“4 Weeks to Go: True Lies, New Poll, Burton Redux.” Calbuzz.

Images: Burton through the years: (L-R) as a young state Assemblyman (congress.gov); a Watergate-era congressman (San Francisco Chronicle); at the height of his powers as state Senate President Pro Tem (AP).