Mayor Moscone

George Richard Moscone (November 24, 1929 – November 27, 1978) was the mayor of San Francisco, California from January 1976 until his assassination in November 1978. Image File history File links Mayor George Moscone File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... November 24 is the 328th day (329th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... November 27 is the 331st day (332nd on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... Mayors of San Francisco Categories: Lists of mayors | Mayors of San Francisco ... Nickname: The City by the Bay Official website: http://www. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 3rd 410,000 km² 402. ... It has been suggested that Targeted killing be merged into this article or section. ...

Background

Moscone was born in San Francisco, California. His father was a San Quentin State Prison guard and his mother a homemaker. Moscone attended University of the Pacific and then Hastings College of the Law, where he got his law degree. While in college, Moscone befriended John Burton, who would later become a US Congressman. During this time he would also meet and marry his wife, Gina Moscone. Nickname: The City by the Bay Official website: http://www. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 3rd 410,000 km² 402. ... San Quentin State Prison San Quentin State Prison is located on 432 acres (1. ... A homemaker is a person whose prime occupation is to care for their family and/or home. ... The University of the Pacific (Pacific, or UOP) is a private northern California university originally chartered on July 10, 1851 in Santa Clara, California, under the name California Wesleyan College by the California Supreme Court. ... The University of California, Hastings College of the Law is a law school located in downtown San Francisco, California. ... John Burton may refer to several people: For the United Stated, California senator see John Burton (senator) For the musician see John Burton (musician) For the musical engineer see John Burton (engineer) For the director of Termite Terrace see John Burton (director) For the Canadian, Saskatchewan member of paliament see... The House of Representatives is the larger of two houses that make up the U.S. Congress, the other being the United States Senate. ...

Early political career

John Burton's brother, Phillip, a member of the California State Assembly recruited Moscone to run for an Assembly seat in 1960 as a Democrat. Though he lost that race, Moscone would go on to win a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1963. On the Board, Moscone was known for his defense of the poor, racial minorities and small business owners. In 1966 Moscone ran for and won a seat in the California State Senate. Moscone was quickly rising through the ranks of the California Democratic Party and became closely associated with a loose alliance of progressive politicians in San Francisco led by the Burton brothers. This alliance was known as the Burton Machine and included John Burton, Phillip Burton, and Assembly Speaker Willie Brown. Soon after his election to the State Senate, Moscone was elected by his party to serve as Majority Leader. In 1974 Moscone briefly considered a run for governor of California, but dropped out after a short time in favor of California Secretary of State Jerry Brown. Moscone was an early proponent of gay rights, and in conjunction with his friend and ally in the Assembly, Willie Brown, Moscone managed to pass a bill repealing laws against sodomy. The repeal was signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown. John Burton may refer to several people: For the United Stated, California senator see John Burton (senator) For the musician see John Burton (musician) For the musical engineer see John Burton (engineer) For the director of Termite Terrace see John Burton (director) For the Canadian, Saskatchewan member of paliament see... California State Assembly Chamber in the State Capitol The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... San Francisco skyline. ... In sociology and in voting theory, a minority is a sub-group that is outnumbered by persons who do not belong to it. ... California State Senate Chamber in the State Capitol The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. ... The California Democratic Party is the local branch of the Democratic Party in the state of California. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Willie Brown Willie Lewis Brown, Jr. ... HI A governor is also, a monkey who is smart and can fly like a penguin is a device that regulates the speed of a machine. ... The Secretary of State of California is the states chief elections officer. ... Edmund Gerald Jerry Brown, Jr. ... The gay rights movement is a collection of loosely aligned civil rights groups, human rights groups, support groups and political activists seeking acceptance, tolerance and equality for non-heterosexual, (homosexual, bisexual), and transgender people - despite the fact that it is typically referred to as the gay rights movement, members also... Sodomy is a term of religious origin used to characterize certain sexual acts. ...

