Posted on 04/08/2008 11:01:20 AM PDT by dalereed
When the final vote was tallied in the ornate state Senate chambers that day in 1975, the young, newly elected governor of California celebrated his first big legislative victory.
Jerry Brown had urged the Legislature to repeal a tax break for the California oil industry known as the "depletion allowance" – a symbol of his left-of-center, environmentalist image – but the bill's fate was uncertain in the business-friendly Senate.
The decisive vote was cast, oddly enough, by a generally pro-business Republican senator from Southern California. And Joe Shell, an independent oil producer from Kern County and former state assemblyman who was lobbying to keep the depletion allowance, was hopping mad.
"He had shaken my hand and told me he was with me," Shell fumed. The senator's breaking his word was an affront to Shell's old-fashioned sense of honor.
Shell, however, may have had the last laugh. Brown later rewarded the turncoat senator with a judicial appointment – whether arranged before the vote or afterward, only the two of them knew for certain. But the senator-turned-judge was driven from the bench for making salacious phone calls.
Shell adhered to the golden rule of politics that "what goes around comes around." And what happened in 1982 was a case in point.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
He was one of the founders of UROC and one of the true conservatives in California.
He will be truly missed.
Same here.Last time I saw Miki was at my father's funeral in 2004. She pressed in envelope in my hand. Inside were Joe Shell for Governor buttons. I keep them in my jewelry box.
I just can't express how sad I am right now, for Miki and the rest of the family, but also I feel sorry for myself. It seems like I have lost a generation of heroes and I don't see anyone picking up the slack.
Joe Shell passes on. A California legend. RIP.
I think I'll call the Bakersfield Petroleum Club and see where I can make a donation in Joe's name.
One site on the Internet says that it was Joe Shell who financed “The Speech” on behalf of Goldwater in October 1964 — the one delivered by R. Reagan. The site says that Nancy Reagan called Joe Shell and “begged” that “Ronnie” be allowed to deliver the speech which Shell had commissioned — the one about the “rendezvous with destiny” and “a thousand years of darkness.” Shell reluctantly relented. He was not, however, much of a “Reagan Republican” — considered the governor too much of a compromiser.
Years, later another old compromiser, GHWB, took the “thousand years of darkness” line and turned it into “a thousand points of light.”
Shell was a true believer.
Who was this turncoat state senator mentioned in the article?
Robert S. Stevens
“Shell reluctantly relented. He was not, however, much of a “Reagan Republican” — considered the governor too much of a compromiser.”
Reagan was protected by the media.
As Gov. he doubled taxes and tripled government employees and only balanced the budget by getting 2 years taxes in his last year by installing the witholding tax.
I never will forgive him for that, I introduced him at a convention and he stood before us and declared “I will never allow witholding tax in the State of California”,
About 3 months later he left the state for 2 days and had Mike Curb sign the witholding tax bill.
Joe Shell said, after letting R. Reagan deliver the speech that he had had written for Barry Goldwater, that he “would regret it to his dying day.” RIP, Joe.
UROC (United Republicans of California), the organization which Joe Shell founded along with Assemblyman Bruce Burger, is still alive and well although not as large as it once was. It is currently co-chaired by Marion M. Hurley and Connie Ruffley.
If anyone wants to send a donation to UROC in honor of Joe Shell, the address is PO Box 80575, San Marino, CA 91118.
How well I remember. My parents are both gone now and I don't think I have missed them more than I did today. My parents taught me everything I know about politics, but not everything they knew. I have so many questions that I can't ask today. I grew up hearing Joe Shell stories but I want to hear more. I mourn an entire generation today; Joe Shell and the legion of honest and upright civic leaders. All I see when I look around the GOP is people looking to feather their own nest.
We needed Joe Shell more than he needed us.
Mike Curb was not the lt. governor under Reagan. It was Robert Finch and then Ed Reinecke. Curb was the first lt. gov. of Jerry Brown.
It had to be Reinecke then because it was in twoard the end of his second term because witholding took effect in his last year as Governor.
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