<Begin Segment 17>

MN: What is this ID program that Tommy had been talking about earlier? This was regarding immigration? Do you want to share --

RO: Well, I think the reason why I'm able to make friends on the Immigration Commission is I believe, you know, I grab an issue, and I don't worry about, is it a Democratic issue or Republican issue. So at one point, they wanted to recommend universal ID cards. Well, as a liberal, I'm against that. As a conservative, Alan Simpson definitely would be against it. So the immigration issue is such as that you had kind of interesting bedfellows, and you keep jumping out of, and switching beds. And so you don't take personal. I can jump on somebody one thing, on one thing, but it's not personal, and you can align on another. And this is why it was interesting for me because I would take on Civiletti, the attorney general, 'cause maybe they would hand him a recommendation, and he doesn't even have the backup information. And then I'll react to it, and I'll call on people to give me information that I need, even when I don't know anything, I says, "Well, tell me," and I'll point to someone. And he didn't like that very much, you know, to be embarrassed at pushing him to do something when he didn't get the votes and all. But most people don't take anything personal. And it's again, as I said to Chief Davis, skins and shirts.

MN: But, I mean, when you took on Civiletti, did you think your career, having a job at Department of Justice was not ever gonna happen?

RO: No, no. You know, when you do anything, you really can't be worried about tomorrow, 'cause then you just become petrified, catatonic. I don't know what I am. I get amnesia. Somehow, I didn't do things right to be where I am, but somehow I must have done something right. And what I have to say it is that I forge strong friendships. It's like I worked really hard for Terry Hatter on Serrano vs. Priest, and then he'll want to take me to mayor's office. When he is elevated to a bench, then he recommends that I succeed him. You know, I served on the Minority Advisory Council, and the chair was Leigh Brown. He was the police commissioner in Atlanta, but he was busy with all the children's murders. So I had, I took charge, and I led it to fruition. So he knows me, he knows my philosophy, but when he gets the drug czar position, I said, "Hello, I want this job."

Actually, something I want to mention is that I give speeches to people that want appointments, and I tell 'em, you know, you should volunteer or you should write or you should this and that. In my case, all the things that I recommended was not the reason why I was appointed. So all of them are like relations, you know. Leigh Brown knows I could trust her, I know what her philosophy. Ms. Reno knows me from, I visited her to take a look at their drug treatment program, acupuncture in Florida when she was a DA. So I met her and also come and visit some of our gang programs. So she knew me, and then while I was at Drug Policy I involved her in some of our conferences. So when there is an opening at CRS, she knew what she was getting.

MN: Great.

RO: Huh?

MN: Anything else you want to talk about? We're open right now.

RO: It's been a wonderful adventure, and I have to say, I'm not done.

MN: You might start your own company, you said.

RO: Yeah, some day, some day when I... I don't know. When I get hobbies or something else. But there's Don Quixote, you know, I'm ready to go.

MN: Great. Well, thank you.

RO: Thank you.

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.