Jack Scott (California politician): Difference between revisions

{{short description|American politician}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| image = Jack Scott, 2006.jpg

|term_start = December 4, 2000

|term_end = November 30, 2008

|state_assembly2 = California

|district2 = [[California's 44th State Assembly district|44th]]

|term2 = December 2, 1996 - November 30, 2000

|preceded2 = [[William Hoge (California politician)|Bill Hoge]]

|succeeded2 = [[Carol Liu]]

|office3 = 9th [[Pasadena City College|President of Pasadena City College]]

|term_start3 = 1987

|term_end3 = 1995

|predecessor3 = John W. Casey

|successor3 = James Kossler

|birth_name=Jack Alan Scott

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1933|08|24}}

|birth_place =[[Sweetwater, Texas]], U.S.

|spouse = Lacreta Isbell

|children = 5

'''Jack Alan Scott''' (born August 24, 1933) is an American educator and former [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] politician. Currently, a scholar in residence at [[Claremont Graduate University]], Scott earlier served as president at two California community colleges, member of the [[California State Assembly]] and [[California State Senate]] and [[Chancellor (education)|Chancellor]] of the [[California Community Colleges System]].

Scott was born in [[Sweetwater, Texas]]. He received a Bachelor's degree from [[Abilene Christian University]], a [[Master of Divinity]] degree from [[Yale Divinity School]], and a Ph.D. degree in American history from [[Claremont Graduate University]]. Scott joined the faculty at [[Pepperdine University]], after moving to California in 1962.<ref>{{cite web|title=About Jack Scott - Biography |publisher=digital.library.ucla.edu |url=http://digital.library.ucla.edu/websites/2000_999_016/bio.htm |access-date=2012-12-12}}</ref>

In 1973 Scott became Dean of Instruction at [[Orange Coast College]]. Five years later he became president of [[Cypress College]], serving from 1978 to 1987. Scott became president of [[Pasadena City College]] in 1987 and served there until 1995. He is the first ''President Emeritus'' of that school.

On May 8, 2008, Scott was selected to be the 14th Chancellor of the California Community Colleges System, the largest system of higher education in the world. Serving over two million students on 112 college campuses, the statewide system is divided into 72 community college districts, overseen by locally elected Boards of Trustees.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cccco.edu/Portals/4/News/press_releases/Chancellor%20Announcement%20Release%2005_08_08.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2008-05-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411010515/http://www.cccco.edu/Portals/4/News/press_releases/Chancellor%20Announcement%20Release%2005_08_08.pdf |archive-date=2009-04-11 }}</ref> Retiring from that position in late summer 2012, Scott became a scholar in residence at Claremont University on September 17, 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jack Scott to Join Claremont University as Scholar in Residence|url=http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/08/jack-scott-to-join-claremont-university-as-scholar-in-residence.html|publisher=Sacramento Bee|access-date=2012-12-12|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121224230815/http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/08/jack-scott-to-join-claremont-university-as-scholar-in-residence.html|archive-date=2012-12-24}}</ref>

In 1996 Scott was recruited by state Democrats to run for [[California State Assembly]] against vulnerable incumbent [[William Hoge (California politician)|Bill Hoge]] (R-Pasadena). He wound up ousting him, and then won an easy reelection in 1998.<ref>California Journal Vol. XXVII, No.12 (December 1996) "District by district analysis". StateNet Publications, December 1996.</ref>

While serving in the state Senate, Scott chaired the Senate Committee on Education and also chaired the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education. He introduced legislation that would ban [[BoPET|Mylar]] balloons in response to the [[Burbank Water & Power]] complaining about hundreds of [[power outages]] caused by these kinds of balloons.<ref>http://dist21.casen.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_PR&SEC= {{dead link|date=July 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{4C48CECE-D974-4F7F-9F6C-D3FB4B481ECB}&DE={E30D53A4-DEBB-4814-BC20-B2CD029D602B}</ref> This had led to protests, led by [[KFI]] hosts [[John and Ken]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_9558158 |title=Protesters claim Scott's balloon bill is a bunch of hot air - Pasadena Star-News |access-date=2008-06-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202155901/http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_9558158 |archive-date=2008-12-02 }}</ref> The Senate eventually passed an amended version of the bill that would raise the penalty for selling a balloon without a proper weight attached and require the balloon to have a warning about the risks of the balloon coming in contact with power lines.<ref>http://dist21.casen.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_PR&SEC= {{dead link|date=July 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{4C48CECE-D974-4F7F-9F6C-D3FB4B481ECB}&DE={CFC646FC-55F6-4B9F-806D-AAA0780AAEA2}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/sen/sb_1451-1500/sb_1499_bill_20080815_amended_asm_v94.html| title = SB 1499 Senate Bill - AMENDED}}</ref>

|+ Member, [[California State Assembly]]: 1996-2000<br />

|California State Assembly<br /> District 44

|California State Assembly<br /> District 72

|California State Senate<br /> District 21

|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''Jack Scott''' 53.3%<br />

|California State Senate<br /> District 21

{{succession box |title=[[California State Assembly]], 44th District |before=[[William Hoge (California politician)|Bill Hoge]] |after=[[Carol Liu]] |years=December 2, 1996 - November 30, 2000}}

{{succession box |title=[[California State Senate]], 25th District |before=[[Adam Schiff]] |after=[[Carol Liu]] |years=December 4, 2000 - November 30, 2008}}

Scott and his late wife, Lacreta (1934-2021),<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/pasadenastarnews/name/lacreta-scott-obituary?id=6637639| title = Lacreta Scott Obituary (1934 - 2021) - Pasadena, CA - Pasadena Star-News| website = [[Legacy.com]]}}</ref> have five children, eleven grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren.

Scott is very active in gun control. He began his gun control efforts after his son Adam, an attorney who had recently graduated from USC Law School, was fatally shot at a party with friends. One of his friends had a [[shotgun]], which he did not know was loaded. His friend discharged the shotgun, hitting Adam and killing him.<ref>{{cite web|title=Slayings Put Educator on Crusade for Gun Control |url=https://articles.latimes.com/1993-11-21/news/ga-59162_1_gun-control-pasadena-city-college-son-s-death |work=Los Angeles Times |date=21 November 1993 |access-date=2012-12-13}}</ref>

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20111110210219/http://www.cccco.edu/ChancellorsOffice/Chancellor/tabid/191/Default.aspx Office of the Chancellor]

*{{Ballotpedia}}

*[http://www.joincalifornia.com/candidate/6035 Join California Jack Scott]

[[Category:California state senators]]

[[Category:Heads of universities and colleges in the United States]]

[[Category:Yale Divinity School alumni]]

[[Category:21st-century American legislators]]

[[Category:People from Sweetwater, Texas]]

[[Category:21st-century California politicians]]