33rd Governor Of California

Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 33rd Governor of California, spanning two terms from 1967 to 1975, marked a pivotal period in the state's history. His leadership during this time laid the groundwork for his later political career and left a lasting impact on California and the nation as a whole. Reagan was sworn in on January 2, 1967, preceding Edmund Gerald "Pat" Brown. Reagan took bold steps to reform California's welfare system, aiming to reduce dependency and encourage self-sufficiency among recipients.

Reagan infamously campaigned on the platform "to send the welfare bums back to work" as he implemented welfare cuts and tightened eligibility requirements, arguing that welfare should be a temporary assistance rather than a long-term solution. By 1974 the number of welfare cases dropped by 20 percent and a significant dent was put into welfare fraud saving the state of California hundreds of millions of dollars.

Reagan made education reform a priority, aiming to improve the quality of California's public schools and address disparities in educational opportunities. He pushed for increased funding for education, implemented standardized testing, and supported measures to hold schools accountable for academic performance. Reagan supported school finance reform with a new annual fiscal grant of 454 million dollars that was allocated to local school districts. This included reducing the school tax rates across California, in addition to 220 million dollars of the annual grant targeted at providing aid for poor school districts.

During the Reagan Governorship, Ronald Reagan signed the Mulford Act on July 28, 1968, marking the first step to gun control in the state of California. The Mulford Act was designed to combat "Copwatching" pertaining to the Black Panthers Party methodology of self-governance over police conduct. Reagan was prolific against the overriding demonstrations held at Berkley University. On May 15, 1969, the People's Park Protest took a nasty turn, which led to Ronald Reagan calling a state of emergency. Reagan ordered 2,700 troops from the California National Guard to tackle the out-of-control protest. Reagan defended the conduct of the California National Guard along with his actions and advocacy. In a speech at the California Council of Growers on April 7, 1970, he stated "If it takes a bloodbath, let's get it over with. No more appeasement." regarding the events of the Berkley University Protest.

Reagan also demonstrated a commitment to environmental conservation during his time as Governor, In response to the increasing number of disastrous events such as the 1969 Cuyahoga River Fire. In 1970 Reagan signed off on (CEQA) The California Environmental Quality Act. CEQA was aimed to protect the state's natural resources, which required an Environmental Impact Report regarding any public project and its impact on environmental elements.

Reagan's tenure as Governor of California catapulted him onto the national stage and paved the way for his successful presidential bid in 1980 which saw him become the 40th president of the United States. His conservative principles and leadership style appealed to a broad base of voters, setting the stage for the conservative resurgence in American politics that would define the latter half of the 20th century. Reagan's time as Governor left an indelible mark on California and cemented his legacy as one of the most influential political figures of his time.