While Jesse Unruh never held a title of authority, he did have the power to control the state decision making process. Jesse Unruh was the perfect politician for California because he was a politician unto himself. No one told Unruh what to do. He always did what he thought best, regardless of the beliefs of the rest of the assembly. Much the same way California does what California wants, regardless of the rest of the country's beliefs. Amazingly enough both Unruh and California have always been leaders in their perspective arenas, with the rest of the world coming around to their way of thinking.
Jesse Unruh's political career began at the same time as politics in California, and the country, began to change. Jesse could see these changes and even though working with the lobbyists went against his beliefs, he was smart enough to understand he must play their game to some extent in order to be effective. What the lobbyists did not foresee was Unruh playing their game to his advantage and even more successfully then they ever could. .
Unruh learned how to use the lobbyists" money to better the assembly, not just to expand his wallet. Unruh may have come from a poor immigrant family from Texas, but he was not an ignorant hick. He was a well-educated gentleman, who sought to exceed in the realm of politics. Unruh did not express the same oppressive views of southerners toward people of color. He was a forward thinking man who pushed for anti-discrimination laws in the state, for which the Unruh Civil Rights Act was enacted in 1959. .
The press portrayed Unruh as a bawdy, drunken, womanizing, self-indulgent thief. Jesse Unruh in fact was a very intelligent politician. He took the lobbyist's money but he used it to the advantage of the Democratic Party and the people of California. Jesse Unruh used his brains when choosing those closest to him, he preferred loyalty. Unruh built the strength of the Democratic Party by doling out money to the young politician's he deemed most worthy.
