Former San Francisco Mayor and California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown has written an unusually frank memoir of his life in politics–a must read for anyone who would attempt to understand California politics in the latter decades of the 20th century. Willie Brown was amazing!

For several years, while working at the Association of Bay Area Governments, the regional planning agency for the San Francisco Bay Area, I was responsible for coordinating its legislative program. We tried for years to establish a permanent, statutorily created regional planning body for the region. We came so close, within a vote in the State Senate, and that bill would have been signed by then Governor Ronald Reagan.

But after that failure, and then another one the following year, ABAG’s political leadership was on to other things, implementation of a regional environmental management plan, the first of its kinds in the country. And that leads me to my story. ABAG’s Executive Director Revan Tranter suggested that Eugene Leong (then manager of its environmental management programs and later Executive Director) and I meet with ABAG’s lobbyist Robert Beckus and then Assembly Speaker Leo McCarthy about a bill to authorize annual inspections of motor vehicles to meet emission standards. ABAG was sponsoring a bill then opposed by the State Air Resources Board to carry out Federal requirements. Beckus set up the meeting, but McCarthy cancelled attendance at the last minute, and sent Brown, then Majority Floor Leader in the Assembly, in his stead. “What do you want, Beck?” he asked Beckus as he entered the room. Beckus introduced Leong and I, and we proceed to outline the provisions of our bill, and what we wanted.

Brown promised us his support, and the meeting ended in about 10 minutes. “The average attention span of a legislator is about 30 seconds,” Bob Beckus (one of the most brutally honest and successful lobbyists in California political history) used to say, telling us to write our briefing notes on the back of a business card. “But Willie…he’s not your average legislator.”

I was reminded of that a few weeks later because I had to go to a meeting in a prominent San Francisco hotel. I was running late, and decided to take the stairs two flights rather than wait for an elevator. While rounding the corner at the top of the first flight, I practically collided headlong with none other than Assemblyman Willie Brown. I said, “excuse me” and he replied “how are you doing, Doug?”

When politicians call you by your first name…you know they are going places. Of course, Willie was elected speaker in 1980 and set a record for tenure in that job at 14 and a half years. California’s term limits, as long as they last, will keep his record intact.

Basic Brown is a memoir–to be sure. But it is filled with lessons those who aspire to be successful elected officials could learn if they haven’t already: How he learned as a member of the Assembly budget committee from Randolph Collier, Republican turned Democrat who was known as the Silver Fox of the Siskiyous (Collier had brilliant white hair) and the Father of the California Freeway System as chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, how to horse-trade and do favors for others; or how he learned to recover from political exile (he had lost a race for the Speakership to Leo McCarthy, who had banished him to the smallest office in the capitol, then some time later asked him to help police the Assembly for potential corruption); and how to serve the members. In his years as San Francisco Mayor, it was the lesson he learned that to be successful it meant serving the people–he liked to call himself “the people’s mayor.”

To think that FBI tried to “get Willie,” read the chapter on how he forced Assemblyman Lou Papan (himself a former FBI agent) to vote against a bill he’d been talked into carrying for a lobbyist in bed with the FBI. In the end, it was only Republican Assemblyman Patrick Nolan who served time in federal prison–convicted of taking illegal campaign contributions in an FBI sting operation Nolan himself had suggested to the FBI.

The book has great stories, explicit language (he referred to one unnamed legislator as “a dreadful little guy” and then in a rare slip gave the unnamed legislator’s residence using the wrong county), and good advice.

Willie L. Brown, Jr., Basic Brown (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008).

Recently, former President Jimmy Carter has been criticized by politicians and pundits for his direct communications with Palestinians and others in his long-standing commitment to bring about peace in the Middle East–specifically between Israel and Palestine.

Most Americans have a very limited view of the issues–disagreeing in fact with most Israelis about what could be done in that region to bring about stability. I would encourage anyone who hasn’t to read Jimmy Carter’s book, first published in 2006 but with an afterword in 2007 when the paperback edition came out.

I wrote this book to cover two subjects that are rarely openly talked about in America: the terrible plight of the Palestinians and the need for a balanced [emphasis mine] discussion of how Israel and her neighbors can find peace and live together with mutual respect.

It means America must be willing to continue its commitment to the security of Israel–but at the same time be willing to engage those whose policies we don’t always agree with. There is no question America is threatened by Islamic extremism and an unprecedented hostility to it in the Islamic world–linked directly in President Carter’s view to the continuing bloodshed between Israelis and Palestinians.

President Carter points out that a baby born during the first Arab-Israeli conflict will be 50 years old in 2008. That child has seen enough bloodshed. Americans need to do more than let their elected politicians stand on past rhetoric or misguided statements of the facts. In 1979 President Carter noted that people support a settlement of the questions in conflict between Israel and Palestine. “Political leaders are the obstacle to peace.” If not now, then when?

Jimmy Carter, Palestine Peace Not Apartheid (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006-2007)

As you know, we had posted photographs taken by many individuals of various Roblee gravesites. As previously mentioned, my photography site hosting company has recently undertaken a major upgrading of its hosting services, and one change is necessary for individuals to view any of the photo albums I’ve shared.

