Kenneth Burt, 1958 – 2021
Former gubernatorial advisor Daniel Zingale reports the passing of his friend Ken Burt, the former political director of the California Federation of Teachers. Burt died Tuesday, June 15, at the age of 62 from Parkinson’s Disease and ALS. “Journalist Timm Herdt was right in calling Ken the man who made California governable again for masterfully securing a simple majority vote budget for California,” Zingale said, referring to 2010’s Prop. 25, which lowered California’s constitutional requirement for passing a budget from a 2/3’s vote of the legislature. Burt was born in Sacramento, attended El Camino High School and graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in political science. He worked for the late Congressman Robert Matsui in Washington DC and for former Speaker Willie Brown at the Capitol. He also worked for then-Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi before his job with CFT, which he held for 21 years. His obituary describes his time with CFT as follows: “Ken took on one challenge after another in order to build the structure of the union’s nascent statewide political program. As a consummate political progressive, Ken established relationships with politicians that would benefit CFT, sat in coalition meetings on behalf of CFT, and communicated back to CFT leaders, staff, and members. His outreach to other organizations broadened the scope of the union’s political outreach.” The obituary also notes Burt’s focus on Latinos in politics and labor unions, which includes his book, “The Search for a Civic Voice: California Latino Politics.” Ken is survived by his wife, Sonia Sotelo Burt; father, Charles Burt; siblings (and their spouses) Thomas and Cindy Burt, Nancy and Todd White, and Sally Kelsch; his children Stephen and Katherine. A funeral service is scheduled for Tuesday, June 29, 10:30 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church at 5751 Locust Avenue, in Carmichael. A procession and graveside service will follow. There is more about Burt and his legacy at kennethburt.com. Contact: Zingale, dzingale@hotmail.com
