Jerry Brown Shares Key Wins During ULI Talk

SAN FRANCISCO—Jerry Brown, two-time governor of California, attributes the successes he has achieved during his second term to decades of experience making tough decisions, focusing and listening as a public official, during his first term as governor in the mid-1970s, then as mayor of Oakland. Brown, who was interviewed by ULI leader and Marcus & Millichap Company chairman, George Marcus, during a keynote session on Tuesday, mused he has learned, “it’s better to take office when an economic recovery is beginning, because when things are going south, it’s hard not to get blamed”.

The key to turning obstacles into accomplishments, Brown said, is to focus on a few critical issues and to stay focused on seeing them through, avoid getting involved in so many issues that follow-through becomes impossible and find the “yeses when you can”.