CaliforniaStateArchives State Government Oral HistoryProgram Oral HistoryInterview with JOHN K. VAN DE KAMP District Attorney, CountyofLos Angeles, 1975-1983 Attorney General, State ofCalifornia, 1983-1991 July21, August,18,25,September8, 15,30, October 14,27, 2003 Los Angeles, California By SusanDouglass Yates Oral HistoryProgram University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles RESTRICTIONS ONTHIS INTERVIEW None. LITERARYRIGHTS AND QUOTATION This manuscript isherebymade availableforresearchpurposes only. Nopartof themanuscript maybequoted for publicationwithout thewrittenpermissionofthe CaliforniaStateArchivistortheHead,Department ofSpecialCollections, CharlesE. Young ResearchLibrary,UCLA. Requests forpermissiontoquote forpublication shouldbeaddressedto: CaliforniaStateArchives 1020 O Street, Room 130 Sacramento, CA 94814 or DepartmentofSpecialCollections Charles E. YoungResearchLibrary P.O. Box 951575 UCLA Los Angeles, CA90095-1575 Therequest shouldinclude identificationofthespecific passages and identificationofthe user. It is recommendedthat this oralhistorybe cited as follows: JohnK.VandeKamp, OralHistoryInterview, Conducted2003 bySusan Douglass Yates, UCLA OralHistoryProgram, for the CaliforniaStateArchives State Government Oral HistoryProgram. Secretary of State KEVIN SHELLEY State of California PREFACE OnSeptember25,1985, Governor George DeukmejiansignedintolawA.B. 2104 (Chapter965 oftheStatutes of1985). Thislegislation established, underthe administration ofthe CaliforniaState Archives, a State Government Oral History Program "toprovide through theuseoforal history acontinuingdocumentation of statepolicydevelopment asreflected inCalifornia's legislative and executive history." Thefollowing interviewisoneofaseries oforal histories undertaken forinclusionin the stateprogram. These interviews offerinsights into theactualworkings ofboththe legislative and executive processes andpolicymechanisms. Theyalso offeran increasedunderstanding ofthemenandwomenwhocreatelegislationandimplement statepolicy. Further, theyprovide anoverview ofissue development inCalifornia stategovernment andofhowboththelegislative andexecutivebranches of government dealwithissuesandproblems facing thestate. Interviewees arechosenprimarilyonthebasisoftheircontributions toandinfluence onthepolicyprocess ofthestate ofCalifornia. Theyincludemembers ofthe legislative and executivebranches ofthe stategovernmentaswell aslegislative staff, advocates, membersofthemedia, andotherpeoplewhoplayedsigmficantrolesin specific issue areas ofmajor and continuingimportance toCalifornia. Byauthorizing theCalifornia StateArchives toworkcooperativelywithoralhistory unitsatCaliforniacollegesanduniversities toconductinterviews, thisprogramis structured totakeadvantage oftheresources andexpertiseinoralhistoryavailable throughCalifornia'sseveralinstitutionallybasedprograms. Participatingascooperationinstitutions inthe State Government OralHistory Program are: OralHistoryProgram HistoryDepartment CaliforniaStateUniversity, Fullerton Oral HistoryProgram Centerfor CaliforniaStudies CaliforniaStateUniversity, Sacramento Oral HistoryProgram ClaremontGraduate School Regional Oral HistoryOffice The BancroftLibrary UniversityofCalifornia, Berkeley OralHistoryProgram University ofCalifomia, Los Angeles The establishmentofthe CalifomiaState Archives State Government Oral History Programmarks oneofthemostsignificant commitmentsmadebyanystate toward the preservation and documentationofits governmental history. Itsupplements the often fi-agmentaryhistoricalwrittenrecordbyadding anorganizedprimarysource, enrichingthehistorical information available ongiventopics and allowing formore thorough historical analysis. Assuch, theprogram, throughthepreservation and publicationofinterviews suchastheone which follows, willbeoflastingvalue to currentandfuturegenerationsofscholars,citizens,andleaders. JohnF. Bums State Archivist July27,1988 This interviewisprinted on acid-freepaper. