Grantland Johnson

Grantland L. Johnson (born September 29, 1948 in Sacramento, California) is a Sacramento-area politician and former Secretary of California's Health and Human Services Agency, the first African-American to hold the position.^[1]

Political career

Grantland Johnson is one of a limited number of United States politicians who have served in offices on the city, county, state, and federal levels. Johnson began his career in politics in 1983, when he was elected to the Sacramento City Council. As a councilmember, he helped to establish Sacramento's Economic Development Department and Neighborhood Services Department.^[2]

When Ted Sheedy chose not to seek reelection to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors in 1986, Johnson ran for the District 1 seat, defeating Roger Dickinson in a runoff election.^[3] Johnson was reelected in 1990.^[4]

Shortly after Bill Clinton was elected President of the United States in 1992, Johnson began to pursue a position in the President's administration.^[5] In 1993, President Clinton announced that Johnson had been appointed to the position of Regional Director of the United States Department of Health and Human Services by Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala.^[6]

After serving more than six years in the Clinton Administration, Johnson was selected by California Governor Gray Davis in 1999 to become the state's Secretary of Health and Human Services, the largest state agency in the United States.^[7]

Johnson has announced plans for a political comeback in 2010 as he is running for his old seat on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors that is being vacated after 4 terms by Roger Dickinson who is running for the State Assembly.

Education

Johnson attended California State University, Sacramento, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Government in 1974. He has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Sacramento State and Golden Gate University.^[8]

References

1. ^ "Accomplishments - Celebrating Diversity: African American". Governor Gray Davis Digital Library. http://www.gray-davis.com/Page.aspx?PageID=32. Retrieved 2008-07-21. 
2. ^ "Family Re-Union 2: Reinventing Family Policy - Speaker Biographies". Family Reunion, Child and Family Policy Center. Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies. 2002. http://www.familyreunion.org/two/experts.html. Retrieved 2008-07-21. 
3. ^ "Johnson Beats Dickinson in Supervisor Race" (fee required). Sacramento Bee (The McClatchy Company): p. B1. November 05, 1986. http://www.sacbee.com/static/live/search. Retrieved 2008-07-19. 
4. ^ "Incumbents Roll in Two Supervisors' Races: Grantland Johnson gets 61.5% of Vote Over Two Contenders" (fee required). Sacramento Bee (The McClatchy Company): p. B3. June 06, 1990. http://www.sacbee.com/static/live/search. Retrieved 2008-07-19. 
5. ^ "Grantland Johnson Seeks U.S. Post: Supervisor Pursuing 2 Regional Director Offices on Clinton Team" (fee required). Sacramento Bee (The McClatchy Company): p. B3. February 17, 1993. http://www.sacbee.com/static/live/search. Retrieved 2008-07-21. 
6. ^ William J. Clinton: 1993. Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States. Book II. Washington: United States Government Printing Office. 1994. pp. 2215. http://bulk.resource.org/gpo.gov/papers/1993/1993_vol2_2215.pdf. Retrieved 2008-07-19. 
7. ^ Johnson, Grantland (September/October 2000). "Memo, dated 2006". Sierra Sacramento Valley Medicine (Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society) 51 (5). http://www.ssvms.org/articles/memo.asp. Retrieved 2008-07-21. 
8. ^ "Grantland Johnson: Academy Induction Year: 2002". Academy of Distinction and Honor. California State University, Sacramento College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies. http://www.csus.edu/SSIS/inductees/johnson.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-21.