Unabashed California liberal and former U.S. Congressman John Burton dies at 92
By JANIE HAR SAN FRANCISCO AP Former U S Rep John Burton a salty-tongued and unabashedly liberal San Francisco Democrat who stood up for the working class and nurtured countless political careers including that of former U S House Speaker Nancy Pelosi died Sunday He was Burton died in San Francisco of natural causes his family mentioned in a report Tributes poured in from California s top politicians who recalled Burton as a fierce and tireless advocate for laborers foster children and the context Over the years Burton mentored Pelosi former U S Sen Barbara Boxer current U S Sen Alex Padilla and countless other California authorities There was no greater champion for the poor the bullied the disabled and forgotten Californians than John Burton He was a towering figure a legendary force whose decades of system shaped our state and our politics for the better revealed Gov Gavin Newsom a former mayor of San Francisco in a report Another former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown explained Sunday that death had managed to separate him from a dear friend who was by his side for decades as college students where they first met as fellow newbies in the state Assembly and as influential members of California s Democratic political machine John Burton may have been the best person with whom I served as a member of the Legislature announced Brown Burton inferred that regime was at its best when it served those who needed it the the bulk and he never backed down from a fight declared state Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks The greatest way to honor John Burton is to keep fighting with the same grit tenacity and heart that defined his life Hicks declared in a announcement He cared a lot noted Burton s daughter Kimiko Burton He inevitably instilled in me that we fight for the underdog There are literally millions of people whose lives he helped over the years who have no idea who he is John Lowell Burton was born Dec in Cincinnati Ohio and grew up in San Francisco with plans to teach history and coach high school basketball But he followed his older brother Phillip Burton into politics and in was elected to the state Assembly A decade later he moved on to the U S House of Representatives where he pushed bill protecting wilderness areas in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and condemning apartheid in South Africa Burton stepped down in to address a cocaine addiction but he didn t stay gone for long In he returned to the California Assembly and in he won a state Senate seat rising to become the chamber s president He retired from elected politics in only to head up the California Democratic Party from to After retiring he founded a nonprofit dedicated to foster youth A remembrance posted Sunday by John Burton Advocates for Youth quoted his exasperation with the lack of materials available for foster youth who aged out of the foster care system Emancipated from what And into what he required Into not being able to have a roof over their heads Into being frozen out of a chance at higher teaching Into unemployment Into a life on the welfare rolls Into homelessness Into jail The organization has advocated successfully for more than legislative reforms including financial aid for college and extending foster care for particular from age to Barbara Lee a former U S congresswoman and current Oakland mayor commented that in spite of his healthcare challenges Burton was determined to attend her residents inauguration in June and he did His life s work reminds us that authentic leadership means having the courage to speak truth to power and never forgetting where you came from she explained In addition to his daughter Kimiko Burton is survived by two grandchildren Juan and Mikala Plans for a celebration of life are pending The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made in his memory to the John Burton Advocates for Youth
