Tax Returns Offer a Glimpse of Willie Brown’s Lifestyle

Former state Assembly Speaker Willie Brown claimed $62,365 in deductions over five years for Italian suits and other items he gave to a San Francisco thrift store, a review of his tax returns shows.

Now a candidate for San Francisco mayor, Brown has made his tax returns available for the first time.

Brown has been criticized for saying he could not get by on a $138,669 mayor’s salary if elected, and the City Charter prohibits the mayor from engaging in private business activities.

The tax returns show just how much Brown depended on his San Francisco law practice to supplement his legislator’s pay.

He filed jointly with his estranged wife, Blanche, and reported $1.4 million in earnings from his law firm between 1990 and 1994. He collected $292,761 from his state salary over the same period.

The couple’s best year was 1991, when their taxable income was $431,002--aided by $14,132 that Blanche Brown reported from her San Francisco dance studio.

The worst year was 1994, when their total taxable income was $64,831--offset by losses of $79,556 from a partnership in Oakland radio station KDIA. Brown co-owns the station with Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris.

The tax returns also shed light on Brown’s lifestyle. He reported losing more than $6,000 on the sale of a 1990 Miata automobile and $13,000 on the sale of a 1990 Corvette.

Income from Brown’s law practice has dropped more than two-thirds over the past five years, according to the returns. The highest annual income reported was $390,000 in 1991. The lowest was $111,188, reported in 1994.

Brown represented some of the Bay Area’s biggest development interests while he served as a state legislator.