9/24/02

LC020924

VAL ZAVALA>> ON LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT --

JESS MARLOW>> THEY LEFT THEIR JOBS TO VENTURE INTO THE CLASSROOM, BUT THESE NEW MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHERS STILL HAVE A FEW LESSONS TO LEARN.

JOE BRAUN>> AS PEOPLE WHO WERE IN CAREERS IN MATH AND SCIENCE, WHERE THEY WERE PRETTY MUCH IN CHARGE OF THEIR OWN WORK AND WHERE ALL OF THEIR COLLEAGUES SHARED THE SAME LOVE OF THEIR FIELD, THERE’S A TREMENDOUS CULTURE SHOCK. THEY FIND, FIRST OF ALL, THAT THEIR STUDENTS ARE NOT INTERNALLY MOTIVATED IN MATH AND SCIENCE.

VAL>> LATINOS ARE LOOKING FOR A PIECE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM, A NICE HOUSE IN THE SUBURBS, BUT ARE THEY BEING SHUT OUT? A NEW SURVEY SHOWS BIG PROBLEMS AHEAD FOR LATINOS WHO WANT TO OWN THEIR HOMES. TONIGHT WE’LL LOOK AT WHAT THAT MEANS TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

JESS>> HE WAS THE FIRST POLITICIAN WHO USED TELEVISION TO SALVAGE HIS POLITICAL CAREER.

RICHARD NIXON>> “I OWN A 1950 OLDSMOBILE CAR...”

JESS>> RICHARD NIXON’S SO-CALLED “CHECKERS” SPEECH SAVED HIS SPOT ON THE TICKET WITH EISENHOWER AND IT HAPPENED FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK IN HOLLYWOOD. TONIGHT WE’LL TAKE A LOOK BACK.

VAL>> THESE STORIES COMING UP NEXT ON LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT.

LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONS:

THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION
DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

AND THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT
THE STATE'S LARGEST HEALTH FOUNDATION SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT DIRECTLY IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF CALIFORNIA'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT, A PARTNER FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES.

VAL>> GOOD EVENING, I’M VAL ZAVALA.

JESS>> AND I’M JESS MARLOW. WE’VE ALL HEARD ABOUT THE SHORTAGE OF TEACHERS IN CALIFORNIA AND THAT’S ESPECIALLY TRUE WHEN IT COMES TO TWO SUBJECTS: MATH AND SCIENCE. RIGHT NOW, A QUARTER OF THE STATE’S HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE LEARNING MATH FROM A TEACHER WHO’S HAD LITTLE OR NO SPECIALIZED EDUCATION IN THAT AREA.

VAL>> BUT THE LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT IS DOING SOMETHING TO CHANGE THAT. THEY’VE RECRUITED MATHEMATICIANS AND SCIENTISTS TO GIVE UP THEIR JOBS AND ENTER THE CLASSROOM. SO FAR, THIRTY-FIVE HAVE ANSWERED THE CALL, BUT ARE THEY READY FOR THE CLASSROOM? TONIGHT WE’LL FIND OUT AS GAY YEE TAKES US TO JORDAN HIGH SCHOOL IN SOUTH LOS ANGELES.

MONICA MAXWELL>> AND THEN EIGHT TIMES THREE IS? 24.

GAY YEE>> EVER SINCE MONICA MAXWELL WAS A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT, SHE KNEW SHE WANTED TO BE A MATH TEACHER, BUT WHEN SHE FINISHED COLLEGE, THAT WASN’T THE PATH SHE TOOK.

MONICA MAXELL>> THE SALARY THAT I COULD GET DOING MATH AND SCIENCE TOGETHER AS AN ENGINEER WAS SO APPEALING TO ME THAT IT DREW ME AWAY FROM TEACHING. WHEN I GRADUATED, BOEING CAME OUT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN RECRUITING PEOPLE, RECRUITING ENGINEERS, TO GO AND WORK FOR THEM, SO I IMMEDIATELY HAD A JOB AS SOON AS I WAS DONE WITH MY EDUCATION AT MICHIGAN.

GAY YEE>> BUT NOW, SEVEN YEARS AFTER FINISHING COLLEGE, MAXWELL IS BACK IN SCHOOL AS A TEACHER AT JORDAN HIGH IN SOUTH LOS ANGELES. SHE’S PART OF A PROGRAM DESIGNED TO BRING MUCH-NEEDED MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHERS INTO URBAN CLASSROOMS. IT’S CALLED THE MASTER PROGRAM AND IS A JOINT EFFORT OF LOS ANGELES UNIFIED, CAL STATE DOMINGUEZ HILLS AND THE LOS ANGELES EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP. WHEN JORDAN’S CURRENT PRINCIPAL STARTED HERE A FEW YEARS BACK, HE WAS ALARMED TO FIND SUBSTITUTES FILLING MANY TEACHING POSITIONS.

DHYAN LAL>> WE HAD SEVERAL MATH POSITIONS THAT NEEDED TO BE FILLED AND ALSO AT LEAST THREE SCIENCE CLASSES THAT NEEDED QUALIFIED TEACHERS.