As San Francisco mayor

Moscone decided in 1975 to run for Mayor of San Francisco. In a close race in November of that year, he placed first in a three-way race with conservative city supervisor John Barbagelata placing second and moderate supervisor Dianne Feinstein coming in third. Moscone and Barbagelata both advanced to the mandated runoff election in December where Moscone narrowly defeated the conservative supervisor. Progressives also won the city's other top executive offices that year as Joseph Freitas was elected District Attorney and Richard Hongisto was re-elected to his office of Sheriff. Moscone's first year as Mayor was spent attempting to prevent the San Francisco Giants professional baseball team from moving to another city and attempting to pass a city-wide ballot proposition in favor of district election to the Board of Supervisors. Moscone was the first mayor to appoint large numbers of women, gays and lesbians and racial minorities to city commissions and advisory boards. One of his most controversial appointments would be that of Reverend Jim Jones, head of the so-called Peoples Temple to the city's Housing Commission. The Peoples Temple would later be discovered to be a thinly-veiled cult headed by the demagogic and mentally unstable Jones. Moscone also appointed controversial former Oakland Police Chief Charles Gain to head the San Francisco Police Department. Gain (and by extension Moscone) became highly unpopular among rank and file San Francisco police officers for disallowing the consumption of alcohol while on duty and for proposing a settlement to a lawsuit brought by minorites claiming discriminatory recruiting practices by the police force. Conservatism or political conservatism is any of several historically related political philosophies or political ideologies. ... Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein (born June 22, 1933) is a Democratic U.S. Senator from California, a position she has held since 1992. ... Runoff voting is a voting system used in single-seat elections. ... A district attorney is, in some U.S. jurisdictions, the title of the local public official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminals. ... Richard Hongisto (1937 - 2004) was a San Francisco, California politician, law enforcement official, and businessman. ... Sheriff is both a political and a legal office held under English common law, Scots law or U.S. common law, or the person who holds such office. ... Major league affiliations National League (1883-present) West Division (1969-present) Major league titles World Series titles (5) 1954 â€¢ 1933 â€¢ 1922 â€¢ 1921 1905  NL Pennants (20) 2002 â€¢ 1989 â€¢ 1962 â€¢ 1954 1951 â€¢ 1937 â€¢ 1936 â€¢ 1933 1924 â€¢ 1923 â€¢ 1922 â€¢ 1921 1917 â€¢ 1913 â€¢ 1912 â€¢ 1911 1905 â€¢ 1904 â€¢ 1889 â€¢ 1888 West Division titles (6... Baseball is a team sport in which a player on one team (the pitcher) attempts to throw a hard, fist-sized ball past a player on the other team (the batter), who attempts to hit the baseball with a tapered, smooth, cylindrical stick called a bat. ... Brochure of the Peoples Temple, portraying cult leader Jim Jones as the loving father of the Rainbow Family. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Oakland, founded in 1852, is a major city on the east side (also called East Bay) of San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. ... In chemistry, alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl group (-OH) is bound to a carbon atom, which in turn is bound to other hydrogen and/or carbon atoms. ... A lawsuit is a civil action brought before a court in which the party commencing the action, the plaintiff, seeks a legal remedy. ...

Assassination

Background

In 1977 Moscone, Freitas and Hongisto all easily survived a recall election pushed by defeated Moscone opponent John Barbagelata and big business interests. That year also marked the passage of the district election system by San Francisco voters. The city's first district elections for Board of Supervisors took place in November of 1977. Among those elected were the city's first openly gay Supervisor, Harvey Milk, single mother and attorney Carol Ruth Silver, Chinese-American Gordon Lau and conservative fireman and former police officer Dan White. Milk, Silver, and Lau along with John Molinari and Robert Gonzales made up Moscone's allies on the Board, while White, Feinstein, Quentin Kopp, Ella Hill Hutch, Lee Dolson, and Ron Pelosi formed a loosely organized conservative coalition to oppose Moscone and his initiatives. Feinstein was elected President of the Board of Supervisors on a 6-5 vote, with Moscone's supporters backing Lau. It was generally believed that Feinstein, having twice lost election to the office of mayor would support Kopp against Moscone in the 1979 election and retire rather than run for the Board again. A recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office. ... Harvey Milk Harvey Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) an American politician and gay rights activist, was the first openly gay city supervisor of San Francisco, California. ... Daniel James White (September 2, 1946 – October 21, 1985) was the former San Francisco Supervisor (in San Francisco, a combination of city councillor and county supervisor) who assassinated Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone on November 27, 1978 at City Hall. ... Quentin L. Kopp (born 1930) served as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and as a member of the California State Senate from 1987-1997, representing Californias 8th Senatorial District, which included portions of San Mateo County and San Francisco. ...

Early in his term, White was forced to resign his job as a San Francisco fireman due to a provision in the city charter barring any person from holding two city jobs. Debate on the Board was sometimes acrimonious with White verbally sparring with Milk and Silver most often. Much of Mayor Moscone's agenda of neighborhood revitilization and increased city support programs was thwarted or modified at this time in favor of the business-oriented agenda supported by the conservative (by San Francisco standards) majority on the Board. Increased antagonism between Harvey Milk and Dan White also marked this period in the Board's history. Though the reasons are often disputed, White claimed that Milk had agreed to oppose a group home project that White considered unnecessary. Milk voted in favor of the group home, which was to be based in White's district, later claiming there was no formal agreement. This event sparked further tension between the two men, and led to White being the only vote opposed to the historic gay rights ordinance, passed by the Board and happily signed by Mayor Moscone in 1978. A city charter or town charter is a legal document establishing a municipality. ...

