Some History

Yours truly came across a used book he had on the shelf, "Willie Brown: A Biography," by James Richardson (U of California Press, 1996). For those who don't know the name, Willie Brown was a powerful speaker of the state assembly in the 1980s and early 1990s. He later was mayor of San Francisco. 

Back in the 1980s, Governor George Deukmejian, a Republican, needed the support of Democrat Willie Brown to pass state budgets and other legislation. Although there was more bipartisanship in those days than now, the two men had little in common, either in personal background or political outlook. But they nonetheless had to get along.

Willie Brown in the 1980s backed UC financial divestment from South Africa. Deukmejian initially was opposed. It should be noted that the idea of academic boycott, as opposed to a financial action, was never an issue. If you have any doubt, check the UCLA library and you will find South African academic journals to which the library subscribed. Moreover, an academic boycott would have prevented dissidents from South Africa from visiting UC, as some did.

The Brown biography tells the story of the eventual UC divestment, which differs from the way the tale has been told more recently. I reproduce the relevant material from the book below (pp. 311-313). The actual story is somewhat different than some now imagine. Basically, Brown pressured Deukmejian who pressured a reluctant Regents and UC president:

(Apologies for the crude reproduction of the text. The markings on the page were not made by yours truly.)