Sen. Greene to Retire After 36-Year Career

Democratic state Sen. Leroy Greene of Sacramento, 79, a fighter in the Legislature for education, announced Friday that he will retire next year, regardless of how the courts rule on term limits.

“I’ve had enough. Thirty-six years is plenty of time to spend in the Legislature,” the blunt-speaking expert on educational finance and school construction told reporters.

Unlike many of his colleagues who are awaiting final court action on term limits before making employment plans, Greene--who under current rules could not run again--said he will end his political career even if term limits are overturned.

Greene, a liberal who championed construction of schools and sponsored billions of dollars’ worth of bond issue bills, declined to endorse a potential successor for his Sacramento district, which in the last decade has changed from safely Democratic to questionable.

Greene was elected to the Assembly in 1963 and to the Senate in 1982. In retirement, he said, he intends to become a consultant to local education districts on the design, construction and financing of schools.