Albert S. Rodda (original) (raw)

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American politician

Albert S. Rodda
Member of the California State Senate
In officeJanuary 5, 1959 – November 30, 1980
Preceded by	Earl D. Desmond
Succeeded by	John T. Doolittle
Constituency	19th district (1959–1967) 5th district (1967–1976) 3rd district (1976–1980)
Personal details
Born	(1912-07-23)July 23, 1912Sacramento, California, U.S.
Died	April 3, 2010(2010-04-03) (aged 97)Sacramento, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Clarice Horgan ​(m. 1941)​
Children	3
Education	Stanford University
Military service
Branch/service	United States Navy
Battles/wars	World War II

Albert S. Rodda Jr. (July 23, 1912 – April 3, 2010) was a California State Senator.

Early life and education

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Born in Sacramento, California, Rodda graduated from Sacramento High School in 1929 before receiving an A.B. in 1933 and an A.M. in 1934, both in history, from Stanford University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa society. After teaching for several years in Sacramento high schools, Rodda entered the United States Navy Reserve and was a gunnery officer in World War II.[1] Leaving the Navy Reserve in 1946, he started teaching at Sacramento City College. In 1951, Rodda received a Ph.D. in history and economics from Stanford.[2]

A Democrat, Rodda won a 1958 special election to the California State Senate to represent the 19th District to fill the vacancy created by the death of Earl D. Desmond, defeating Desmond's son and two other Democrats.[2] He was re-elected six times but was defeated in 1980 in an upset by a newcomer, John Doolittle.[1][3]

Rodda's best-known legislative legacy is SB 160, enacted in 1975 and taking effect in 1976, which established collective bargaining for California's public school teachers.[4]

In 1980, the Los Rios Community College District board of trustees named a new administrative-classroom complex at Sacramento City College as Rodda Hall. Shortly after Rodda's departure from the Senate, California State Treasurer Jesse M. Unruh appointed him Executive Secretary of the Commission on State Finance. In 1983, Rodda left the commission and was elected to the Los Rios Community College District board, where he served until 1992.[1]

Rodda met Clarice Horgan, an English teacher, when they both taught at Grant Union High School. They married in 1941 and had one son and two daughters.[2]

1. ^ a b c "Albert S. Rodda". JoinCalifornia Election Archive. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
2. ^ a b c "Inventory of the Albert S. Rodda Papers - Biography". Online Archive of California. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
3. ^ Walters, Dan (January 14, 2008). "California Rep. Doolittle's improbable rise and fall". Sacramento Bee. McClatchy. Scripps Howard News Service. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012 – via ScrippsNews.com.
4. ^ Hinman, Felicitas, ed. (1976). Collective bargaining in California public education. SB 160--The Rodda Act: Policy and Practice Papers Presented at a Statewide Conference Held in Los Angeles, December 5-6, 1975. Los Angeles: Institute of Industrial Relations, University of California. OCLC 2543499. ERIC ED140506.