From now on, it will be necessary to log-in to the site. You can sign up for the Roblee researchers group (which will give you access to all related photo albums) by creating a user account at:

http://www.phanfare.com/group/1382667

Creating a log-in and password using the link above will give you access to all Roblee-related photo albums created to date, plus any in the future.

Alternatively, for those who might like to see any of my photo albums, you will need to send me an individual e-mail (to doug.detling@gmail.com) and I will invite you to the “friends” category rather than the more narrowly defined Roblee group. You will have to confirm your participation to have access to these.

We have previously posted photographs of the ABAGers reunion, mini-reunion, and Marci Loss’ retirement party on my photo sharing site at phanfare.com. The hosting company has recently undertaken a major upgrading of its hosting services, and one change is necessary for individuals to view any of the photo albums I’ve shared. From now on, it will be necessary to log-in to the site. You can sign up for the ABAGers group (which will give you access to all posted ABAGers’ photo albums) by creating a user account at:

http://www.phanfare.com/group/1382915

Creating a log-in and password using the link above will give you access to all ABAGers photo albums created to date, plus any in the future.

Alternatively, for those who might like to see any of my photo albums, you will need to send me an individual e-mail (to doug.detling@gmail.com) and I will invite you to the “friends” category rather than the more narrowly defined ABAGers group. You will have to confirm your participation to have access to these.

As you know, we had posted photographs of the BFA reunion in Olympia, Washington, and plan to do the same for the Portland, Maine reunion in June. The hosting company has recently undertaken a major upgrading of its hosting services, and one change is necessary for individuals to view any of the photo albums I’ve shared.

From now on, it will be necessary to log-in to the site. You can sign up for the BFA group (which will give you access to all related photo albums) by creating a user account at:

http://www.phanfare.com/group/1383530

Creating a log-in and password using the link above will give you access to all BFA photo albums created to date, plus any in the future.

Alternatively, for those who might like to see any of my photo albums, you will need to send me an individual e-mail (to doug.detling@gmail.com) and I will invite you to the “friends” category rather than the more narrowly defined BFA group. You will have to confirm your participation to have access to these.

Phanfare, the hosting site for my photography, has recently upgraded the site, and it is necessary to create a login and password to view my posted photographs at albums.phanfare.com/greencity.

This login will allow the user access to any of my photo albums.

The Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest state park in California, the nation’s largest desert state park, and one of the very largest parks in North America. At more than 1,000 square miles, this Southern California park gets its name from the Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza, who captained an overland expedition in 1775-1776 from Mexico to San Francisco, and from its home to the peninsular bighorn sheep that habitat its higher elevations. Each year, depending on rainfall, the desert spring is filled with wildflowers and blooming shrubs, and 2008 was no exception.

While on vacation in Southern California in late March, I got a chance to spend a few hours in the park. These photographs are taken on a drive from Ocotillo in western Imperial County northward through the park, to Borrego Springs and back to Highway 78 along the Salton Sea.

Phanfare, the hosting site for my photography, has recently upgraded the site, and it is necessary to create a login and password to view the wildflower photos at albums.phanfare.com/greencity.

Three years have passed and it is time for another Roblee Family Reunion, which will be held in Innisfail, Alberta, Canada at the home of Bob and Becki Robblee. Plan your vacation in Alberta and join us for the reunion July 11-13, 2008. Alberta has much to offer and is a fabulous vacation destination. Check out the website www.albertatourism.com

On Friday night, there will be a barbecue with burgers and a corn roast. Saturday we will have a continental breakfast and easy lunch. Bob and Becki will cook Alberta prime rib for all to enjoy around 5 p.m. Sunday morning will end with a pancake breakfast. If you wish to come early and stay later, that would be great.

The charge for this reunion is $25 per family.

This year’s reunion will feature the first Family Memorabilia Auction. Please bring items to the auction that include memorabilia from the past (your past or another members’ past) and/or handicrafts and recipes, which you have made, to donate to all the action, oops, auction. This event will be held on Saturday evening.

We are extremely fortunate to have a Children’s Activities Coordinator who is busy planning exciting events for the kids which will take place on the Saturday, as well.

If you have an RV or are tenting, there is space for you right on site. Nearby are several very “rustic” cabins, available for $30 a night. There are several motels in the nearby towns of Innisfail and Olds.

Please bring lawn chairs with you if it’s convenient, and don’t forget family photos and other family memories to share.

Please RSVP by June 15, 2008. We need to know how many of you will be coming and the ages of any children who will be attending with you.

RSVP: phone: 403-227-2912 or by e-mail to: rrobblee@primus.ca

This week, we converted the Bunker Family Association web site to a Word Press-based one, and the result will be that most postings for the Bunker family will be made on that site. I will duplicate some related postings in the Bunker Family History category here if they are related to my own Bunker connection, specifically that of Sobriety Bunker (D15-II).

The Bunker Family Association web site is at www.bunkerfamilyassn.org.

My family history data bases have recently been updated to include new or updated information as of December 1, 2007. You can see the “Detling” family at Ancestry.com, view the data at World Connect at rootsweb.com (look for “Detling” or any other surname we have in common to find the file), or at my own site: http://www.greencity.org/TNG/. The TNG site is also part of a new TNG web ring, and the date base is included in a GENDEX index at http://tngnetwork.lythgoes.net/.