Lucien Haas, Democratic speech writer and political advisor, whose passion fueled his love for the natural world and insistence on peace, died in his sleep on April 27. He was 86 years old. Throughout his long career as a writer and political aide, Haas served as spokesman for Sen. Alan Cranston (D-Calif.) for 13 years, associate press secretary to Gov. Pat Brown and a speech writer for his son, Gov. Jerry Brown. He was also an early advisor to then Los Angeles Councilman Tom Bradley, whom he helped in his campaign to defeat incumbent Mayor Sam Yorty in 1973. Haas was born in Buffalo, New York, on July 15, 1917, the son of German immigrants. He was drafted into the Army during World War II, serving in France in intelligence. After the war, he went to work for the Los Angeles Daily News as a copy boy. He became a reporter and worked on the rewrite desk, and was a leader in the Los Angeles Newspaper Guild, defending colleagues accused of disloyalty during the anti-communist McCarthy era. It was at the Daily News where he met his future wife, Jan, an artist at the paper. The couple married in 1955 and eventually had five children. When the paper ceased publication in 1954, Haas took a job in public relations for a beet sugar group in Denver before returning to California, where he began his association with Gov. Pat Brown. When Brown was defeated by Ronald Reagan in 1967, Haas became Cranston’s press secretary. In 1981, he joined Gov. Jerry Brown’s staff, and when Brown ran for the U.S. Senate a year later, Haas wrote most of his speeches calling for a bilateral nuclear arms freeze. Haas loved to entertain in the family home on Swarthmore, often inviting friends from Sacramento to enjoy homemade chili and participate in political skits. ‘Dad loved to dance,’ says his daughter Maxx, who recalls listening to the music and laughter emanating from downstairs when she was a little girl upstairs in her bedroom. ‘I thought, Wow, if this is what adults do, I can’t wait. He’d put on his Herb Alpert records and dance all night.’ After his retirement in 1984, Haas was active in many peace and environmental causes. His longtime friend and fellow Palisadian Harold Waterhouse was introduced to Lu while on a hike in Will Rogers State Park. ‘He and I were such good friends,’ Waterhouse told the Palisadian-Post. ‘We had two subjects that we liked to discuss: the elimination of nuclear weapons all over the world, and the need to improve the environment.’ Haas knew the local canyons intimately and often led nature walks. He understood the botany and made a pretty good guess on unknown plants, having conquered the general principles of shape, color and bloom. Haas was a familiar site around town with his riot of white hair, whiskers and eyebrows framing intense eyes and ruddy cheeks. He was also an unquenchable reader and loved to spend afternoons at the Palisades branch library. On an afternoon hike with Waterhouse a couple of years ago, the two stopped at a clearing under an oak tree. Lu pulled out a book from his backpack. ‘You’ll like this book,’ he said to Harold, ‘knowing that you like all things about life beyond.’ The book, which took up the science underlying ‘Jurassic Park,’ appealed to Lu, who was comfortable with the rational. In retirement, Lu did not draw the curtains and close the door. Instead, he embraced the community, contributed long hours toward maintaining the quality of life and shouted to newcomers about the eternal verities. In a series of letters, called ‘Dear Friends,’ that he wrote to his friends from 1995 to 1999 Haas was able to vent on issues. ‘He sent them to various people he knew and they were hysterical,’ said longtime friend Mimi Adams. ‘They would include his thoughts on nuclear weapons, politics, the world and even movie reviews. Some were full of hope, some pessimistic, but all reflected this man who was so well-read and brilliant.’ In addition to his wife, Haas is survived by daughter Maxx Haas of Santa Monica; sons Lu of Missoula, Montana; Dirk of Truckee; Vernon of Santa Monica and Jack of Malibu; and four grandchildren. Services are pending. Contributions may be made to any peace or environmental group. Haas belonged to Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, P. O. Box 121, 1187 Coast Village Rd, Suite 1, Santa Barbara, CA 93108-2794.
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