Barry Keene
Encyclopedia
Barry Dion Keene is an American politician from California
.
Barry Keene received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University
and his law degree from Stanford Law School. He became a member of the California Bar in 1966, and accepted a legal position as a Sonoma County
Deputy District Attorney in 1968. In 1968 he successfully won his first election to the Rincon Valley School Board. Two years later he won the Democratic nomination for the 2nd Assembly District which included the counties of Del Norte
, Humboldt
and Mendocino Counties
, Lake County
and a portion of Sonoma County. In the 1970 General Election he tried to unseat longtime Republican Assemblyman Frank P. Belotti
. However, Keene lost his first race in a narrow election. Keene successfully ran again for the Assembly
in 1972 following the unfortunate death of Assemblyman Belotti.
Keene served six years in the State Assembly holding leadership positions as the chair of the Assembly Elections and Reapportionment Committee and later, as the chairman of the Assembly Health Committee. In 1979 Keene was urged to consider running for an open vacancy in the State Senate
. The district included the 2nd Assembly District and all of Marin County
, spanning over one-third of the entire California coastline, from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border. Keene won the election in 1979 and served in several powerful positions in the State Senate until his resignation in 1993. By resigning immediately after the 1992 general elections, Keene forced taxpayers to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for an otherwise unnecessary special eletion. While in the Senate, Keene held the Chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and later served as the California Senate Majority Leader. During his political tenure, Keene worked on:
Upon leaving the legislature, Keene taught politics at Sacramento State University, University of California at Berkeley
, and Stanford. In 2000, he was appointed by Governor Gray Davis as the Director of the California Department of General Services which position he held until 2002. In 2008 he was appointed to the California Student Aid Commission.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Barry Keene received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and his law degree from Stanford Law School. He became a member of the California Bar in 1966, and accepted a legal position as a Sonoma County
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
Deputy District Attorney in 1968. In 1968 he successfully won his first election to the Rincon Valley School Board. Two years later he won the Democratic nomination for the 2nd Assembly District which included the counties of Del Norte
Del Norte County, California
Del Norte County is a county located at the far northwest corner of the U.S. state of California on the Pacific adjacent to the Oregon border. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 28,610. The county seat is Crescent City, the county's only incorporated city. Del Norte is the abbreviated...
, Humboldt
Humboldt County, California
Humboldt County is a county in the U.S. state of California, located on the far North Coast 200 miles north of San Francisco. According to 2010 Census Data, the county’s population was 134,623...
and Mendocino Counties
Mendocino County, California
Mendocino County is a county located on the north coast of the U.S. state of California, north of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and west of the Central Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 87,841, up from 86,265 at the 2000 census...
, Lake County
Lake County, California
Lake County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of California, north of the San Francisco Bay Area. It takes its name from Clear Lake, the dominant geographic feature in the county and the largest natural lake wholly within California...
and a portion of Sonoma County. In the 1970 General Election he tried to unseat longtime Republican Assemblyman Frank P. Belotti
Frank P. Belotti
Frank P. Belotti was a Republican California State Assemblyman from 1951-1972. Due to redistricting, he represented both the 1st and 2nd Assembly Districts over his career...
. However, Keene lost his first race in a narrow election. Keene successfully ran again for the Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
in 1972 following the unfortunate death of Assemblyman Belotti.
Keene served six years in the State Assembly holding leadership positions as the chair of the Assembly Elections and Reapportionment Committee and later, as the chairman of the Assembly Health Committee. In 1979 Keene was urged to consider running for an open vacancy in the State Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
. The district included the 2nd Assembly District and all of Marin County
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
, spanning over one-third of the entire California coastline, from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border. Keene won the election in 1979 and served in several powerful positions in the State Senate until his resignation in 1993. By resigning immediately after the 1992 general elections, Keene forced taxpayers to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for an otherwise unnecessary special eletion. While in the Senate, Keene held the Chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and later served as the California Senate Majority Leader. During his political tenure, Keene worked on:
- Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (1967), which required official meetings of state boards and commissions to follow rules similar to those of the Brown Act;
- The Keene Act, the first comprehensive medical malpractice statute; and
- The Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act of 1990.
Upon leaving the legislature, Keene taught politics at Sacramento State University, University of California at Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, and Stanford. In 2000, he was appointed by Governor Gray Davis as the Director of the California Department of General Services which position he held until 2002. In 2008 he was appointed to the California Student Aid Commission.