GAY YEE>> THAT’S NO LONGER THE CASE. THIS YEAR, JORDAN HAS SEVEN MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHERS FROM THE MASTER PROGRAM. AROUND THIRTY MEN AND WOMEN ARE IN THE PROGRAM AND TAKE CLASSES SPECIFICALLY TO LEARN HOW TO TEACH IN AN URBAN SETTING. THEY’RE PROVIDED WITH A SUPPORT NETWORK AT THEIR SCHOOLS TO HELP THEM FIGURE OUT HOW TO REACH KIDS WHO MAY HAVE LITTLE INTEREST IN MATH AND SCIENCE.

ROGER MO>> I THINK, IN GENERAL, THE STUDENTS ARE NOT WELL-PREPARED. THERE ARE MANY FROM THE MENTAL CONCEPTS THAT THEY HAVE NOT REALLY MASTERED.

GAY YEE>> ROGER MO RECENTLY RETIRED FROM XEROX AFTER THIRTY-PLUS YEARS. A PHD IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND AN M.I.T. GRADUATE, HE HEARD A RADIO AD FOR THE PROGRAM AND SIGNED UP.

ROGER MO>> WHEN I RETIRED, I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING THAT’S MEANINGFUL, THAT WILL BENEFIT, YOU KNOW, THE SOCIETY AND WILL ALSO BENEFIT ME. YOU KNOW, I FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT.

GAY YEE>> FOR MO, THE TRICK IS HOW TO ENGAGE HIS STUDENTS.

ROGER MO>> THAT IS TRULY A CHALLENGE AND, YOU KNOW, I SPEND A LOT OF TIME PREPARING FOR IT AND ALL THIS, BUT YOU’RE NOT ALWAYS SUCCESSFUL.

JOE BRAUN>> AS PEOPLE WHO WERE IN CAREERS IN MATH AND SCIENCE, WHERE THEY WERE PRETTY MUCH IN CHARGE OF THEIR OWN WORK AND WHERE ALL OF THEIR COLLEAGUES SHARED THE SAME LOVE OF THEIR FIELD, THERE’S A TREMENDOUS CULTURE SHOCK. THEY FIND, FIRST OF ALL, THAT THEIR STUDENTS ARE NOT INTERNALLY MOTIVATED IN MATH AND SCIENCE, SO JUST HAVING A LOVE OF THE FIELD IS NOT ENOUGH FOR THEM TO COMMUNICATE TO THEIR STUDENTS.

GAY YEE>> MONICA MAXWELL WAS INITIALLY FEARFUL OF WORKING IN AN URBAN AREA.

MONICA MAXWELL>> I HAD NOT HAD VERY MUCH EXPOSURE AT ALL TO INNER CITY. I REMEMBER BEING IN MICHIGAN, DRIVING THROUGH DETROIT AND BEING VERY SCARED JUST EVEN DRIVING THROUGH. SO I WAS EXTREMELY NERVOUS ABOUT ACTUALLY COMING IN AND DEVOTING A LARGE PORTION OF MY TIME TO INNER CITY SCHOOLS. I WAS WORRIED ABOUT GANGS, I WAS WORRIED ABOUT DRUGS, I WAS WORRIED ABOUT VIOLENCE.

GAY YEE>> BUT NOW, MAXWELL SEES HER FEARS AS MISPLACED.

MONICA MAXWELL>> I LOVE BEING HERE. I LOVE THE STUDENTS HERE. I LOVE BEING WITH THEM AND WORKING WITH THEM. IT’S GREAT. I FOUND THAT THERE’S NO GANG ACTIVITY HERE IN THE SCHOOL AND THE STUDENTS TREAT ME WITH RESPECT. IT’S TOTALLY CHANGED MY IDEA AND MY FEARS ABOUT BEING IN THE INNER CITY.

GAY YEE>> MANY OF THE TEACHERS IN THE MASTER PROGRAM HAVE TRAINED AT JORDAN AND THAT, SAYS PRINCIPAL DHYAN LAL, IS A MAJOR PLUS.

DHYAN ALI>> WE ACTUALLY HAVE OUR OWN FARM TEAM HERE, TO SPEAK IN SPORTS TERMINOLOGY, BECAUSE WE’RE ABLE TO OBSERVE THESE PEOPLE WHILE THEY ARE OBSERVING OUR YOUNGSTERS OR TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM. WHEN THEY DO THEIR DEMONSTRATION TEACHING, WE CAN GO SEE THEM AND THEN WE ARE ABLE TO HIRE THEM BECAUSE WE ALREADY KNOW THEIR ENTHUSIASM, WE ALREADY KNOW THEIR CAPABILITIES.

GAY YEE>> ROGER MO, WHO’S SIXTY-THREE, SAYS HE PLANS TO STAY AT JORDAN A LONG TIME TO COME. IF HE’D WANTED AN EASIER JOB IN RETIREMENT, HE COULD HAVE TAUGHT IN COLLEGE. AND MONICA MAXWELL, WHO’S TWENTY-EIGHT, SAYS SHE TOO EXPECTS TO BE HERE A LONG TIME. HAVING RECENTLY MARRIED, SHE’S NO LONGER SO CONCERNED ABOUT HER PAY AS A TEACHER. NOW SHE’S DOING THE WORK SHE WANTED ALL ALONG.

