Jack D. Maltester
Encyclopedia
Biography
Jack D. Maltester was born in 1913 in San Leandro, California and was of Irish and Northern Italian descent.Maltester was appointed to the San Leandro City Council in 1948, to replace Helen Lawrence when she was selected mayor of that city by the City Council. Lawrence became Maltester's mentor in city government. Maltester served until the election of April, when he lost his seat. In 1956, Maltester was elected to the City Council, and then selected Vice Mayor by the City Council. In 1958, he was selected as Mayor by the City Council.
In 1962, Maltester became the first Mayor of San Leandro to be elected by popular ballot. He was re-elected three times, in 1966, 1970 and 1974.
In 1963, responding to the national Civil Rights Movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
, Maltester proposed a Committee on Human Rights and Responsibilities. The City Council rebuffed this initiative three times. He testified on housing discrimination at a hearing of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on May 6, 1967. Throughout the sixties, Maltester and the City Council lowered the city's tax rates to offset rising property assessments.
Maltester served as President of the United States Conference of Mayors
United States Conference of Mayors
United States Conference of Mayors, sometimes referred to as the United States Council of Mayors, is the official non-partisan organization for cities with populations of 30,000 or more. The cities are each represented by their mayor or other chief elected official...
(USCM) from 1969 to 1970. In 1971 he sponsored a resolution at the annual USCM meeting in Philadelphia, entitled "Withdrawal from Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and Reordering of National Priorities", which called upon President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
"to do all within his power to bring about a complete withdrawal of all American forces from Vietnam by December 31, 1971." Speaking in support of the resolution, Maltester said,
Although, never brought before the voters of San Leandro, Maltester insisted;
I might ask you: Have we left anything up until now to the military experts or have we been running a political war in Vietnam? My city, a small city in California with less than 70,000 people, proposed this resolution and it is supported by the citizens of the community. It is not a resolution of condemnation. It is not offered in rancor. It is a positive statement of principle. To support this position, I believe, is an obligation none of us can ignore in the name of humanity. I ask your vote for an end to this war.
The resolution was adopted by the body of mayors after vigorous debate that included speeches by conference guest speakers John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
and John O'Neill
John O'Neill (Vietnam veteran)
John Ellis O'Neill is a Vietnam War veteran, lawyer, and the spokesman for Swift Vets and POWs for Truth .-Background:...
. New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Mayor John Lindsay
John Lindsay
John Vliet Lindsay was an American politician, lawyer and broadcaster who was a U.S. Congressman, Mayor of New York City, candidate for U.S...
and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
Mayor Richard J. Daley
Richard J. Daley
Richard Joseph Daley served for 21 years as the mayor and undisputed Democratic boss of Chicago and is considered by historians to be the "last of the big city bosses." He played a major role in the history of the Democratic Party, especially with his support of John F...
, whom Maltester greatly admired, were among those who voted for the resolution.
In 1973, Robert W. Crown, who represented the district including San Leandro in the California State Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
, was struck and killed by an automobile while jogging in Alameda
Alameda, California
Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...
. Maltester ran to represent the vacant seat for the 14th Assembly District
California's 14th State Assembly district
California's 14th State Assembly District is one of 80 districts in the California State Assembly. It is currently represented by Democrat Nancy Skinner.-District profile:Alameda County - 10.82%*Albany*Berkeley*Emeryville*Oakland - 7.54%...
, but lost to Crown aide and San Leandro Unified School District
San Leandro Unified School District
San Leandro Unified School District is a publicly funded unified school district in San Leandro, Alameda County, California. The District has 12 schools and 447 teachers, with a total enrollment of 8,729 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.-Staff:...
Board member Bill Lockyer
Bill Lockyer
William Westwood "Bill" Lockyer is an American politician. He is the current 32nd State Treasurer of California, elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2010. He has also served as California Attorney General and President Pro Tempore of the California State Senate...
.
In April 1974, voters passed a charter amendment limiting City Council members and the mayor to two consecutive terms, preventing Maltester from running for a fifth consecutive term. When his final term expired, Maltester had served as mayor for 20 consecutive years. During his term, the San Leandro shoreline and marine recreational area were developed, a library was built and BART extended a line to the city. After leaving the mayor's office, Maltester became a "consultant" to various businesses who wished to do business in the City of San Leandro.
Maltester remained active in San Leandro business and politics, serving terms as President of the San Leandro Chamber of Commerce and the California League of Cities. In 1992, the channel leading into the San Leandro Marina was named the "Jack D. Maltester Channel".
Maltester died May 1, 2009 at the age of 95.
In attendance at his funeral were State of California Treasurer Bill Lockyer and State Senator Ellen Corbett. Former Alameda County Sheriff Charles "Charlie" Plummer gave a eulogy in praise of Maltester, recounting with fondness about the day, despite barely knowing Maltester, he was invited to have lunch with Maltester. When Plummer arrived at the restaurant he asked why was he invited since he barely knew Maltester, to which Maltester replied; "Because you're running for Sheriff".