Under increased stress due to a failing restaurant business and unable to counter criticism that he was an ineffectual legislator, White abruptly resigned his office in the fall of 1978. Many business interests, who depended on White's vote to keep their agenda in favor, pressured him into asking that his resignation letter be returned. Despite White's request, the letter had already been filed and his resignation was effective immediately. Through his power of appointment, Moscone was now the only person who could return White to the Board. Though Moscone considered appointing White back into his Board position, Milk, Silver and several other Moscone allies persuaded the mayor to appoint a progressive to replace White, hoping the shift in power in favor of progressives on the Board would allow Moscone to more easily legislate his agenda. The dispute over Dan White's Board position soon took a back seat however, when it was learned that on November 18, 1978, more than 900 members of the Reverend Jim Jones' Peoples Temple committed suicide on their commune in Jonestown Guyana. Before the suicides, members of the Temple assassinated San Francisco area Congressman Leo Ryan, who was preparing to leave Jonestown after investigating allegations of inhumane practices on the commune. Also killed in the attack were three journalists and a Temple member who chose to leave with Ryan's party. The vast majority of the dead were from the San Francisco area and the city immediately plunged into mourning. After attending the funeral of his friend, Leo Ryan, Moscone finally decided to turn to the White matter and decided to appoint progressive Federal Housing official Don Horanzy. White was infuriated after learning of Horanzy's pending appointment from a CBS news reporter seeking a comment. November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years), with 43 remaining. ... Brochure of the Peoples Temple, portraying cult leader Jim Jones as the loving father of the Rainbow Family. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... A Commune is a kind of intentional community where most resources are shared and there is little or no personal property. ... Houses in Jonestown Jonestown, a town in Guyana established by Peoples Temple cult leader Jim Jones, was located about six to eight miles (10 to 12 km) from Port Kaituma (7°44′N 59°53′W). ... Leo Joseph Ryan, Jr. ...

The assassination

On Monday, November 27, 1978, the day Moscone was set to appoint someone to the vacant District 8 seat, White dressed in a brown suit, packed his loaded policeman's service revolver and several extra bullets into his coat pocket and had an unsuspecting friend drive him to San Francisco City Hall. Once there, White parted from his friend and slipped into City Hall through a basement window in order to avoid metal detectors. He climbed the stairs to the mayor's office and was allowed to see Moscone after a short wait. Upon entering Mayor Moscone's outer office, the two men began to argue about the pending appointment. Moscone suggested they retire to a small private lounge attached to the mayor's office so as not to be overheard by those waiting outside. Once inside the small room, White pulled his revolver and shot the mayor twice in the chest. White then stood over the prostrate mayor and shot him twice more in the head. Moscone was dead. White hurried out of the mayor's office, passing an allegedly unwitting Dianne Feinstein on his way to the supervisors' side of the city offices. Once there, White beckoned unsuspecting supervisor Harvey Milk to a private talk in an adjacent conference room. Once inside, White screamed at Milk, pulled his gun and shot the Supervisor twice in the chest, once in the back and two times again in the head. White fled city hall unchallenged as chaos reigned inside. Milk was discovered by Board of Supervisors President Dianne Feinstein, who claims that she attempted to resuscitate the mortally wounded Milk to no avail. After calling for assistance, Feinstein was joined by Police Chief Gain and several members of Moscone's staff who informed now Acting-Mayor Feinstein of Moscone's death. Several minutes later, Chief Gain accompanied Feinstein onto the City Hall's rotunda, where she announced to gathered reporters that both Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk had been assassinated and that the main suspect was former Supervisor Dan White. That night, thousands of San Franciscans turned out to mourn the two slain politicians, carrying candles as they marched through the heavily gay Castro neighborhood in Milk's supervisorial district and filed past City hall. November 27 is the 331st day (332nd on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... San Francisco City Hall in 2004 The City Hall of San Francisco California, opened in 1915, in its mall site in the citys Civic Center, is a Beaux-Arts monument to the brief City Beautiful movement that epitomized the high-minded American Renaissance of the period 1880-1917. ... Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein (born June 22, 1933) is a Democratic U.S. Senator from California, a position she has held since 1992. ... Harvey Milk Harvey Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) an American politician and gay rights activist, was the first openly gay city supervisor of San Francisco, California. ... The sidewalk on Castro Street looking north from 18th toward Market displays some of the color of the neighborhood. ...

Dianne Feinstein, President of the Board of Supervisors, was sworn in as the city's new mayor and in the following years would emerge as one of California's most prominent politicians.

Legacy

Today, both Moscone and Milk are mourned as martyrs of the gay rights movement. Historically, a martyr is a person who dies for their convictions or religious faith, such as during the persecution of early Christians in the Roman Empire. ...

Moscone Center, San Francisco's largest convention center and exhibition hall, is named for George Moscone. Colored flags flying high outside the Moscone Convention Center The Moscone Center is San Francisco, Californias largest convention center and exhibition hall. ...

References

• Wolfgang Saxon. "George Moscone, a Firm Mayor Who Stressed Anticrime Effort." The New York Times. November 28, 1978. B12.
• Wallace Turner. "San Francisco Mayor is Slain; City Supervisor Also Killed; Ex-Official Gives Up to Police." The New York Times. November 28, 1978. A1