Delaney Eastin, a pioneer who was one of a handful of women elected to statewide office in California, has died after suffering a stroke, according to her representatives. She was 76 years old.
A statement issued by those close to Eastin after his death on April 23 said, “Delaney will be remembered for her immense intelligence, boundless kind spirit, keen sense of humor and courageous leadership in the local, state, national and international arenas. Will go.” Her love of education, children, animals, gardens and the arts is reflected in everything she does.”
The first and only woman elected state superintendent of public schools, Eastin and her then-husband were unable to have children. After winning office in 1994, Eastin recalled telling him, “Now you have 6.1 million kids.”
This ethos was rooted in Eastin’s core beliefs. She grew up in a blue-collar family that emphasized the importance of education. His father, originally from Appalachia, a machinist, gave him $1 for every poem he memorized, took out a second mortgage on the family home to pay for his college costs and his graduation. Cried over studies.
“Education changed my life forever,” Eastin told The Times during his bid for California governor in 2018. “I want this for every kid.”
born in 1947 In San Diego, Eastin grew up primarily in San Carlos. Although neither her father nor mother, a San Francisco store clerk, went to college, both prioritized the importance of school.
“My father said education gives you choices,” Eastin recalled in 2018. “They felt like they didn’t always have options.”
Teachers were important in shaping his future, he said, particularly a drama teacher at Carlmont High School who urged him to try out for a part in “The Man Who Came to Dinner.” When she didn’t agree, he told her, “This is a metaphor for your entire life. If you never try, you’ll never get the role.”
After winning the role, Eastin said that advice stuck with him.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from UC Davis in 1969 and a master’s degree in political science, both from UC Santa Barbara, in 1971, and then taught at community colleges and worked in the private sector before running for office. Eastin was elected to the Union City City Council in 1980 and then represented parts of Alameda and Santa Clara counties in the state legislature from 1986 to 1992.
She was one of the few women MPs in the state at that time.
“Women were especially close to each other in those days,” Eastin told the Orange County Register In 2023. “Women looked after each other because we had to, because unless we stood up for each other we were dismissed or talked down to in some cases.”
“I remember in the early days, there were people who wouldn’t let me get on the members’ elevator because I was a girl, and I couldn’t possibly be a member,” Eastin recalled, at one point, at an assembly. The leader referred to the Legislative Women’s Caucus as the “Lipstick Caucus”. Eventually he apologized.
Eastin’s then-colleagues remember him as a mentor.
“Son, I was lucky! In 1990, I was a brand-new assemblywoman and Delaney took me under his wing,” said former state Senator Dede Alpert, who served in the state Assembly with Eastin. “His knowledge and leadership skills helped me in policy issues and politics. At a time when there were not many women in the legislature, she was an amazing leader who made it her job to bring new women members on board. She was very generous with her time and talent.”
Eastin was then elected Superintendent of Public InstructionServed from 1995 to 2003.
Current Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond noted Eastin’s focus on universal preschool, nutrition, writing on social media, “His dedication and vision for nutrition and preparing students for the future has expanded what is possible for our students today. Laid its foundation.” And celebrating teachers.
Eastin Ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018. Although he lacked the money-raising ability and statewide name recognition necessary to win the seat, Eastin won the praise of his Democratic rivals and party activists.
They appreciated her history, beliefs, and intelligence, such as when she was asked about student testing during a gubernatorial debate and she responded, “You can’t fatten a pig by weighing it again and again.”
Eastin is survived by two women whom she considered her “chosen daughters”, Daisy Gonzales, a former foster child who is deputy chancellor of the state’s community college system, and Maha Ibrahim, an attorney with Equal Rights Advocates.
“Delaney taught us that leadership is about values and empowering the next generation to find their voice. Education is the tool to ignite change, Gonzales said.
She added, “Deline also taught me that family can look like many different ways.” “She had complete trust and love for future generations, and she was not afraid of what was different or new. She was a trailblazer, a hero and a mentor to many. For Maha and me, she was also family.
Eastin is also survived by cousins, nieces and nephews. A celebration of his life is expected to be held in Davis this summer.
