Lawmakers Praise John Burton for Shaping Generations of California Leaders

The political rise of Willie Brown, Dianne Feinstein, Nancy Pelosi, Kamala Harris and countless others can be traced to two brothers: Phillip and John Burton.

In the 1960s, the Burtons built what became known in San Francisco as “the Burton Machine,” a coalition of unions, religious leaders and community activists that perfected the art of winning elections.

Burton — a civil rights and environmental advocate who served in the state Assembly and Congress — died Sunday at 92. His death drew tributes from California lawmakers, many of whom credited the longtime San Francisco power broker with shaping their political paths and the state’s progressive agenda.

In a post on social media platform X, Gov. Gavin Newsom called Burton “a legendary powerhouse that breathed life into our party and fought for a better California for everyone — uniting Democrats across race, belief, and background.”

Over decades in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., Burton built a reputation for blunt, profanity-laced candor as he fought for labor unions and the working class. He was far from perfect, but he was known for championing ordinary people.

A staunch Democrat, he also crossed the aisle to work with Republican governors and legislators — many of whom he counted as friends in an era of a very different Republican Party.

“He was firm in his commitment to working families, to poor people, and he was really a progressive warrior,” Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who Burton mentored, told KQED.

In a statement released earlier on Sunday, she lauded him as a progressive warrior and “ferocious champion for working families.”

“All who knew John knew that behind his profanity-laden language was a profound progressive vision for how to make real the promise of America,” Pelosi said in a statement. “And for more than three decades in the Congress, I was blessed to have John as a source of wise counsel, sound judgement and brash humor — and he always served as a constant reinvigoration of my inspiration to carry on the fight For The People.”

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Burton grew up in San Francisco with his brothers Phillip and Bob Burton. As John Burton climbed the ladder in California, Phil Burton became a powerhouse in Washington, D.C., mastering the art of reapportionment — using oddly drawn or gerrymandered districts to help elect Democrats.

In 1974, amid the Watergate scandal, Burton was elected to represent San Francisco and part of Marin County in Congress. He served until 1982, when he stepped down to address his cocaine addiction.

In 1996, Burton won a state Senate seat, rising to become president pro tem until term limits forced him out in 2004. After leaving the Legislature, he chaired the California Democratic Party from 2009 until 2017. When Democrats opened a new Sacramento office in 2014, they named it the John L. Burton Democratic Headquarters in his honor.

“California has lost a giant,” state Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire wrote on X. “John Burton — who led the State Senate with passion and empowered a generation of Californians — never stopped fighting for the most vulnerable and he used his real political power to help those who needed it most.”

Sen. Alex Padilla praised Burton for expanding health care access, strengthening worker protections and increasing funding for education.

“John was bluntly honest and never shied away from a fight if it meant protecting the vulnerable and giving a voice to the voiceless — a mission he carried on even after his political career by providing a pathway to a better life for thousands of foster youth and securing billions of dollars to invest in their success,” Padilla said in a statement.

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) praised Burton for promoting Democratic values that shaped generations of politics and activism in the country.

“He leveraged California’s size and influence to do the most good across decades, from divestment in South Africa to supporting farmworkers to enshrining abortion rights in our Constitution,” Rivas said in a statement.

Local leaders also weighed in on Burton’s passing. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie praised him for dedicating his life to public service.

“His legacy is woven into the fabric of our city and state—in the rights of workers, in protections for foster youth and the most vulnerable, and in the countless public servants he mentored,” he posted on X.

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee called Burton her “dear friend.”

“For more than five decades, John fought for those without a voice — from foster children to farmworkers, from union members to the elderly,” Lee said on X. “His mentorship shaped generations of Democratic leaders, and his legacy is alive in every progressive victory in California.”