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTERVIEW HISTORY i BIOGRAPHICALSUMMARY iii SESSION 1, July21, 2003 [Tape 1,SideA] 1 Familybackground—ParentsHarryJosephVandeKampandGeorgie KalarVandeKamp—GrowingupinAltadenaduringthelatethirtiesand earlyforties—AttendsTrailfindersSchoolforBoysin Altadena—^Develops aninterestinconservationandpreservation through outdoor activities while at Trailfinders—More on parents—Sister GretchenVandeKamp—Finishes highschoolatJohnMuirCollegein Pasadena—^Motheris a Roosevelt Democratand father is a moderate Republican—^Religious upbringing—Familytravelsacrossthecountryto take Van deKamp toDartmouth College. [Tape!, SideB] 27 Learningtodrinkresponsibly—^Dartmouth College—Becomes aradio announcer and station manager at the campus radio station WDBS—^Academicand extracurricularinterests in college—Summer jobsincludeworking atABC—Joins theUnited States Attorney'sOffice afterfinishinglawschoolandmilitaryservice—^Benefitsofworkinginthe U.S. Attorney's Officeearlyin career—^VandeKamp isnamed interim U.S. Attorney—^Plans after completing law school—While deputy directorofthe Executive OfficeforUnitedStatesAttorneysVan de Kamp headsspecialunittolookintodraftviolators—Overseeing Resurrection CityandthecaseofH.RapBrown—Personalthoughts abouteventsofthe mid to latesixties. SESSION2, August 18, 2003 [Tape2,SideA] 49 In 1969Van deKampbeginsto lookintoseveralcareeropportunities when Richard M. Nixon becomes president—Becomes aDemocratic candidate in the 1969 special electionfor the Twenty-seventh Congressional District—Campaigning and raising funds—^Jesse M. Unruh—^Republican opponent BarryM. GoldwaterJr. [Tape2, Side B] 74 More on Republican opponentBarryM. GoldwaterJr.—^More on 1969 congressional campaign—Thecampaign experience—After losing the 1969 election Van deKamp decidestoreturn to California permanently—Serves as campaign manager on Jesse Unruh's 1970 campaign for governor—More onUnruh—^Helps fnend Ed Miller in his 1970campaignfor SanDiego district attorney—^Returns to Washington D.C. in the summerof1970to work on achapterofthe final report issued by the President's Commissionon Campus Unrest—The bi-partisan nature ofthe state legislaturein the 1960s and 1970s compared to Washington, D.C.—Roleofcampaignfund-raising on increased partisanship—^Unruh'sinability toraise asmuch money asRonaldW. Reagan in the 1970governor's race—Reasons for creating afederal public defender's office. [Tape3, Side A] 97 Hiring stafffor the Los Angeles FederalPublic Defender's Office—Serving as apublic defender and working with defendants. SESSION3, August 25, 2003 [Tape4, Side A] 108 The Pheastercase—^Appointmentas district attorneyofLos Angeles—Impressions ofthe DistrictAttorney's Officein the mid-seventies—^Vande Kamp's inaugural speech addresses goals for the DA's Office—^Van de Kamp appoints StevenTrott and Andrea Ordin—Earlyefforts in the DA's Office to reorganizejuvenile court—Cases handledbytheDA's Office overthe years—In response to theft and fi*aud problems in the movie industry, establishes the EntertainmentTaskForce. [Tape4, SideB] 130 The Roll-out Unit is establishedin response to the EuliaLove incident as well as otherincidents ofpolice shootings—^TheBoardof Supervisors—Establishesnew programs and units to focus on specific issues—^BureauofChildSupport—Improvingthe Bureau of Investigation—^More on new programs and units—Coming into the DA's Office as an outsider—Administrative focus. [Tape 5, Side A] 153 The 1976Los Angeles District Attorney campaign—Opponents in the 1976election—^Proposition 13—The 1980campaign. SESSION4, September 8, 2003 [Tape6,SideA] 162 More onVan deKamp's inaugural speechasDA—^DA's Office efforts to pursue public corruption cases—andeKamp is apotentialcandidate for the FBI directorship in 1977—^MeetingJ.Edgar Hooverin 1966—^The impact ofProposition 13onthe DA's Office—Changes in the DA's Officein the seventies and eighties—^Non-partisan role ofthe DA—^Meetingfuture wife AndreaFisher—Events leading to Van de Kamp's decision torun for California state attorney general in 1982—^Democraticopponent OmerL. Rains. [Tape6, Side B] 188 Raising funds and campaign strategies—Issues raised by Republican opponentGeorgeNicholson—Campaignplatform—Organizingtheoffice andhiring stafffortheAttorney General's Office—Creationofthe Cal-ID system andits use in helping to apprehend Richard Ramirez—Other technological advances include the use ofDNA and the Cal-PHOTO system—CampaignAgainst Marijuana Planting program is created to deal with increasedcriminal activityduringthe eighties. [Tape 7, Side A] ..211 ExpandstheeffortsoftheDivisionofLawEnforcement—^Focuses efforts in the areaofconsumer fraud and environmental protection. SESSION5, September 15, 2003 [Tape8,SideA] 221 Reapportionment and the Sebastiani initiative in the early eighties—Working with the Governor's Office on thebudgetwhenthere is a deficit—^DivisionofCivil Law—^Unitarytax law—^Reorganizingthe DivisionofCriminal Law and