MONICA MAXWELL>> ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY, THANK YOU. HAVE A GOOD NIGHT. SEE YOU ALL TOMORROW.

JESS>> LOS ANGELES UNIFIED NEEDS MANY MORE MATHEMATICIANS AND SCIENTISTS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN TEACHING. THE PROGRAM ALSO OFFERS NEWLY-CREDENTIALED TEACHERS INDIVIDUAL COACHING AND GROUP SUPPORT TO INCREASE THEIR CHANCES OF SUCCEEDING.

VAL>> TOMORROW ON LIFE AND TIMES, THE HIGH COST OF RENT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. NOW RENT CONTROL IS BECOMING A MAJOR ISSUE IN THE BATTLE OVER VALLEY SECESSION.

>> THIS HAS NEVER BEEN AN ISSUE IN THE SIX YEARS THAT WE’VE WORKED ON THIS PROJECT UNTIL THE OPPOSITION, USING IT AS A FEAR TACTIC, INVOKED THIS ISSUE.

JESS>> FROM THE DUSTBOWL MIGRANTS TO THE WORLD WAR II GENERATION, CALIFORNIA HAS GIVEN NEWCOMERS A VALUABLE REWARD FOR HARD WORK: THEIR OWN HOME. BUT IS THAT STILL TRUE? A NEW REPORT FROM PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY SAYS LATINOS MAY BECOME THE FIRST MAJOR GROUP TO BE EXCLUDED FROM HOME OWNERSHIP.

VAL>> LATINOS AS A GROUP ARE DESCRIBED AS NATURAL HOMEBUYERS, BUT EVEN THOSE WILLING TO SAVE A DOWN PAYMENT MAY NEVER REALIZE THEIR DREAM. JOINING US NOW IS THE CO-AUTHOR OF THAT PEPPERDINE REPORT, JOEL KOTKIN. NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

JOEL KOTKIN>> HI. NICE TO BE HERE.

JESS>> HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THIS?

JOEL KOTKIN>> WELL, THE BASIC PROBLEM, MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, IS REALLY NOT DISCRIMINATION. IT’S, IF YOU WILL, BAD TIMING AND IT’S, MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, THE FACT THAT WE’RE NOT BUILDING HOUSING. IF YOU LOOK AT THE SEVENTIES AND THE EIGHTIES, WE BUILT A LOT OF HOUSING WHEN WE HAD POPULATION AND JOB GROWTH. THE NINETIES, WE STOPPED BUILDING HOUSING.

VAL>> WHY?

JOEL KOTKIN>> WELL, THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS ABOUT THE TAX LAWS THAT MAKE IT VERY DIFFICULT FOR CITIES TO BUILD NEW HOUSES. I THINK THERE IS A PROBLEM IN THAT IT’S HARD TO GET A LOT OF RAW LAND, SO YOU HAVE TO GO AND BUILD INSIDE THE CITY LIMITS. AND A LOT OF IT IS THE ENVIRONMENTALISTS AND OTHER GROUPS WHO DON’T WANT ANY MORE GROWTH. WHEN I CAME TO CALIFORNIA IN THE SEVENTIES, WE HAD TWENTY MILLION PEOPLE. NOW WE HAVE THIRTY-FIVE MILLION.

PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO SEE MORE GROWTH. THEY SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT, IF WE DON’T BUILD ANY MORE HOUSES, PEOPLE WON’T COME. THE PROBLEM IS, THE PEOPLE KEEP COMING AND WHAT THEY’RE DOING, PARTICULARLY IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY, IS THEY’RE LIVING TWO OR THREE TO A HOUSEHOLD IN SOME PARTS AND THEY’RE BEING FORCED TO RENT WHEN THEY REALLY SHOULD BE BUYING. IF THEY LIVED ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE UNITED STATES PRACTICALLY, THEY’D BE ABLE TO BUY A HOME.

VAL>> NEVERTHELESS, THEY’RE DOING PRETTY WELL BECAUSE, IF YOU LOOK AT THEM AS STATISTICS SAY YOUR STUDY FOUND, IT SAID THAT LATINO HOMEOWNERS PURCHASE MORE THAN ONE IN FIVE HOMES SOLD IN CALIFORNIA, MEANING THAT OBVIOUSLY ONE OUT OF EVERY FIVE HOMES PURCHASED IS BEING BOUGHT BY LATINO. THAT’S ENCOURAGING.

JOEL KOTKIN>> WELL, IT’S ENCOURAGING, BUT WHAT’S MOST ENCOURAGING IS THE FACT THAT WHEN WE SURVEYED THEM BECAUSE WE DID A SPECIAL SURVEY, WE FOUND OUT THAT ACTUALLY A LARGE NUMBER OF THEM ACTUALLY STILL THINK THEY’RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO BUY A HOME. THEY’RE STILL OPTIMISTIC. THE PROBLEM THAT THEY FACE IS THAT THE PRICES ARE NOW SO HIGH, EVEN WITH THE LOW INTEREST RATES, THAT THEY’RE REALLY GETTING OUT WHACK. NOT JUST FOR LATINOS, BUT ANYONE WHO IS A NEWCOMER INTO THE STATE.

