John Burton, formerly of Washington, Sacramento, seeks new job
John Burton, the former California Senate leader and congressman, has established a committee to raise money for his run for California Democratic Party chairman.
Burton filed the papers creating Burton for Democratic P
arty Chair with the Internal Revenue Service last week. He would bring to the post one of the key qualifications -- a proven ability to raise lots of money. Burton expects to raise $200,000 for the campaign, perhaps more.
Burton is a former congressman from San Francisco who, along with his late brother, Phillip Burton, created perhaps the most influential political organizations that California has ever seen. Their legacy includes Barbara Boxer and Nancy Pelosi.
“This is a very important election coming up with Barbara’s election, plus a Democratic governor," Burton said, explaining his decision to run to replace Art Torres, who is stepping down after 11 years in the post. "This election has proved that we have to start trying to take back the red counties.”
Burton, who turns 76 next month, remains active, regularly visiting Sacramento from his hometown of San Francisco. He is jumping into the fray because, he said, “it is what I do.”
Burton’s 10-year stint in Congress was cut short in 1974 because of admitted drug and alcohol use. He became sober and....
...re-launched his career in 1988, winning an Assembly seat and becoming lieutenant to his longtime friend Assembly Speaker Willie Brown.
Burton became one of the most powerful lawmakers ever to hold the position of California Senate president pro tem, putting his stamp on major pieces including campaign finance regulation and mental healthcare.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger often laments Burton's departure.
Although he was forced by term limits to retire in 2004, Burton remains influential. Boxer, a onetime aide to John Burton, has endorsed him, as has Pelosi. Pelosi rose within the Burton organization and succeeded Phil Burton’s widow, Rep. Sala Burton, for her San Francisco congressional seat.
Burton's endorsements include 25 Democratic members of Congress from California. George Miller, Joe Baca, Mike Thompson, Lois Capps, Howard Berman and Henry Waxman are among his supporters.
He is backed by 16 state senators including incoming Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, along with 16 Assembly members, nine incoming state legislators, union leaders, environmentalists and the trial attorneys’ organization the Consumer Attorneys for California.
Burton’s foes include labor lobbyist Alexandra Rooker and Los Angeles County Democratic Chairman Eric Bauman. The election, to be decided by party delegates and insiders, will be held in April.
Said Bauman, who has been L.A. County’s chairman since 2000: “John without a doubt is formidable.”
--Dan Morain
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--Photos by Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times
Andrew Malcolm's immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of covering them and a brief stint practicing them as press secretary to Laura Bush in 1999-2000. A veteran foreign and national correspondent, Malcolm served on the Times Editorial Board and was a Pulitzer finalist in 2004. He is the author of 10 nonfiction books and father of four.
Johanna Neuman is a veteran Washington correspondent for both The Los Angeles Times and USA Today, having covered presidents and politics as far back as Ronald Reagan. A former president of the White House Correspondents Assn., she authored a book on media and foreign policy, “Lights, Camera, Wars.” Most recently she was co-author of the 
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Excellent!! Burton's dynamic energy, intelligence, gift for strategy and heart of gold will be a great asset to the party. Burton - this vote's for you.
Posted by: primarywatcher | November 10, 2008 at 07:20 PM
Another Abortion Zealot, with a kill them all mentality. The Democrats love abortion, its their favorite "right". the right to take innocent human life. Terminating human life is not a right its wrong. It needs to be stopped, not promoted and protected like the Democrats love doing. What a sick world, when Terminating a Human Life is embraced and excepted. What a sick world, ruled by disturbed leaders who fail to respect human life in its most defenseless form. How can we respect those who do not respect the innocent, and defenseless?
Posted by: matt helgeson | April 21, 2009 at 12:01 AM