View source for John Mockler (politician)

{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    =
| name                = John B. Mockler
| image               =
| imagesize           =
| smallimage          = <!--If this is specified, "image" should not be.-->
| alt                 =
| caption             =
| order               =
| office              = California Secretary of Education
| term_start          = 2000
| term_end            = 2002
| governor            = [[Gray Davis]]
| office2             = Executive Director, California State Board of Education
| term_start2         = 1999
| term_end2           = 2000
| governor2           = [[Gray Davis]]
| office3             = Director, Office of Government Regulations, California Department of Education
| term_start3         = 1974
| term_end3           = 1977
| birth_name          = John Barry Mockler
| birth_date          = October 2, 1941
| birth_place         = [[Chicago, Illinois]],  United States.
| death_date          = March 3, 2015 (aged 73)
| death_place         = [[Sacramento, California]],  U.S.}}
'''John Barry Mockler''' (October 2, 1941 – March 3, 2015) was Secretary of Education in California<ref name=latimes2000>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jul-22-mn-57479-story.html|title=Interim Education Secretary Named|publisher=Articles.latimes.com|date=2000-07-22|access-date=2015-03-03}}</ref> and former Executive Director of the California State Board of Education.<ref name="decentSchools">{{cite web|url=http://www.decentschools.org/courtdocs/DeclOppTextbooks44.pdf|title=Declaration of John B. Mockler in Support of the State's Opposition to Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Adjudication|publisher=decentschools.org|accessdate=2015-03-03}}</ref> Mockler was the chief architect of [[California Proposition 98 (1988)]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Siders|first=David|url=http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/08/john-mockler-consulted-for-molly-munger-now-on-jerry-browns-side.html|title=Capitol Alert: John Mockler consulted for Molly Munger, now on Jerry Brown's side|publisher=Blogs.sacbee.com|accessdate=2015-03-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cta.org/Professional-Development/Publications/2013/01/Dec-2012-Jan-2013/Musings-from-John-Mockler.aspx|title=Education Guru John Mockler: Our Schools are Succeeding|publisher=Cta.org|accessdate=2015-03-03}}</ref><ref>Mathews, Joe, and Mark Paul, (2010). ''California Crackup: How Reform Broke the Golden State and how We Can Fix it'', pp. 65-67. University of California Press, Berkeley; {{ISBN|9780520268524}}.</ref>
==Life and political career==
Mockler was born in [[Chicago, Illinois]]. After his father returned from active duty in [[World War II]], his family moved to [[Harbison Canyon, California]], a small town outside San Diego.<ref name="oralhistory2003"/> He graduated from El Cajon high school in 1958 and in 1963 graduated from the [[University of California, Santa Barbara]] with a bachelor's degree in economics. He also attended the [[University of San Francisco]] and [[San Francisco State University]]. He became active in union politics, and worked on the mayoral campaign of [[San Francisco]] mayor [[Jack Shelley]].<ref name=oralhistory2003/> He was also a graduate of the [[Coro (non-profit organization)|Coro Foundation]] Fellows Program in Public Affairs.<ref name="oralhistory2003"/>
Mockler was the executive director of the Youth Against 14 campaign in 1964. [[California Proposition 14 (1964)|Proposition 14]] would have made it legal to discriminate against home buyers on the basis of race. Mockler set up a fund-raiser for the campaign, the largest folk concert produced in America (at the time) at the Hollywood Bowl in September 23, 1964.<ref name=oralhistory2003/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://pastdaily.com/2012/07/15/pete-seeger-the-dillards-joan-baez-the-modern-folk-quartet-joe-eddie-no-on-prop-14-rally-hollywood-bowl-1964-past-daily-pop-chroniclesbackstage-weekend|title=No On Prop. 14 Rally|date=15 July 2012 |publisher=Past Daily|accessdate=2015-03-03}}</ref>
In 1965, Mockler began the [[Sacramento, California]], phase of his political career. He joined the staff of Senator [[Fred Farr]] as a legislative assistant and went on to become a Consultant to the California State Legislature, including the Assembly Education and Ways and Means committees.<ref name="decentSchools"/><ref name="oralhistory2003">John Berry [sic] Mockler, Oral History Interview, Conducted 2003 by Paul Ferrell, Oral History Program, Center for California Studies, California State University, for the California State Archives State Government Oral History Program</ref> From 1983-85, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Speaker of the California State Assembly [[Willie Brown (politician)|Willie Brown]].<ref>Richardson, James (1996). ''Willie Brown: A Biography'', p. 351. University of California Press, Berkeley; {{ISBN|0520204565}}.</ref> Mockler founded and served three years as Director of the Independent Analysis Unit of the Los Angeles City Board of Education. From 1974-77 served as Senior Executive Staff to the Superintendent of Public Instruction [[Wilson Riles]].<ref name="decentSchools"/>
Mockler was a recognized expert in education issues in California.<ref name=sacbee2012>{{cite web|last=Yamamura|first=Kevin|url=http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/10/prop-38-camp-vastly-outspent-gov-jerry-brown-still-trails.html|title=Capitol Alert: Prop. 38 camp vastly outspent Gov. Jerry Brown, still trails|publisher=Blogs.sacbee.com|accessdate=2015-03-03}}</ref><ref name=economist2011>{{cite web|url=http://www.economist.com/node/18563678|title=Education: A lesson in mediocrity|publisher=The Economist|date=2011-04-20|accessdate=2015-03-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://learningmatters.tv/blog/documentaries/watch-first-to-worst/651|title=First to Worst|publisher=Learningmatters.tv|date=2004-04-30|accessdate=2015-03-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lhc.ca.gov/lhc/143/System.html|title=Simplifying the System 143|publisher=Lhc.ca.gov|accessdate=2015-03-03}}</ref> He was the founder of Mockler and Associates, an educational consulting firm based in [[Sacramento]].
On April 27, 2015, section 41200 of the California education code, the part of [[California Proposition 98 (1988)|California Proposition 98]] that became law, was renamed The John B. Mockler School Finance Act.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB158 |title=California Assembly Bill No. 158 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707051403/http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB158 |archivedate=July 7, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=18932 |title=Governor Brown Signs Legislation |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707052255/http://gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=18932 |archivedate=July 7, 2015 }}</ref>
==Death==
Mockler died on March 3, 2015, in Sacramento from [[pancreatic cancer]], aged 73.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://capitolweekly.net/john-mockler-obit-73-education-consultant|title=Obit: John Mockler, premier education consultant, dead at 73|date=March 3, 2015|accessdate=March 3, 2015|website=Capitol Weekly|publisher=Open California|last=Lucas|first=Greg}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article12284117.html|title=John Mockler, Capitol's top education finance guru, dies at 73|date=March 3, 2015|accessdate=March 3, 2015|website=Sacramento Bee|publisher=McClatchy Company|last=Walters|first=Dan}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-0305-john-mockler-20150305-story.html |title=John Mockler dies at 73; architect of California school funding law |date=2015-03-04 |website=Los Angeles Times |last=Woo |first=Elaine |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150305053847/http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-0305-john-mockler-20150305-story.html |archivedate=March 5, 2015 }}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/oral-history/m.htm California Oral History Guide]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mockler, John}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:2015 deaths]]
[[Category:State cabinet secretaries of California]]
[[Category:Politicians from Chicago]]
[[Category:People from San Diego County, California]]
[[Category:San Francisco State University alumni]]
[[Category:University of California, Santa Barbara alumni]]
[[Category:University of San Francisco alumni]]
[[Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in California]]
[[Category:Politicians from Sacramento, California]]