Wednesday, March 6, 2013
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Brown Reappoints Burke to Transportation Commission
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Gov. Jerry Brown yesterday reappointed former Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Burke to the California Transportation Commission.
Burke, 80, has been a member of the commission since 2010, when she was appointed by Brown’s predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Burke was supervisor for the Second District from 1992 to 2008, when she stepped down after four terms.
She was the first black woman ever elected to the State Assembly, where she served from 1967 until she was elected to Congress in 1972, becoming the first woman elected to the House from California in 20 years and the first black California congresswoman ever.
She gave one of the seconding speeches at the 1976 Democratic National Convention for Brown, who sought the presidential nomination but lost to Jimmy Carter.
In 1978, she gave up her safe House seat and launched a campaign to become state attorney general, defeating Burt Pines, later a Los Angeles Superior Court judge and now retired, for the Democratic nomination. She lost the general election to George Deukmejian, who held the job for four years before winning the first of two terms as governor.
She was subsequently appointed county supervisor from the Fourth District by Brown. She lost her bid to retain the office in 1980, then entered private practice as an attorney.
She was a partner with Burke Robinson and Pearman from 1982 to 1987, then spent a decade as a partner in the Los Angeles office of Jones Day.
She was a member of the Regents of the University of California from 1986 to 1992, and currently sits on the board of Amtrak.
Burke completed her legal education at USC after graduating from UCLA. She was admitted to the State Bar in 1956.
She was honored by the MetNews as its Person of the Year for 2003.
Also reappointed to the California Transportation Commission was Joseph Tavaglione, 89, of Riverside, who has served on that body since 2002. Tavaglione has been president of Tavaglione Construction and Development Inc. since 1962.
He is a member of the University of California, Riverside Foundation Board of Trustees, and he is a Republican.
The commissioner position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem when attending meetings.
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