Tom Bates
| Tom Bates | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Mayor of Berkeley | |
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In office December 2002 – December 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Shirley Dean |
| Succeeded by | Jesse Arreguin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 9, 1938 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Loni Hancock |
Thomas H. Bates (born February 9, 1938) was Mayor of Berkeley, California and a member of the California State Assembly. Bates is married to Loni Hancock, another former mayor of Berkeley and State Assembly member who currently serves in the California State Senate. Bates is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and was a member of the Golden Bears' 1959 Rose Bowl team. Bates was a captain in the United States Army Reserves after graduating from college and served in Germany. He worked in real estate prior to his service in the state legislature. Bates also served as a member of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.
Bates served in the California State Assembly representing the 14th District (the East Bay Area) from 1976 to 1996. During those 20 years, Bates was known as one of the legislature's most liberal members. Under Republican governors, Bates authored over 220 bills that became law, including the creation of the East Bay Shoreline State Park, a number of progressive social policy laws, and the founding of the first Community Bank in the Bay Area. Bates authored the first legislation in the country allowing "brew pubs" - establishments that brew their own beer for sales on and off the premises and are typically combined with a restaurant.
After retiring from the Assembly in 1996, Bates taught at UC Berkeley and worked to ensure healthier foods in the Oakland and Berkeley school districts. In 2002, Bates was drafted out of retirement to challenge the two-term incumbent mayor of Berkeley, Shirley Dean. He won the race with 55% of the vote.
Bates personally stole approximately 1,000 copies of The Daily Californian on the day before the 2002 Berkeley mayoral election after the student-run campus newspaper endorsed his opponent, then-Mayor Shirley Dean. Bates won the election the next day, but continued to deny any involvement even after being caught by a Daily Californian editor, leading to the filing of a police report. Eventually, Bates pleaded guilty to the theft and he was charged with an infraction and was fined $250 (as opposed to the misdemeanor of petty theft recommended by UCPD.) Following his election, Bates led the city council in passing an ordinance that outlawed the stealing of free newspapers and gave a series of talks discussing his mistakes and what he learned from them. Four years later, the California legislature passed a similar law that would apply statewide.
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