Free Republic

George Deukmejian, a perennially popular two-term Republican governor of California who built his career on fighting crime, hardening the state's criminal-justice stance and shoring up its leaky finances, died Tuesday. He was 89. Deukmejian, who was elected governor in 1982 and 1986, died at his home in Long Beach, according to a statement from his family. During his many years of public service, including 16 years as a state legislator and four as state attorney general, Deukmejian sponsored the successful "use a gun, go to prison" bill, oversaw development of a workfare program for welfare recipients and negotiated with the...

He belies his age as he navigates the neighborhoods near his home in Belmont Park where he has resided for 51 years with his wife and where they raised their three children. The gait is firm, the voice is strong, the eyes are alert, the posture is erect, the hair is plentiful, and the face is unlined. His birth certificate insists he's 83, but the laws of time have been rescinded with George Deukmejian, who doesn't look that dramatically different now than he did when serving two terms as governor of California. He was in the political maelstrom for 28...

For Immediate Release February 4, 2008 Contact: Press Office 703-650-5550 Former Governor George Deukmejian Endorses John McCain , VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today announced that former California Governor George Deukmejian has endorsed John McCain for president. "John McCain understands the gravity of the challenges our country is facing," said Governor Deukmejian. "His lifetime of service has prepared him to lead as commander in chief from day one. John McCain has a commonsense conservative plan to stimulate our economy by lowering taxes, reforming our health care system, and ending the wasteful spending in Washington. I have a...

San Francisco -- California's novel, $3 billion stem cell research institute is a legitimate state agency and two lawsuits challenging its constitutionality have no merit, a state judge ruled Friday. The ruling came a month after a four-day trial in which lawyers with connections to anti-abortion groups claimed the country's most ambitious stem cell research agency violated California law because it wasn't a true state agency and its managers had a host of conflicts of interest. But Alameda County Superior Court Judge Bonnie Lewman Sabraw handed the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine an unambiguous victory, writing that the lawsuits failed...

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says enacting a spending control measure is "Job No. 1." But the committee charged with selecting what kind of measure should be put before voters appears deeply split. Schwarzenegger wants a spending control plan to prevent massive state budget deficits such as the one that helped drive former Gov. Gray Davis from office and to curb "autopilot" spending formulas that grow faster than tax revenue. Citizens to Save California, a business-led group aligned with the governor, has not yet decided whether to back a spending control similar to Schwarzenegger's plan or a tighter limit backed...

SACRAMENTO -- As he tries to reorganize the state's troubled prison system, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is ignoring the key part of a plan recommended in July by a special panel he appointed, administration officials, lawmakers, experts and advocates said Wednesday. The panel chaired by former Gov. George Deukmejian proposed eliminating the California Department of Corrections, California Youth Authority, and California Youth and Adult Correctional Agency, merging them into a new Department of Correctional Services run by a 10-member commission appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate. "This system is in chaos," Joseph Gunn, executive director of the Corrections...

<p>Former Gov. George Deukmejian will chair an independent review panel charged with finding ways to "turn around the crisis of confidence" in California's youth and adult correctional systems, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Friday.</p> <p>Panel members said they plan a report by June, including recommendations on prison closures and the future of San Quentin, the state's oldest prison that sits on prime development land.</p>

<p>A full web video of the extraordinary discussion among former Govs. Jerry Brown, George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson and Gray Davis on the question of whether California is governable is now online here. The joint interview was done for California Connected, a public television public affairs program, by host Lisa McRee. Among the nuggets: Deukmejian recommends legalizing all forms of gambling throughout the state, and Brown (backed by Wilson) suggests letting governors put initiatives on the ballot without a vote of the Legislature. Davis and Brown, meanwhile, say a return to the part-time Legislature might be in order.</p>

<p>The state Judicial Council's annual Distinguished Service Awards are usually routine affairs that attract little attention, even from ardent court- watchers. But one of this year's winners is an eyebrow-raiser: former Gov. George Deukmejian, the scourge of the once-liberal California Supreme Court.</p>