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John Burton, fiery SF leader who shaped California Democratic politics, dies
John Burton, the legendary and outspoken California political powerhouse who spent nearly six decades fighting for laborers, foster children, and the underdog, has died at age 92.
SAN FRANCISCO - John Burton, an influential San Francisco Democrat widely credited with shaping California’s Democratic political landscape, has died.
He was 92 and had experienced declining health in recent years. He passed away Sunday at a hospice facility in the city.
Burton spent decades in Sacramento and Washington fighting for working-class Californians.
John Burton was known for his blunt, fiery style. California’s top politicians honored him Sunday, remembering him as a tireless advocate for laborers, foster children and the underdog for nearly six decades.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement: "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 service shaped our state and our politics for the better."
Burton, who grew up in San Francisco, became one of the state’s most influential political figures.
He was considered a leader of a Democratic political machine who fought for the poor, laborers and social workers.
He served in the California State Assembly in the 1960s and 1970s and briefly chaired the state party. He served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives but stepped away in 1982 to address a cocaine addiction. He later returned to state politics as Senate president pro tempore and retired from elected office in 2004. He then led the California Democratic Party until 2017.
"John Burton was almost dramatically different from almost any of us," said former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, who met Burton when they were students at San Francisco State. "His seriousness with issues that affected the lives of poor people. He would not compromise on any of those."
"He was so bright, that in both college and law school he was well respected on the intellectual side," Brown said. "In the world of politics he was literally worshiped, because of the nature of his commitment."
Burton’s legacy extended well beyond his career in office. He founded John Burton Advocates for Youth, an organization that supports foster children aging out of care.
"It’s very important to the kids, foster kids, when they get out of the program, they could end up in the streets, homeless," Burton told KTVU in a 2012 interview outside a fundraising event.
He also mentored many prominent political figures, including Nancy Pelosi, Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom.
"He was incapable of being anything other than his authentic self, including all of the F-bombs that he would drop on a regular basis, in a very loving way, of course," said state Sen. Scott Wiener, (D-San Francisco.) "He was one of the people that I would just watch."
Asked what he would miss most about Burton, Brown replied with a laugh, "I miss hearing him tell me what I’m doing wrong."
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said in a statement: "Our nation has lost a ferocious champion for working families.John Burton was a towering progressive warrior and dear friend whose big heart, sharp mind and boundless fight for justice shaped California and America. Paul and I mourn his passing with love for his family."