When we think of Ronald Reagan, we usually see the "Great Communicator" standing at the Berlin Wall or laughing off an assassination attempt with a quip to his surgeons. But before the White House, there was Sacramento. Honestly, the version of Reagan that ran California from 1967 to 1975 would probably surprise both his biggest fans and his harshest critics today. He wasn't just a warm-up act for the 1980s; he was a governor who signed the most liberal abortion law in the country at the time, oversaw massive tax hikes, and basically invented the modern American environmental movement.
It’s weird, right? The "conservative icon" actually spent a lot of his eight years in California compromising with a Democratic legislature led by legendary power players like Jesse "Big Daddy" Unruh. If you've ever wondered how a Hollywood actor actually learned to govern, the story of reagan as governor of california is where the real work happened.
The Budget Reality Check: Taxes and Surpluses
When Reagan took the oath of office on January 2, 1967, he inherited what he called a "mess." The state was staring down a massive deficit. You've probably heard the rhetoric: "Government is the problem." But when he got into the office, the math didn't care about the slogans.
Basically, he did the unthinkable for a conservative hero. He raised taxes. And he didn't just tweak them; he signed off on the largest tax increase in California's history up to that point. We’re talking about hikes on sales tax, corporate profits, and even liquor and cigarettes. It sorta drove the hard-right wing of his party crazy. But it worked. By the time he left office, that deficit was a distant memory, replaced by a billion-dollar surplus.
He had this interesting philosophy about that extra cash, too. He didn't want the government to keep it. In 1973, he pushed for a plan to "give it back to the people" through tax credits. It was an early glimpse of the "Reaganomics" that would eventually take over the country, but in the Sacramento years, it was more about practical balancing than purely ideological warfare.
Cleaning Up the Mess at Berkeley
If there was one thing that really defined the public's image of reagan as governor of california, it was his absolute war with student protesters. This wasn't just political; it was personal. He campaigned on "cleaning up the mess at Berkeley," and he wasn't joking.
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The tension peaked in May 1969 over a patch of land called "People's Park." Students and activists had turned a vacant university-owned lot into a community park. Reagan saw it as a challenge to law and order. He sent in the California Highway Patrol and, eventually, 2,700 National Guard troops.
It got dark.
Very dark.
One person was killed, and dozens were injured. Reagan’s stance was uncompromising. At one point, he famously said, "If it takes a bloodbath, let's get it over with. No more appeasement." While that sounds incredibly harsh today, at the time, a lot of voters in "The Great Silent Majority" loved it. They saw a leader who wasn't afraid to stand up to the chaos of the late sixties.
The Environmentalist? (Yes, Really)
This is the part that usually catches people off guard. Today, we think of the GOP and environmentalists as being on opposite sides of a canyon. But as governor, Reagan was surprisingly green.
- He signed the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which is still the backbone of the state's environmental law.
- He created the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to fight the thick smog choking Los Angeles.
- He personally blocked a massive highway project that would have cut through the High Sierra.
- He stopped the damming of the Eel River, preserving one of the state's last wild waterways.
He once rode a horse through the Minaret Summit to announce he'd stopped a road project. He liked the outdoors. He liked the land. He wasn't the anti-EPA figure people remember from the 80s; he was a governor who realized that if California lost its natural beauty, it lost its soul.
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The Mental Health Legacy and the LPS Act
We can't talk about his time in Sacramento without mentioning the Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) Act of 1967. This is a heavy one. Before this law, people with mental health issues could be locked up in state hospitals indefinitely against their will, often in pretty horrific conditions.
Reagan signed the LPS Act to end those "inappropriate, indefinite commitments." The goal was noble: protect individual civil rights. But there was a catch. The state closed the big hospitals but never fully funded the "community-based" care that was supposed to replace them.
Critics today often point to this as the moment California’s modern homelessness and mental health crisis began. It’s a complex legacy. He was trying to protect liberty, but the infrastructure to support that liberty just wasn't there. It’s a classic example of how a well-intentioned policy can have massive, unintended consequences decades later.
The Abortion Bill He Regretted
In 1967, Reagan signed the Therapeutic Abortion Act. At the time, it was one of the most liberal abortion laws in the U.S., allowing the procedure if a doctor felt the mother’s physical or mental health was at risk.
He agonized over this.
He really did.
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He eventually said it was the most difficult decision he ever made as governor. He later claimed he didn't realize how broadly the "mental health" provision would be interpreted, as the number of legal abortions in California skyrocketed from about 500 a year to over 100,000. This "mistake," as he later called it, actually fueled his evolution into the pro-life leader he became on the national stage.
Why Reagan’s California Years Still Matter
Looking back at reagan as governor of california, you see a man who was much more of a pragmatist than the posters might suggest. He worked with Democrats when he had to. He raised taxes when the math demanded it. He protected the environment because he lived in it.
But he also set the stage for the polarized politics we see now. His handling of campus protests and his rhetoric about "welfare queens" (which started in his California years) created a blueprint for the modern Republican Party.
What You Can Do Next
If you want to understand the real Reagan, you've got to look past the presidential highlights. Here’s how you can dig deeper:
- Read the primary sources: Check out the Ronald Reagan Library's digital archives specifically for the 1967-1975 period. Seeing his handwritten notes on bills is eye-opening.
- Visit the sites: If you're in California, visit Berkeley's People's Park or the state capitol in Sacramento. The physical history of his decisions is still there.
- Study the LPS Act: If you're interested in policy, look into the "California Welfare and Institutions Code." It’s a masterclass in how legislation affects real lives over 50 years.
- Compare the Governors: Put Reagan’s record side-by-side with Pat Brown (before him) and Jerry Brown (after him). You'll see that California has always been a laboratory for the rest of the country.
The "California Reagan" wasn't a finished product. He was a man learning how to wield power in one of the most chaotic eras of American history. Whether you love him or hate him, you can't deny that the path to the White House was paved in the redwoods and the riot-torn streets of the Golden State.