Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to KCRW Reports

    KCRW Reports

    The 'genius' of Jerry Brown

    Jerry Brown has been a part of California’s political fabric for almost 50 years—taking on jobs from Secretary of State and head of the Democratic Party to Mayor of Oakland and state Attorney General.  Now he’s less than a month away from wrapping…

    • Share
    By Darrell Satzman • Dec 24, 2018 • 9m Listen

    Chery Glaser talks to Narda Zacchino, who covered Brown's first two terms as Governor while she was Sacramento bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times. She says a lot of forces have shaped his approach to governing--including his Jesuit training for the priesthood. But she says one incident in particular stands out-- back when Brown was in his 20s and his father was governor. It involved a man named Caryl Chessman, who was on California's death row after being convicted of robbery and assaulting a woman.

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Darrell Satzman

      Producer

    • KCRW placeholder

      Narda Zucchino

      author of the book "California Comeback: The Genius of Jerry Brown"

      News
    Back to KCRW Reports