YOU CAN TALK TO COMPANIES. THEY CAN’T HIRE PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY CAN’T BUY A HOME HERE. SO I THINK IT’S SOMETHING THAT’S BECOMING MORE AND MORE OF A CRISIS. I DO THINK THAT WE HAVE TO, AS A STATE, ADDRESS THIS ISSUE BECAUSE MY FEAR IS THIS. IF WE GO DOWN THE ROAD ANOTHER TEN, TWENTY YEARS THIS WAY, MAYBE EVEN AS SHORT AS FIVE YEARS, WE MAY HAVE A LARGE CLASS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME HERE SAYING I’VE WORKED HARD, WE’VE POOLED OUR MONEY AND WE STILL CAN’T BUY A HOME AND WE’RE NEVER GOING TO BUY A HOME. HOME OWNERSHIP IS THE BASIS OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY AND WE’RE GOING TO BE IN TROUBLE IF WE CAN’T HAVE A NEW GENERATION OF HOMEOWNERS.

JESS>> ANOTHER POINT IN YOUR STUDY IS THAT FOREIGN-BORN LATINO HOMEOWNERS DEVOTE A GREATER AMOUNT OF THEIR INCOME TO MORTGAGE PAYMENTS THAN DO U.S.-BORN HOMEOWNERS.

JOEL KOTKIN>> WELL, GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE HARDEST GROUP IN THIS, THE GROUP THAT’S REALLY HAVING THE HARDEST TIME BY FAR, IS THE IMMIGRANT HOMEOWNER. A LOT OF IT IS THAT, IF YOU CAME RECENTLY, YOU DON’T HAVE ANY MONEY FROM YOUR FAMILY, YOUR FAMILY DOESN’T HAVE ANY PROPERTY TO TAKE A SECOND TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR DOWN PAYMENT. WHAT YOU TEND TO FIND IS THAT, FOR IMMIGRANTS, IT’S VERY, VERY DIFFICULT. THEY’RE SPENDING THIRTY OR FORTY PERCENT OF THEIR INCOME ON RENT, IN MANY CASES, AND NOW THEY’RE, IN SOME CASES, SPENDING FORTY TO FIFTY PERCENT OF THEIR INCOME ON THEIR MORTGAGE. THIS IS EXTRAORDINARILY DIFFICULT AND IT’S HARD FOR OUR ECONOMY TOO.

VAL>> DOES THAT PUT THEM AT RISK OF FORECLOSURE OR DOES IT SIMPLY MEAN THAT THEY’RE WILLING TO SACRIFICE MORE TO OWN THAT HOME?

JOEL KOTKIN>> I THINK THEY’RE WILLING TO SACRIFICE. THE FORECLOSURE RATES AMONG LATINOS ARE NOT PARTICULARLY HIGH. THEY HAVE BASICALLY BEEN PRETTY GOOD CREDIT RISKS ACROSS THE BOARD. THAT’S WHY THERE ARE MANY ATTEMPTS TO OPEN THE LOANS TO THEM. BUT WE REALLY HAVE TO FACE THIS AS A SOCIETY. EVERY OTHER GROUP THAT CAME HERE FOUND A HOUSING ALTERNATIVE, WHETHER THEY CAME AFTER WORLD WAR II WITH THE G.I. BILL. WE HAVE TO START THINKING ABOUT THIS NEW GENERATION OF CALIFORNIA HOMEOWNERS.

YOU KNOW, WE FOCUS ON LATINOS, BUT IF YOU LOOK DOWN THE ROAD IN CALIFORNIA, LATINOS ARE CALIFORNIA. THEY ARE GOING TO BE A PREDOMINANT GROUP AND, WITH THE INTER-MARRIAGE RATES, THEY’RE GOING TO BE IN ALMOST EVERYBODY’S FAMILY. THEY’RE GOING TO BE PART OF IT, THEY’RE GOING TO BE SHAPING OUR SOCIETY AND WE HAVE TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE OF ARE WE GOING TO ALLOW THIS GROUP TO BE OFF THE PROPERTY LIST OR ARE THEY GOING TO HAVE A PIECE OF THE PIE?

VAL>> AND, AGAIN, YOU MENTIONED ABOUT HOW MANY RENT, AND TAKE A LOOK AT ANOTHER FINDING. YOU FOUND THAT THE MAJORITY OF LATINO RENTERS ARE INDEED IMMIGRANTS. EIGHTY PERCENT WERE BORN -- THIS IS OF THE RENTERS -- EIGHTY PERCENT WERE BORN OUTSIDE THE U.S., SIXTY-SIX PERCENT IN MEXICO. SO REALLY WHEN YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT LATINO POPULATION, YOU’RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT A GROUP OF RENTERS.

JOEL KOTKIN>> WELL, PARTICULARLY AMONG THE IMMIGRANTS, A LARGE GROUP OF RENTERS.

VAL>> IMMIGRANTS, RIGHT, CORRECT.

JESS>> BUT ISN’T THE REAL ISSUE, THEN, AFFORDABLE HOUSING?

JOEL KOTKIN>> THE REAL ISSUE IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT CAN BE BOUGHT --

VAL>> -- FOR EVERYBODY, NOT JUST LATINOS (LAUGHTER).