creatinga CorrectionalLaw Section—Establishes aMajorFraud Unit aspart ofan effort to provide moresupporttolocallawenforcement—MoreonorganizingtheAttorney General's Office—^More onthe office's efforts in environmental protection—^Antitrust enforcementdealingwiththemergersof supermarket chains. [Tape 8,SideB] ^ 242 More on antitrust enforcement dealing with the mergers ofsupermarket chains—^The Attorney General's Office successfully prevents the merger ofSouthern CaliforniaEdison and SanDiego Gas and Electric—Coordinatingwithattorneygeneralsin otherstates on antitrust enforcement—Increasing costs in insurance leads to efforts to regulate—^Van deKampargues Proposition 103 (November 1988)in frontofthe CaliforniaSupremeCourt—VandeKamp's stanceonthe deathpenaltyandeffortsto streamlinetheprocess—TheDivisionofLaw Enforcementandprovidingsupporttolocallawenforcement—The BureauofCriminal Statistics. [Tape 9,SideA] 263 ThroughvariousprogramsandactivitiestheAttorneyGeneral's Office concentratesondealingwithincreasingcasesofchildabuse—^Role of commissions and enactingrecommendations. SESSION6, September30, 2003 [Tape10,SideA].... 272 The shooting ofschool children byPatrick Purdy leads Van deKamp to championlegislationbanningassaultweapons—^The Roberti-Roos AssaultWeaponsBill—Createsacommissiononracial, ethnic,religious, andminorityviolence—More onthe Assault Weapons Bill—Other activities ofthe Civil Rights Unit—^A.B. 1952,AIDS drug testing legislation. [Tape 10,SideB] 294 More onA.B. 1952,AIDS drug testing legislation—Governor Deukemejian—TheactivitiesofExecutivePrograms—^Meeting regularly withpolicechiefsandsheriffs—^Workingwiththepressandmedia—^A.B. 3300, the Trial CourtDelay Reduction Act alsoknow as"fast track"—^How theAttorneyGeneral'sOfficeworkedwiththelegislature onbills—^The Attorney GeneraFs Office role in the initiativeprocess. [Tape 11,SideA] ....317 More ontheAttorneyGeneral's Officerole in theinitiativeprocess—an deKarap's stanceonthelotteryinitiative—Theinitiativeprocess. SESSION 7, October 14, 2003 [Tape12,SideA] 325 Observations on the recall ofGovernorDavis and the election of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger—The Commission on Judicial Appointments—^The impactofthe1986elections onthemakeupofthe CaliforniaStateSupremeCourt—ChiefJusticeRoseE.Birdandthecourt during the early tomid eighties. [Tape 12,SideB] 350 More on ChiefJusticeBirdand the courtduringthe earlyto mid eighties—ChiefJustice Bird—The Commission onToxics—Van de Kamp serves on the Special Committee on Criminal Justice in aFree Society—VandeKamp's 1986re-electioncampaign—Supporting candidateswhilerunningforoffice—^More onthe 1986re-election campaign—^The appointmentofastatetreasurerafterTreasurer Jesse Unruhpassesaway—^Problems withthesavings andloanindustryinthe late 1980s—Workingwith GovernorDeukmejianand his staff—Relationshipwiththelegislature—Comparingthe firstterm with the secondterm in the Attorney General's Office. [Tape13,SideA] 372 Makingthedecisiontorunforgovernor—^Van deKamp's campaign focusesondeveloping threeinitiatives—^DianneFeinstein—^VandeKamp gainsthe endorsementattheStateDemocraticConvention. SESSION 8, October 27, 2003 [Tape14,SideA] 385 Van deKamp's thoughts onhis strengthsandweaknesses as acandidate for governor^—More onusinginitiativesasacampaignstrategy—Vande Kamp's termlimitsinitiativeversusPeteSchabarum'sProposition 140—Legislativeresponsetothetermlimitsinitiatives—Changes inthe legislaturesince Proposition 140passed—^Financial impact ofinitiatives on campaign—Campaignteam—^Use ofthe media during the campaign—^Dealingwith negativecampaigning—^Therole ofpollsters. [Tape14SideB] 408 More on strategybehind proposing initiatives during the campaign—^RepublicancandidatePeteWilsonsupports Proposition 115—CampaigningforPropositions129and131 afterlosingin the primary—^Thegovemor'sraceleadinguptothe general election—^Andrea Van de Kamp—^DianaVan de Kamp—^Activitiesin the Attorney GeneraTs Office through the end ofVan de Kamp's term—^Joins Dewey Ballantine after considering anumber ofoptions—^Various activities Van deKamphasparticipatedin sinceleavingoffice—^Thoroughbred Owners ofCalifornia—In 1992 chairs aninterview panel for the selections ofthe LosAngeleschiefofpolice—Chairsa1992commissiontopresentbudget optionsto theLosAngelesUnifiedSchoolDistrict—^Democratic leadershipin theHouse—^Thoughts onchallengesandaccomplishments throughout career. [Tape15,SideA] 433 Reflections on experiences throughout Van de Kamp's career.