7/11/2023 0 Comments Richard ventureThe Riordan campaign spent part of its treasury on a widely distributed booklet, “Turning L.A. Riordan contributed $6 million of his own money to compete in a large primary field and defeat then-Councilman Mike Woo in a bitter runoff. It also helped that he was wealthy enough to bankroll much of what then was the most expensive campaign in city history. His efforts to pass a city term-limits ballot measure and a promise to accept only $1 a year as pay cemented his image as a citizen politician uninterested in a long career on the public payroll. around” resonated, especially with white Valley voters. Riordan’s portrayal of himself as a City Hall outsider “tough enough to turn L.A. Violent protests had erupted the previous spring after the acquittal of four police officers charged in the beating of Black motorist Rodney G. He was, after all, a wealthy white Republican in an increasingly poor, minority, Democratic city.īut it also was a city that felt down on its luck. ![]() When Riordan, coaxed by his longtime friend and Democratic operative Bill Wardlaw, entered the crowded, nonpartisan municipal primary as Mayor Tom Bradley was preparing to end his unprecedented 20-year tenure, many saw Riordan as a long shot. ![]() “There were moments when that was true and moments when that was not true.” better than the politicians,” said Raphael Sonenshein, head of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State L.A. “He was a business guy who thought he could run L.A. Yet Riordan remained a player in civic life long after leaving City Hall, raising money for children’s programs, backing candidates in local races and continuing to push for school reform, a favorite cause. ![]() Gray Davis but demurred when his friend and Brentwood neighbor Arnold Schwarzenegger jumped into the race. He considered running again in the 2003 special election to recall and replace Gov. Hahn succeeded him as mayor in 2001, Riordan tried to break into state politics but lost the 2002 Republican gubernatorial primary to conservative Bill Simon Jr. “When he had to work within city government, he wasn’t very effective, but when he could work outside city government, he did very well,” said Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of UC Berkeley’s School of Law, who spent time with Riordan during the often-strained efforts to fashion a new charter to put before voters.Īfter James K. Similar efforts raised millions to computerize police stations and patrol cars and helped finance the successful 1999 campaign for charter reform against City Council opposition.īut the affable, impatient Riordan never quite figured out how to work within the bureaucracy’s channels, and his frequent clashes with council members, who said he excluded and disrespected them, left both sides frustrated. Early in his first term, he tapped longtime friend and philanthropist Eli Broad to raise money to get the stalled Walt Disney Concert Hall project back on track. Justice Department in the form of a federal consent decree.Ī self-proclaimed “problem solver,” Riordan liked to gather people outside government to come up with solutions. Critics accused him of failing to act quickly enough on reform, and Riordan later reluctantly ceded control of the LAPD to the U.S. ![]() He also played a key role in revamping the City Charter to require more accountability from department heads and give residents more voice in city government through a new system of neighborhood councils, helping defuse efforts by San Fernando Valley activists to split from the city.īut also on Riordan’s watch, the Rampart police corruption scandal surfaced in late 1999. Crime was down, the local economy had rebounded, and although the Los Angeles Police Department remained short of his goals, it had grown to a record number of officers. By the time he departed eight years later, forced out by voter-imposed term limits that he himself had advocated, much of his vision for a cleaner, safer, better-functioning city had been realized. He promised voters a better business climate, more cops and improvements in basic services when he took office in July 1993. Wednesday with family, friends, caregivers and his beloved dogs around him.Ī moderate, pro-choice Republican, Riordan made a fortune as an investment broker and became a civic and political donor before emerging as a first-time, outsider candidate at the age of 62. Relatives said he died shortly after 7.30 p.m. The last Republican mayor of what became a liberal city, Riordan was 92. Riordan, the take-charge venture capitalist who as mayor shepherded Los Angeles’ rebound from the 1992 riots, expanded its Police Department and masterminded its recovery from the Northridge earthquake, has died at his Brentwood home.
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