Ethan Rarick & Calif. Gov. Pat Brown

Ethan Rarick tells the story of former California Governor Pat Brown in his book, "California Rising." Democrat Edmund G. "Pat" Brown governed the state of California from 1959 to 1967. Mr. Rarick uses Pat Brown's diary as well as love letters written to his wife to chronicle his political career and the history of California. The author discusses Governor Brown's positive reaction to the Free Speech Movement at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1964, the Watts Riots in 1965, and the fate of Caryl Chessman, a convicted kidnapper who gained international attention by writing best-selling books on death row. This event was hosted by the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco. Ethan Rarick covered politics in California and Oregon for fifteen years. His work has appeared in the "Los Angeles Times" and the "San Francisco Chronicle." "California Rising" is his first book.