JOEL KOTKIN>> FOR EVERYONE, YES. THE REASON I KEEP INSISTING ON THE IDEA OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUY IS THAT STUDIES WILL TELL YOU THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMEOWNERS ARE MORE INVOLVED IN THEIR CIVIC AFFAIRS. THE CRIME RATES IN AREAS OF HOMEOWNERS TEND TO BE LOWER --

VAL>> -- THEIR KIDS DO BETTER IN SCHOOL.

JOEL KOTKIN>> THE KIDS DO BETTER IN SCHOOL, THERE’S A SENSE OF STABILITY. AND WHEN WE ASKED THE LATINO HOMEOWNERS AND THE PROSPECTIVE HOMEOWNERS WHY ARE THEY DOING IT, THE BIGGEST REASON IS THEIR KIDS.

JESS>> BUT IF YOU’VE GOT A BIG PLOT OF LAND IN A CITY AND THE CHOICE IS BETWEEN PUTTING A BIG BOX STORE THERE THAT WILL PRODUCE LOTS OF SALES TAX REVENUE FOR THE CITY OR BUILDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WHO WINS?

JOEL KOTKIN>> WELL, YOU KNOW WHO WINS. THE BIG BOX DOES. BUT AGAIN, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK THE LATINO LEGISLATORS IN PARTICULAR, WHOSE CONSTITUENCY REALLY WANTS HOMEOWNERSHIP, HAS TO FOCUS ON AND I THINK THAT THEY’VE FAILED TO DATE. IN A WAY, THIS REPORT IS THROWING THE GAUNTLET DOWN TO THEM SAYING YOU SAY YOU’RE REPRESENTING THESE PEOPLE, BUT IT’S CLEAR THAT THEIR NUMBER ONE GOAL IN TERMS OF THEIR LIVES IS TO OWN A HOME. WHY AREN’T YOU FOCUSING ON THAT?

VAL>> JOE KOTKIN FROM PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR WORK AND FOR POINTING OUT AN IMPORTANT ISSUE.

JOEL KOTKIN>> THANK YOU.

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JESS>> GARY CONDIT DID IT, SO DID BILL CLINTON, BUT RICHARD NIXON WAS THE FIRST. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT POLITICIANS WHO HAVE USED TELEVISION TO SPIN THEIR WAY OUT OF SCANDAL. IT ALL BEGAN FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK WITH A SPEECH BROADCAST LIVE FROM HOLLYWOOD.

VAL>> RICHARD NIXON WAS THIRTY-NINE YEARS OLD AND THE JUNIOR SENATOR FROM CALIFORNIA. HE’D BEEN ACCUSED OF TAKING GIFTS FROM POWERFUL REPUBLICANS. THE SPEECH WAS NIXON’S WAY OF TRYING TO HOLD ON TO HIS SPOT AS DWIGHT EISENHOWER’S RUNNING MATE.

JESS>> IN HIS SPEECH, NIXON TOLD A STORY ABOUT HIS LITTLE DOG, “CHECKERS”, AND THAT’S HOW THE SPEECH CAME TO BE REMEMBERED. TONIGHT A LOOK BACK AT THIS HOLLYWOOD MOMENT ON THE WEEK OF ITS ANNIVERSARY, FIFTY YEARS AGO, TO BE PRECISE. THIS IS A STORY THAT TAKES PLACE AT THE EL CAPITAN THEATER. NO, NOT THIS EL CAPITAN. THIS ONE. BUT NOW IT’S CALLED THE PALACE, A POPULAR NIGHTCLUB. DURING THE 1940’S AND 1950’S, IT WAS WHERE THE LONG-RUNNING STAGE SHOW “KEN MURRAY’S BLACKOUTS” PLAYED AND WHERE SUCH NBC TV SHOWS AS “QUEEN FOR A DAY” AND “THE COLGATE COMEDY HOUR” WERE PRODUCED.

IT’S SEPTEMBER 1952. CALIFORNIA’S JUNIOR SENATOR, RICHARD NIXON, IS CAMPAIGNING FOR VICE PRESIDENT AS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER’S RUNNING MATE WHEN IT WAS REVEALED THAT HE HAD A PRIVATE FUND, $18,000, GIVEN TO HIM BY SEVENTY-SIX WEALTHY CALIFORNIANS, WHAT THE PRESS WAS CALLING A SLUSH FUND, AND CAUSING SEVERE DAMAGE TO THE EISENHOWER CAMPAIGN AGAINST DEMOCRAT ADLAI STEVENSON.

NIXON IS CAMPAIGNING IN LOS ANGELES. THE EISENHOWER CAMPAIGN IS ABOUT READY TO DUMP HIM UNLESS HE CAN EXPLAIN THE FUND. A HALF HOUR OF NETWORK TV TIME WAS PURCHASED FOR NIXON TO ADDRESS THE NATION ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23. LIVE COAST-TO-COAST TELEVISION JUST BECAME A REALITY IN 1952. THE EL CAPITAN THEATER WAS CHOSEN AT THE ORIGINATION POINT. “THE JIMMY DURANTE SHOW” WITH GUEST, PRESIDENT HARRY TRUMAN’S DAUGHTER, MARGARET, WAS BROADCAST JUST THREE DAYS BEFORE, BUT SAMPLE A BIT OF THIS HISTORIC TELEVISION BROADCAST.

>> LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, SENATOR RICHARD NIXON.

RICHARD NIXON>> “MY FELLOW AMERICANS, I COME BEFORE YOU TONIGHT AS A CANDIDATE FOR THE VICE PRESIDENCY AND AS A MAN WHOSE HONESTY AND INTEGRITY HAS BEEN QUESTIONED. NOW THE USUAL POLITICAL THING TO DO WHEN CHARGES ARE MADE AGAINST YOU IS TO EITHER IGNORE THEM OR TO DENY THEM WITHOUT GIVING DETAILS. I BELIEVE WE’VE HAD ENOUGH OF THAT IN THE UNITED STATES, PARTICULARLY WITH THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATION IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

TO ME, THE OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES IS A GREAT OFFICE AND I FEEL THAT THE PEOPLE HAVE GOT TO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE INTEGRITY OF THE MEN WHO RUN FOR THAT OFFICE AND WHO MIGHT ATTAIN IT. I HAVE A THEORY, TOO, THAT THE BEST AND ONLY ANSWER TO A SMEAR OR TO AN HONEST MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE FACTS IS TO TELL THE TRUTH AND THAT’S WHY I’M HERE TONIGHT. I WANT TO TELL YOU MY SIDE OF THE CASE.

I’M PROUD OF THE FACT THAT THE TAXPAYERS, BY SUBTERFUGE OR OTHERWISE, HAVE NEVER PAID ONE DIME FOR EXPENSES WHICH I THOUGHT WERE POLITICAL AND SHOULDN’T BE CHARGED TO THE TAXPAYERS. LET ME SAY, INCIDENTALLY, THAT SOME OF YOU MAY SAY, WELL, THAT’S ALL RIGHT, SENATOR. THAT’S YOUR EXPLANATION, BUT HAVE YOU GOT ANY PROOF?

I’D LIKE TO TELL YOU THIS EVENING THAT, JUST AN HOUR AGO, WE RECEIVED AN INDEPENDENT AUDIT OF THIS ENTIRE FUND. I SUGGESTED TO GOVERNOR SHERMAN ADAMS, WHO IS THE CHIEF OF STAFF OF DWIGHT EISENHOWER, THAT AN INDEPENDENT AUDIT AND LEGAL REPORT BE OBTAINED AND I HAVE THAT AUDIT HERE IN MY HAND. IT’S AN AUDIT MADE BY THE PRICE WATERHOUSE AND COMPANY FIRM AND THE LEGAL OPINION BY GIBSON, DUNN & CRUTCHER, LAWYERS IN LOS ANGELES, THE BIGGEST LAW FIRM AND INCIDENTALLY ONE OF THE BEST ONES IN LOS ANGELES.

I AM PROUD TO BE ABLE TO REPORT TO YOU TONIGHT THAT THIS AUDIT AND THIS LEGAL OPINION IS BEING FORWARDED TO GENERAL IKE EISENHOWER. I HAVE A FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR LOAN WHICH I HAVE ON MY LIFE INSURANCE. WELL, THAT’S ABOUT IT. THAT’S WHAT WE HAVE. THAT’S WHAT WE OWE. IT ISN’T VERY MUCH. I SHOULD SAY THIS, THAT PAT DOESN’T HAVE A MINK COAT, BUT SHE DOES HAVE A RESPECTABLE REPUBLICAN CLOTH COAT AND I ALWAYS TELL HER THAT SHE’D LOOK GOOD IN ANYTHING.

ONE OTHER THING I PROBABLY SHOULD TELL YOU, BECAUSE IF I DON’T, THEY’LL PROBABLY BE SAYING THIS ABOUT ME TOO. WE DID GET SOMETHING AS A GIFT AFTER THE ELECTION. A MAN DOWN IN TEXAS HEARD PAT ON THE RADIO MENTION THE FACT THAT OUR TWO YOUNGSTERS WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A DOG. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE DAY BEFORE WE LEFT ON THIS CAMPAIGN TRIP, WE GOT A MESSAGE FROM THE UNION STATION IN BALTIMORE SAYING THEY HAD A PACKAGE FOR US. WE WENT DOWN TO GET IT. YOU KNOW WHAT IT WAS? IT WAS A LITTLE COCKER SPANIEL DOG IN A CRATE THAT HE’D SENT ALL THE WAY FROM TEXAS, BLACK AND WHITE SPOTTED. OUR LITTLE GIRL, TRICIA, THE SIX-YEAR-OLD, NAMED HIM “CHECKERS”. YOU KNOW, THE KIDS, LIKE ALL KIDS, LOVED THE DOG. I JUST WANT TO SAY THIS RIGHT NOW THAT, REGARDLESS OF WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT IT, WE’RE GOING TO KEEP HIM."

VAL>> AND HERE NOW TO TALK ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THIS HISTORIC NIXON SPEECH IS BOB STERN. HE IS PRESIDENT OF THE CENTER FOR GOVERNMENTAL STUDIES IN WEST LOS ANGELES. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

BOB STERN>> NICE TO BE HERE. THANKS.

JESS>> ONE THING THAT STICKS OUT IN THAT WHOLE SO-CALLED SCANDAL WAS THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF $18,000?

