Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • beats
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    • California Dream
    • Videos
    • Photos
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Roots
    • Eclectic
    • Videos
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight
    • The View From Here
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • Insight Music
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • CapRadio Travels
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support / Underwriting
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Volunteering
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
  • State Government
  •  

A California First Lady Unlike Any Other

  •  Ben Adler 
Thursday, January 8, 2015 | Sacramento, CA
Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
  

California Governor Jerry Brown’s inauguration this week served as a rare moment in the public spotlight for his wife. But behind the scenes, Anne Gust Brown plays a much larger role than previous California first ladies.

The Assembly chambers were packed as Jerry Brown made history – the first California governor ever to be sworn in for a fourth term. And Anne Gust Brown stepped up to the podium to introduce her husband. 

“Oh my god, this mind that runs at 100 miles per hour,” she told the crowd of elected officials and guests. “It is restless. It’s seeking. It’s probing. It’s creative. And frankly, for all of us who work with him, it’s exhausting. But it is so stimulating, that mind of his.” 

The governor’s office says Gust Brown thought about her remarks over the weekend but didn’t start writing them down until that very morning. She’d been too busy working with her husband – on his speech.

That sums up the woman who’s been a different kind of California first lady. She’s not just first lady – in fact, the Browns eliminated the Office of the First Lady. She also holds the unprecedented – and unpaid – position of Special Counsel to the governor.

“Anne Gust Brown is a competent worker who enjoys being behind the scenes and getting things done,” says Karen Skelton, who worked with Gust Brown and other first ladies, including Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama and Maria Shriver. She says some need to have a public presence; others prefer to take ownership of specific projects.

“But Anne Gust Brown wants to serve as a consigliere – privately and, it seems to me, hugely productive – in the way she can work side by side with her husband on his priorities,” Skelton says.

That role has occasionally led to confrontation.

“Frankly, I was yelled at more than I was talked to,” said then-Senate Republican Leader Bob Dutton, after state budget talks broke down in March 2011. “And mostly by Mrs. Brown, not even Governor Brown.”

Another time, she reportedly had a very heated conversation with the proponent of a ballot measure that competed with one pushed by the governor. But the current Senate Republican leader, Bob Huff, has nothing but praise for the first lady.

“We go through life with our life partners; they work side by side us and everything,” says Huff. “Then we get into the political arena and they’re supposed to just drop off the face of the map. That doesn’t make any sense, because it’s typically our closest working partner, our spouse, that is helping us in most of the key decisions we’re making in life. And often, we find people who complement our skill set. And I think certainly, the governor has that with Anne Gust.”

People who’ve worked with the lawyer and former Gap executive say she’s extremely perceptive, and can quickly grasp challenging subjects and analyze potential strategies. They also say she doesn’t always have patience for what she views as time-wasting political posturing.

Gust Brown declined to comment for this story, choosing to let her speech on Monday speak for itself. In that speech, she offered a glimpse of why she fell in love with Jerry Brown. They met in 1990 and married in 2005. 

“His mind makes him endlessly interesting, and yet his heart makes him utterly devoted and committed,” she said.

Then, she turned to her husband.

“And it’s just been terrific being with you.”

1206-brown -inauguration -2015-p


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

    Related Stories

  • Rich Pedroncelli / AP

    The Evolution Of Anne Gust Brown

    Wednesday, January 7, 2015
    Today on Insight, Political Consultant Karen Skelton, talks about the difference these past four years have made in Anne Gust Brown's life.
  • Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

    Live Blog: Gov. Brown Touts Economic Progress, Calls For 'Careful Balance'

    Monday, January 5, 2015
    Check back regularly for updates on the State of the State and Inauguration today. Complete text, and audio of speech now available. UPDATE: Jan. 6, 5 A.M.
  • Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

    FULL TRANSCRIPT: Jerry Brown's Remarks

    Monday, January 5, 2015
    Gov. Jerry Brown delivers his inaugural address on Jan. 5, 2015.
  • Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

    Reactions To Brown's Inauguration, State Of The State Speech

    Following Jerry Brown's inaugural address, lawmakers released their statements reacting to the governor's speech.

 jerry brownAnne Gust Brown

Ben Adler

Director of Programming and Audience Development

Director of Programming and Audience Development Ben Adler first became a public radio listener in the car on his way to preschool — though not necessarily by choice.  Read Full Bio 

Coronavirus Newsletter

Get answers to your questions, the latest updates and easy access to the resources you need, delivered to your inbox.

 

Want to know what to expect? Here's a recent newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

We'll send you weekly emails so you can stay informed about the coronavirus in California.

Browse all newsletters

More State Government Stories

Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

California’s Capitol On Guard: Inauguration Day Demonstrations End Peacefully

January 20, 2021

Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

California’s Capitol On Guard: Despite FBI Warnings, No Armed Protest In Sacramento On Sunday

January 17, 2021

Harris Will Leave Senate Seat Monday, Set To Return As Tiebreaking Vice President

January 17, 2021

Most Viewed

California’s Capitol On Guard: Inauguration Day Demonstrations End Peacefully

California Attorney General Files Nine Lawsuits In One Day As Trump Leaves Office

California Coronavirus Updates: More Than A Dozen COVID-19 Patients Being Treated At Former Kings Arena

California Coronavirus Updates: California Greenlights Previously Paused Moderna Vaccine

Legal Observers Say Sacramento Police Arrests Unfairly Targeted Activists With Antifa On Eve Of Inauguration

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

California’s Capitol On Guard: Inauguration Day Demonstrations End Peacefully

California Attorney General Files Nine Lawsuits In One Day As Trump Leaves Office

California Coronavirus Updates: More Than A Dozen COVID-19 Patients Being Treated At Former Kings Arena

California Coronavirus Updates: California Greenlights Previously Paused Moderna Vaccine

Legal Observers Say Sacramento Police Arrests Unfairly Targeted Activists With Antifa On Eve Of Inauguration

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2021, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.