He became a member of the California Bar in 1966, and accepted a position as a Sonoma County deputy district attorney in 1968.

[1] That same year, he won his first election to public office, to the Rincon Valley School Board.

In the general election he tried to unseat longtime Republican Assemblyman Frank P. Belotti, but lost narrowly.

He held several powerful positions in the Senate, including chairing the Judiciary Committee and serving as Majority Leader, until his resignation on December 15, 1992.

In 2000, he was appointed by Governor Gray Davis as director of the California Department of General Services.