BOB STERN>> IT WAS SUCH A SMALL AMOUNT OF MONEY AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS WERE ONLY BETWEEN $100 AND $500 FROM BUSINESS PEOPLE IN CALIFORNIA, SO IT WAS PEANUTS COMPARED TO WHAT WE SEE TODAY.

JESS>> BUT IT ALMOST COST HIM HIS PLACE ON THE --

BOB STERN>> -- ABSOLUTELY. EISENHOWER WAS RUNNING A CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE CORRUPTION OF THE TRUMAN ADMINISTRATION AND SAID WE HAVE TO BE CLEAN AS A HOUND'S TOOTH, AS THE EXPRESSION HE USED, SO NIXON WAS UNDER GREAT PRESSURE TO LEAVE THE TICKET. IN FACT, TOM DEWEY CAME TO HIM RIGHT BEFORE THE SPEECH AND SAID WE WANT YOU TO ANNOUNCE YOUR RESIGNING AND NIXON SAID LET'S WAIT AND SEE WHAT THE REACTION IS, AND THE REACTION IS HISTORY.

VAL>> AND ALL BECAUSE OF THIS, WHAT, A FUND OF MONEY THAT WAS GATHERED BY REPUBLICAN SUPPORTERS? THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE ANYTHING ILLEGAL.

BOB STERN>> IT WAS A SECRET SLUSH FUND IS WHAT THEY CALLED IT AND NOBODY KNEW UNTIL THE NEW YORK POST REPORTED ON IT. IF IT HADN'T BEEN SECRET, IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM. BUT BECAUSE IT WAS SECRET, THAT'S WHY. PEOPLE THEN ASSUMED HE WAS TAKING THE MONEY HIMSELF AND HE, OF COURSE, CLAIMED THE MONEY WAS BEING USED FOR SECRETARIES, FOR TRAVEL, FOR LEGITIMATE OFFICEHOLDER PURPOSES. WE'D CALL THAT AN OFFICEHOLDER FUND TODAY.

JESS>> WHY WAS IT SECRET THEN?

BOB STERN>> WELL, EVERYTHING WAS SECRET THEN (LAUGHTER). THERE WAS NOT MUCH CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE THEN. THERE WASN'T MUCH CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE UNTIL AFTER WATERGATE, UNTIL AFTER HE WAS FORCED TO RESIGN. HAD NIXON NOT MADE THAT SPEECH, WE WOULDN'T HAVE HAD WATERGATE, WE WOULDN'T HAVE THE CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE LAWS THAT WE HAVE TODAY.

JESS>> COULD HE HAVE REPEATED A SPEECH THAT COULD HAVE SAVED HIM FROM THE WATERGATE SCANDAL?

BOB STERN>> HE TRIED, HE TRIED. YOU REMEMBER HE HAD ALL THOSE BOOKS BEHIND HIM AND SAID I'M RELEASING THE TAPES? IT DIDN'T WORK. HE USED TELEVISION IN 1952 AND IT WORKED FOR HIM. IN 1960, WHEN HE DEBATED JOHN KENNEDY, IT BIT HIM. HE LOST AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE TELEVISION HEARINGS, THE WATERGATE HEARINGS, ALSO BIT HIM.

THIS WAS CALLED ONE OF THE HUNDRED GREATEST MOMENTS OF TELEVISION, THIS "CHECKERS" SPEECH. THIS WAS NUMBER THIRTY. THE WATERGATE HEARINGS WAS NUMBER THIRTEEN. THIS WAS ALSO CALLED THE SIXTH BEST POLITICAL SPEECH OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, THE FIRST BEING THE "I HAVE A DREAM" SPEECH BY MARTIN LUTHER KING. BUT THIS WAS CONSIDERED TO BE ONE OF THE GREAT POLITICAL MOMENTS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AND WE'RE CELEBRATING FIFTY YEARS.

VAL>> SO WHAT WAS THE PUBLIC REACTION AND WHAT WAS EISENHOWER'S REACTION AFTER THE SPEECH?

BOB STERN>> THE PUBLIC REACTION WAS THAT THREE MILLION LETTERS WERE SENT RIGHT AFTERWARDS, TWO MILLION TELEGRAMS, AND EISENHOWER WAS ABSOLUTELY FORCED TO TAKE NIXON. IN FACT, THEY WENT TO AN APPEARANCE IN WEST VIRGINIA AND EISENHOWER IN PUBLIC SAID, DICK, YOU'RE MY BOY.

VAL>> BOTH MEN, APPARENTLY, HAD TEARS IN THEIR EYES AT THAT MOMENT.

BOB STERN>> AND EISENHOWER, OF COURSE, WON AN OVERWHELMING VICTORY IN 1952 AGAINST STEVENSON, WON RE-ELECTION, AND, OF COURSE, NIXON WAS NOMINATED IN 1960 FOR PRESIDENT.

JESS>> THE REAL EMOTION, THE TEARS OF THOSE TWO MEN, CAME NOT SO MUCH FROM THE SPEECH ITSELF, BUT FROM THE PUBLIC REACTION TO THE SPEECH.

