Grantland Johnson

Grantland L. Johnson (born September 29, 1948 in Sacramento, California) is a Sacramento-area politician and former Secretary of California's Health and Human Services Agency, the first African-American to hold the position. cite web
title = Accomplishments - Celebrating Diversity: African American
work = Governor Gray Davis Digital Library
url = http://www.gray-davis.com/Page.aspx?PageID=32
accessdate = 2008-07-21]

Political Career

Grantland Johnson is one of a limited number of United States politicians who have served in offices on the city, county, state, and federal levels. Johnson began his career in politics in 1983, when he was elected to the Sacramento City Council. As a councilmember, he helped to establish Sacramento's Economic Development Department and Neighborhood Services Department. cite web
title = Family Re-Union 2: Reinventing Family Policy - Speaker Biographies
work = Family Reunion, Child and Family Policy Center
publisher = Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies
year = 2002
url = http://www.familyreunion.org/two/experts.html
accessdate = 2008-07-21]

When Ted Sheedy chose not to seek reelection to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors in 1986, Johnson ran for the District 1 seat, defeating Roger Dickinson in a runoff election. cite news
title=Johnson Beats Dickinson in Supervisor Race
format=fee required
work=Sacramento Bee
publisher=The McClatchy Company
page=B1
date=November 05, 1986
accessdate=2008-07-19
url=http://www.sacbee.com/static/live/search] Johnson was reelected in 1990. cite news
title=Incumbents Roll in Two Supervisors' Races: Grantland Johnson gets 61.5% of Vote Over Two Contenders
format=fee required
work=Sacramento Bee
publisher=The McClatchy Company
page=B3
date=June 06, 1990
accessdate=2008-07-19
url=http://www.sacbee.com/static/live/search]

Shortly after Bill Clinton was elected President of the United States in 1992, Johnson began to pursue a position in the President's administration. cite news
title=Grantland Johnson Seeks U.S. Post: Supervisor Pursuing 2 Regional Director Offices on Clinton Team
format=fee required
work=Sacramento Bee
publisher=The McClatchy Company
page=B3
date=February 17, 1993
accessdate=2008-07-21
url=http://www.sacbee.com/static/live/search] In 1993, President Clinton announced that Johnson had been appointed to the position of Regional Director of the United States Department of Health and Human Services by Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala. cite book
title = William J. Clinton: 1993
publisher = United States Government Printing Office
location=Washington
series=Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States
year=1994
volume=Book II
pages=2215
url=http://bulk.resource.org/gpo.gov/papers/1993/1993_vol2_2215.pdf
accessdate=2008-07-19]

After serving more than six years in the Clinton Administration, Johnson was selected by California Governor Gray Davis in 1999 to become the state's Secretary of Health and Human Services, the largest state agency in the United States.cite journal
last = Johnson
first = Grantland
title = Memo, dated 2006
journal = Sierra Sacramento Valley Medicine
volume = Volume 51
issue = Number 5
publisher = Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society
location =
date = September/October 2000
url = http://www.ssvms.org/articles/memo.asp
accessdate = 2008-07-21]

Education

Johnson attended California State University, Sacramento, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Government in 1974. He has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Sacramento State and Golden Gate University. cite web
title = Grantland Johnson: Academy Induction Year: 2002
work = Academy of Distinction and Honor
publisher = California State University, Sacramento College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies
url = http://www.csus.edu/SSIS/inductees/johnson.htm
accessdate = 2008-07-21]

References