John V. Briggs (born 1930) is a retired
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
state politician who served in the
California State AssemblyThe 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...
and the
California State SenateThe California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 State Senators. The state legislature meets in the state capital, Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
. He is perhaps best known for sponsoring Proposition 6 in 1978, also known as the Briggs Initiative, which attempted to remove all
gayThe term gay was originally used, until well into the mid-20th century, primarily to refer to feelings of being "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy"; it had also come to acquire some connotations of "immorality" as early as 1637....
or
lesbianLesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
school employees or their supporters from their jobs. The measure failed.
He was born in
Mitchell, South DakotaMitchell is a city in and the county seat of Davison County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 14,558 at the 2000 census. Mitchell was incorporated in 1881. It was named for Milwaukee banker Alexander Mitchell, President of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St...
and moved to southern California in 1935, where his single mother raised him.
John V. Briggs (born 1930) is a retired
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
state politician who served in the
California State AssemblyThe 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...
and the
California State SenateThe California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 State Senators. The state legislature meets in the state capital, Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
. He is perhaps best known for sponsoring Proposition 6 in 1978, also known as the Briggs Initiative, which attempted to remove all
gayThe term gay was originally used, until well into the mid-20th century, primarily to refer to feelings of being "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy"; it had also come to acquire some connotations of "immorality" as early as 1637....
or
lesbianLesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
school employees or their supporters from their jobs. The measure failed.
Personal life
He was born in
Mitchell, South DakotaMitchell is a city in and the county seat of Davison County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 14,558 at the 2000 census. Mitchell was incorporated in 1881. It was named for Milwaukee banker Alexander Mitchell, President of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St...
and moved to southern California in 1935, where his single mother raised him. He attended high school and college in southern California, then served in the
United States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the U.S. armed forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947 - 80 P.L....
from 1947 to 1951, seeing action in the Korean Theater; later, he was in the United States Naval Reserve. Near the end of his military service, Briggs met his future wife, Carmen Nicasio, at a USO dance. Together, they have three grown children, eight grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
In Briggs' early career, he started a successful
insuranceInsurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for a premium, and can be thought of as a guaranteed and known...
brokerage. In June 1973 (during his fourth term as Assemblyman), Briggs was selected by his Alma Mater,
California State UniversityThe California State University is one of three public higher education systems in the state of California, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the California State University...
, as Outstanding Alumnus.
Throughout the years, Briggs has remained active a variety of community groups including the Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, and the Boys and Girls Club.
Political career
Briggs’ political career began as an outgrowth of his participation in the Junior Chamber of Commerce. He served as a local Jr. Chamber President and California State Director as well as President of the Senior Chamber of Commerce. He also served as President of the
Walter KnottWalter Marvin Knott was an American farmer who created the Knott's Berry Farm amusement park in California....
Young Republican Club. In 1962 and 1964, Briggs ran unsuccessfully as the Republican nominee for the California State Assembly in the
69th DistrictCalifornia's 69th State Assembly District is one of 80 districts in the California State Assembly. It is currently represented by Democrat Jose Solorio of Santa Ana.-District profile:...
(which includes parts of
Orange CountyOrange County is a county in Southern California, United States. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2000 census, its population was 2,846,293, though a July 2008 estimate placed the population at 3,010,759, making it the second most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and...
). He was finally elected two years later in the adjacent
35th DistrictCalifornia's 35th State Assembly District is one of 80 districts in the California State Assembly. It is currently represented by Democrat Pedro Nava of Santa Barbara.-District Profile:Santa Barbara County - 55.75%*Buellton*Carpinteria*Goleta...
(which includes parts of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties). Re-elected three times in this district, Briggs went on to successfully compete in the 69th District in the 1974 election.
In 1976, Briggs ran for, and was elected a member of the California State Senate, representing the
35th DistrictCalifornia's 35th State Senate District is one of 40 Senate Districts. It is currently represented by Republican Senator Tom Harman of Huntington Beach.-District Profile:...
, comprising most of Orange County. He unsuccessfully sought the
1978 Republican nomination for governorThe 1978 California gubernatorial election occurred on November 7, 1978. The Democratic incumbent, Jerry Brown, defeated the Republican nominee, Attorney General Evelle J...
. Re-elected in 1978 and 1980, Briggs resigned from the Senate at the end of December, 1981.
While in office, Briggs concentrated much of his attention on insurance reform, a wider application of the death penalty, nuclear energy development, and construction regulation. He was member of the Western Interstate Nuclear Board from 1971 to 1972. In the Assembly, he chaired the Agriculture and the Atomic Development Committees; and while in the Senate chaired the Governmental Efficiency and Governmental Investigations and Reports Committees.
Briggs was a leader in several legislative initiatives in California, including:
- Proposition 6 (1978): (Failed) Would have allowed the firing of any teacher who was found to be “advocating, imposing, encouraging or promoting” homosexual activity;
- Proposition 13: Restricted property tax to 1% of the full cash value of the property;
- Proposition 7: Expanded the application of the death penalty and life imprisonment without parole;
- California Indoor Safe Air Act: Banned smoking in public buildings.
Proposition 6
Briggs sponsored the 1978 initiative known as Proposition 6 or the Briggs Initiative that would have prevented gays or those who supported gay rights from working in public schools. Of gay teachers, he said, "Most of them are in the closet, and frankly, that's where I think they should remain."
Former California governor
Ronald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States and the 33rd Governor of California .Born in Tampico, Illinois, Reagan moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1930s...
spoke out publicly against the Briggs Initiative. In a November 1, 1978, editorial in the
Los Angeles Herald-ExaminerThe Los Angeles Herald-Examiner was a major Los Angeles daily newspaper, published Monday through Friday in the afternoon, and in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays. It was part of the Hearst syndicate. The afternoon Herald-Express and the morning Examiner, both of which had been publishing in...
, Reagan wrote, "Whatever else it is, homosexuality is not a contagious disease like measles. Prevailing scientific opinion is that an individual's sexuality is determined at a very early age and that a child's teachers do not really influence this.” California Governor, Jerry Brown, denounced Proposition 6, as did U.S. President Jimmy Carter. The
Log Cabin RepublicansThe Log Cabin Republicans is a federated gay and lesbian political organization in the United States with state chapters and a national office in Washington, D.C. The group's constituency supports the Republican Party and advocates for LGBT rights...
, a national organization of gay Republicans, subsequently credited Proposition 6 as being the catalyst leading to its formation. Opposition by leading politicians combined with
grassrootsA grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it is natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
lobbying led to the defeat of Proposition 6 by 58.6% to 41.6%.
Post-political life
Following his retirement from politics, Briggs operated a successful political and business consulting firm for fifteen years. He was a registered California lobbyist from 1983 to 1996. In 2000, he moved to the
Lake TahoeLake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains of the United States. It is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City, Nevada. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America...
area where he became a successful real estate investor. Briggs and his wife moved to Sun City Anthem in 2003, an age-restricted community in Nevada where he has run for the community's Board. In a campaign statement in 2008 published on the resident created blog,
The Anthem Voice, Briggs refuted statements made about him in various blogs. He stated his views on gays had changed since the days of Prop 6. He also said he was friendly with Harvey Milk and gay activist Randy Shilts and mourned the deaths of both men.
http://www.anthemvoice.org/resources/John+Briggs+Responds.pdf