Robert Hertzberg: Problem Solver
Robert M. Hertzberg has been one of the most significant legislators of this generation, rising to become Assembly speaker during California’s energy crisis of 2000 and 2001 when Gray Davis was governor and, after a hiatus, Senate majority leader when Edmund G. Brown Jr. was governor.
In this three part oral history interview, Hertzberg talks about the changes he witnessed during his time in politics, starting with his early days working for Mervyn Dymally and organizing campaigns in East Los Angeles, continuing with his battles to implement a privacy law in California, end the practice of gerrymandering in California, and abolish money bail.
Hertzberg talks about his relationship with Senate President Pro Tem John Burton, Gavin Newsom, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Antonio Villaraigosa, the billionaire philanthropist Nicholas Berggruen, and many others living and dead.
He reveals details about the suicide in his family that helped spur his interest in improving the mental health care system, and the vote he cast that that crossed a union and probably led to his defeat in his final race, for Los Angeles County supervisor. He said he would cast the same vote again.
–Dan Morain
Veteran journalist Dan Morain interviewed Hertzberg on behalf of Open California, the nonprofit publisher of Capitol Weekly. Open California’s oral history interviews are made possible by a grant from the California State Library.
Transcript for Part III