Between them, former Govs. Jerry Brown and Pete Wilson have close to 50 years' experience in elected office in California. Better than most, they understand the perils facing a novice such as Arnold Schwarzenegger as he assumes the governorship today.
Their advice? Don't worry about the lack of experience. It isn't so important anyway.
"Most governors don't know that much about the workings of state government," said Brown, now the mayor of Oakland, in a telephone interview. "They figure it out. They have bevies of aides that are running around doing talking points and issues memos."
A strong moral compass will steer a governor far straighter than years of experience, Brown added. "You have to stand for something," he said. "You need to be able to exercise moral stature at critical moments."
Wilson, who has been a close Schwarzenegger advisor, recalled a conversation with then-President Reagan before Wilson's inauguration as governor in 1991. Reagan, he said, noted that the two men were elected governor at similar ages, but that Wilson -- a former assemblyman, San Diego mayor and U.S. senator -- had vastly more experience.
"He said, 'I came up, I had none. I came up, I was green as grass,' " Wilson recalled, also in a telephone interview. "I said, 'Mr. President, with all respect, you came up with something far more valuable than experience. Experience is terrific; it's a genuine help. But experience is no substitute for knowing why you ran and what you want to do with the office.' "
It would be hard to find two California political figures who are, at once, more alike and more different than Wilson and Brown. Each served two terms as governor; each has been the mayor of a major California city; and each flirted with a campaign for president. Wilson, a Republican, is loathed by many Democrats for, among other things, his support of Proposition 187, which called for reductions in benefits for immigrants. Brown, a Democrat, is loathed by many Republicans for, among other things, his initial opposition to Proposition 13, the property tax reduction measure.
Both were willing to discuss their advice for Schwarzenegger, who takes office after ousting Brown's old chief of staff, Davis, with the help of Wilson and his team of advisors.
Former Republican Gov. George Deukmejian declined to offer any public suggestions to the new governor. Deukmejian said he would be willing to counsel Schwarzenegger privately, but added, "I think it's kind of presumptuous for a former governor to be giving advice to an incumbent governor publicly."
