I was elected to the Senate in 1958, the year that Pat Brown was first elected Governor. When the Senate convened, I was appointed to the Senate Education Committee, largely because of my professional background in education. At that time, I was a teacher at Sacramento Junior College. The Legislature was in session every other year, and so my legislative position was not one of full-time employment. I served on the Education Committee during my entire service in the Senate, 22 years, and chaired the committee for 10 years.
During my service in the Senate, I became well acquainted with Wilson Riles and worked with him in a constructive and cooperative effort to improve publication education and to implement a more equitable school finance law in the state. We shared many common concerns and working together was, therefore, a very positive experience for both of us.
At the time of my election there were no categorical education programs in public education, and the state school finance law mandated great inequities in local school funding.
When Dr. Riles succeeded Max Rafferty as Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Department of Education immediately assumed a leadership role in bringing about improvement in the state's school finance law and in the implementation of important programs designed to assist handicapped students.
Early Childhood Education was one of Dr. Riles' primary interests and concerns, and he worked most effectively to improve it. Later it became the School Improvement Program and earned a fine reputation for providing meaningful education experience to the state's youth.
My staff and I worked with Dr. Riles and his staff to achieve the enactment of legislation to improve the state's educational programs and to achieve compliance with the school finance reforms mandated by the Priest Decision. We also worked together to enact legislation to enhance the school construction program.
As a consequence of our serious concern about the quality of public education in the state, we were both involved in achieving the enactment of SB 90 [Dills], in 1972, which was a major school finance bill supported by Governor Reagan. And, four years later, we were both involved in a joint effort to enact AB 65 [Green], legislation which Dr. Riles was significantly involved in writing in its original form.
Important provision of SB 525 [Rodda], were ultimately amended into AB 65, and the amended version was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown. AB 65 was an effort to comply with the Serrano Decision, to provide greater financial support for the schools, and to reform the state's school finance law. Unfortunately, Proposition 13 was approved by the voters the following year, and the impact of AB 65 was significantly and negatively affected.
It was always a pleasure to work with Dr. Riles. He was well informed and cooperative and motivated by excellent values and goals. He provided a positive and constructive leadership to the Department of Education during his years of service.
I have fond memories of those years and of the achievements of our cooperative effort to improve public education in this state. It is always a pleasure to reflect upon the worthy accomplishments which resulted from the positive leadership provided by Dr. Riles during his 12 years of service as the leader of public education in California.
DR. ALBERT S. RODDA was elected to the California State Senate in 1958. He served for 22 years and was denied reelection in 1980. At the time of his election to the Senate, Senator Rodda was an instructor at Sacramento Junior College, where he taught History and Economics. He has a Ph.D. from Stanford University.
Senator Rodda authored legislation in the areas of public education, K-12, higher education, state school finance, tax relief reform, public transportation, consumer protection, conservation of natural resources, and issues relating to Sacramento County, which he represented.
Senator Rodda served on the Senate Education Committee during his entire service in the Senate and was chairman of the committee for ten years. He was chairman of the Senate Finance Committee from 1976 to 1980 and was significantly involved during those years in the development and enactment of the State budget.