John L. Burton
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John Lowell Burton (born December 15, 1932) was a California State Senator from 1997 until 2005. From 1998 until he was term limited in 2005, he served as the President Pro Tem of the California State Senate. Prior to his time in the State Senate, he served in the California State Assembly from 1965 until 1974, and again from 1988 until 1997. He was originally elected to the Assembly to succeed his brother Phillip Burton, who had been elected to Congress. He was returned to the Assembly in a 1988 special election to succeed Art Agnos who had been elected Mayor of San Francisco. Burton also served in the U.S. House of Representatives, alongside his brother Phillip, from 1974 until 1983.
The cumulative impact of his leadership is enormous. While in the State Legislature, Burton focused on a range of issues including access to care, mental health and the prevention of violence and substance abuse. Examples of his leadership include championing legislation that provides health insurance coverage for California’s workers, improved care for the mentally ill homeless and strengthened the Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Supplemental Nutrition Program. Burton was a formidable force against budget cuts to health and welfare programs for the 750,000 blind, aged and disabled who use Medi-Cal. A longtime supporter of violence prevention, Sen. Burton’s advocacy ensured that juvenile crime prevention programs received historic levels of support.
During his 40 years of public service, including terms in the U.S. Congress, the California State Assembly, and the California State Senate, Burton was a champion of California’s most underserved populations. Although he retired from public office in 2004, Burton’s commitment to Californians never skipped a beat. He immediately formed the John Burton Foundation, dedicated to helping the over 100,000 homeless children in California. Now, his Foundation is seeking to address broad changes in the child welfare system relating to foster care.
Recently, the John Burton Foundation published "A Guide to Implementing THP-Plus: Housing California's Former Foster Youth," which can be downloaded here: [1]
Burton is a graduate of the University of San Francisco School of Law.
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