BOB STERN>> IT WAS JUST AMAZING, AND THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME TELEVISION WAS USED IN POLITICS. THAT'S THE OTHER BIG FACTOR HERE. REMEMBER, 1952 WAS THE FIRST YEAR THAT THERE WERE ANY TV COMMERCIALS FOR POLITICS. YOU KNOW, "IKE FOR PRESIDENT, IKE FOR PRESIDENT". WE ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT THAT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO IN TERMS OF THE TV COMMERCIALS. SO TELEVISION WAS IN ITS INFANCY AND, OF COURSE, THIS VAULTED TELEVISION INTO PROMINENCE. TELEVISION IS, OF COURSE, TODAY THE NUMBER ONE MEDIUM FOR EVERY POLITICIANS TO USE AND THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME.

VAL>> AND HIS SPEECH PREEMPTED "I LOVE LUCY".

BOB STERN>> IT DID.

VAL>> THAT'S LIKE A POLITICAL SPEECH PREEMPTING "FRIENDS". I MEAN, WE JUST CAN'T IMAGINE THAT HAPPENING TODAY.

JESS>> THAT TELLS YOU SOMETHING ABOUT TELEVISION TODAY. NO WAY WOULD THEY EVER PERMIT THAT (LAUGHTER).

BOB STERN>> (LAUGHTER) THAT'S RIGHT. YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. THEY WOULDN'T. I WAS SURPRISED THERE WAS SO MUCH SUPPORT FOR IT BECAUSE I WOULD THINK PEOPLE WANTED TO SEE "I LOVE LUCY".

VAL>> BUT, APPARENTLY, THEY WATCHED THE SPEECH.

BOB STERN>> THEY WATCHED THE SPEECH. PEOPLE WERE VERY INTERESTED IN POLITICS AND, OF COURSE, THEY WERE VERY INTERESTED IN TELEVISION AT THAT TIME. MY PARENTS WATCHED THE SPEECH AND THEY TOLD ME THAT I DID NOT WATCH THE SPEECH. EVEN THOUGH I WAS VERY INTERESTED IN TELEVISION, I WASN'T QUITE INTERESTED IN POLITICS AT THAT YOUNG AGE. BUT THEY WATCHED THE SPEECH. EVERYBODY WAS WATCHING THAT SPEECH. IT WAS JUST AN EVENT FOR PEOPLE TO SEE.

JESS>> AND THE TWO THINGS EVERYBODY REMEMBERS ARE HIS REFERENCE TO THE DOG, CHECKERS, AND THE REPUBLICAN CLOTH COAT.

BOB STERN>> I'D SAY THAT THE PET AND PAT SAVED HIM (LAUGHTER). YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU USE A DOG, EVERYBODY LOVES DOGS, SO THAT WAS -- AND THEN PAT WAS SITTING THERE RIGHT BY HIS SIDE. WE DIDN'T SEE A CLIP OF IT, BUT SHE WAS RIGHT THERE LOOKING AT HIM, SUPPORTING HIM, AND THE COAT AS WELL. SO THE SYMPATHY -- PEOPLE LIKE THE UNDERDOG AND HE REALLY CAME ACROSS AS THE UNDERDOG.

JESS>> AND NOW, FIFTY YEARS LATER, THERE IS TALK OF MOVING CHECKERS' REMAINS FROM BACK EAST TO --

BOB STERN>> -- TO THE NIXON LIBRARY. THAT'S RIGHT. THEY'RE EXHUMING THE DOG'S BONES AND THEY'RE GOING TO MOVE THEM AND, I GUESS, PUT THEM RIGHT NEXT TO PAT AND THE PRESIDENT, WHICH IS PRETTY AMAZING.

VAL>> NOW SOME DISCLOSURE DID OCCUR AFTER THE SPEECH. AS I UNDERSTAND, DURING THAT ELECTION CAMPAIGN, EISENHOWER REVEALED HIS TAX RETURN AND THE OTHER CANDIDATES REVEALED -- I MEAN, WHEN NIXON OPENED UP HIS, YOU KNOW, PERSONAL FINANCIAL RECORD, APPARENTLY IT HAD A KIND OF DOMINO EFFECT.

BOB STERN>> IT DID, BUT NIXON DIDN'T LEARN THE LESSON, DID HE? BECAUSE IN THE 1970'S, HE REFUSED TO DISCLOSE ALL THOSE CONTRIBUTIONS COMING IN THROUGH HIS AIDES. WHEN I WAS WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S OFFICE, WE WERE LOOKING INTO THAT. HE DIDN'T LEARN HIS LESSON AND HE LOST THE PRESIDENCY BECAUSE HE DIDN'T LEARN THAT DISCLOSURE IS SO IMPORTANT.

JESS>> AND THAT WAS THE LESSON.

VAL>> HOW IRONIC.

JESS>> OUR THANKS TO BOB STERN, PRESIDENT OF THE CENTER FOR GOVERNMENTAL STUDIES.

VAL>> THANK YOU SO MUCH. THAT WAS GREAT. THAT'S OUR PROGRAM FOR TONIGHT. GO TO KCET.ORG FOR AUDIO OF PAST PROGRAMS AND PREVIEWS OF UPCOMING STORIES AND INTERVIEWS.

JESS>> AND NOW FOR ALL OF US HERE AT LIFE AND TIMES, HAVE A GREAT EVENING.

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