John Ferraro | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 1986 | |
| Member of theLos Angeles City Council from the4th district | |
| In office May 25, 1966 – April 17, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Harold A. Henry |
| Succeeded by | Tom LaBonge |
| President of the Los Angeles City Council | |
| In office July 1, 1987 – April 17, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Pat Russell |
| Succeeded by | Alex Padilla |
| In office July 1, 1977 – June 30, 1981 | |
| Preceded by | John S. Gibson Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Joel Wachs |
| President Pro Tempore of the Los Angeles City Council | |
| In office July 1, 1975 – June 30, 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Stevenson |
| Succeeded by | Joel Wachs |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1924-05-14)May 14, 1924 Cudahy, California, U.S. |
| Died | April 17, 2001(2001-04-17) (aged 76) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
| Football career | |
| USC Trojans | |
| Position | Tackle |
| Career information | |
| High school | Bell |
| College | USC (1944) |
| Awards and highlights | |
John Ferraro (May 14, 1924 – April 17, 2001) was an American politician and businessman who was aDemocratic member of theLos Angeles City Council from 1966 until his death in 2001, the longest tenure of any member in the city's history. Before politics, he was an insurance broker, and had been an all-American football player at theUniversity of Southern California.
Ferraro was born May 14, 1924, in the working classsuburb ofCudahy, California, just south ofLos Angeles, "the youngest son of a family of eight children whose Italian immigrant parents ran a macaroni factory before going broke during theDepression." He attendedBell High School inBell, California, where he graduated in 1942, and he earned aBachelor of Science degree inbusiness administration from theUniversity of Southern California after World War II.[1][2]
Ferraro enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was commissioned as anensign in1945.[2] He served on a tanker withWarren Christopher, later theSecretary of State underBill Clinton. "Christopher got Ferraro interested in politics during long, early morning discussions when they were stationed in theBay Area."[3]
His excellence on thefootball field at Bell High—he was a unanimous choice for the All-City team—led to his receiving a scholarship atUSC, where he earnedAll-American honors in 1944 and 1947 and played as atackle in threeRose Bowls. He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in1974. As an adult he stood 6 feet, 4¼ inches tall and weighed 245 pounds,[4] earning him thenickname "Big John."[1] Ferraro was drafted in the sixth round of the 1946 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers.
Ferraro was an insurance broker with the John Ferraro Company, beginning in 1951,[2] and he invested shrewdly in stocks and real estate that made him a millionaire.[3]
He was married to Julie Marie Luckey, daughter of Democratic State Senator E. George Luckey, and they had a son, Luckeygian, or Lucky, born about 1956. The Ferraros were divorced in 1972.[2][3][5] His second wife wasBridget Margaret Hart,[6] widely known asexotic dancer andstripteaser Margie Hart in the 1940s—and then as alegitimate actress who even later made money through real-estate investments. They met at a reception in support of DemocratPierre Salinger's unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign in 1964, and they were married in 1982. She died in 2000.[3][7]
Ferraro was diagnosed with cancer of thespleen in August 1999 and underwentchemotherapy. MayorRichard Riordan was at his side, along with family members, when he died at the age of 76 in Santa Monica on April 17, 2001.[1] A crowd of nearly a thousand filledSt. Brendan Catholic Church, Ferraro's parish, for a funeral mass conducted by CardinalRoger Mahony. Family present included Ferraro's brother, Steve, sisters Mary and Rose and his son, Gianni Luckey.[8]
He entered government service in 1953, when MayorNorris Poulson appointed him to the city Police Commission, where he served for thirteen years.[9] During that period, he advocated more-stringent gun laws and backed African-AmericanJohn Roseboro, former Los Angeles Dodgers star, to do community relations work for the Police Department after the 1965Watts riots.[3]
Supported by MayorSam Yorty and seen as a "product of the old guard of conservative if nominally Democratic politicians who used to dominate local politics,"[9] he was appointed in May 1966 from among thirteen applicants to representLos Angeles City Council District 4 after the death of incumbentHarold A. Henry.[4][10] Because of his height, when he took office carpenters had to remove a drawer from his desk so that his legs could fit under it.[1]
During his term, which at thirty-five years was the longest in City Council history, the 4th District covered (in 1955) much of theWilshire district and in general was bounded byFountain Avenue,Wilshire Boulevard,Fairfax Avenue and Catalina Street[11] and (in 1975)Central Los Angeles from Fairfax and Highland Avenues on the west, toSanta Monica Boulevard on the north, thePasadena Freeway on the east andOlympic Boulevard on the south (1945).[12] In 1986 it was considered a contorted district that included the old areas as well asAtwater,Griffith Park, Forest Lawn Drive and parts of the centralSan Fernando Valley to Colfax Avenue andVictory Boulevard.[13] In 1989 the district stretched fromHancock Park toStudio City.[9]
In 1974, Ferraro ran unsuccessfully against fellow CouncilmanEdmund D. Edelman for a seat on theLos Angeles County Board of Supervisors,[3] and in 1985, he made a futile run againstTom Bradley formayor.[14]
In 1999, he was fined $3,300 by the Los Angeles Ethics Commission for receiving campaign contributions in 1997 above a newly established limit. It and penalties levied against CouncilmenMike Hernandez andMark Ridley-Thomas were the first to be made under a law effective in 1985.[15]
Ferraro's election as City Council president in 1977 to replaceJohn Gibson allowed him to make committee appointments and set a general direction for the council. In that year he restructured the committee system to "reflect concerns about the environment and city finances."[3] It advanced him to the second most powerful position in the city and made him acting mayor whenTom Bradley was out of town.[5] Ferraro later denied he used his committee appointing power "to reward allies and punish enemies," but he admitted to being practical: "Anybody who mistreats their friends to benefit their enemies is not practicing good politics," he said. "You don't get reelected to the presidency that way."[16]
In Ferraro's 1997 reshuffle of committee seats, the biggest loser wasNate Holden, "the frequent butt of Ferraro's jokes, who was ousted from all three of his committees and given far lower-profile assignments," Jodi Wilgoren reported in theLos Angeles Times.[17]
It was said that Ferraro often calmed disputes on the City Council "with humor and a firm hand" and that after his death it was "unlikely such a dominant figure will again emerge," because of newly imposedterm limits at City Hall.[18]
Ferraro was noted for "spearheading the refurbishment of theLos Angeles Zoo",[8] for "bringing the newStaples Center arena to a revitalized downtown" and helping to attract the2000 Democratic National Convention to Los Angeles.[19] Other activities:
1984. Ferraro's "biggest citywide leadership role was in helping bring theOlympics to Los Angeles, serving on early committees trying to attract the Games."[3]
1985. Ferraro was considered pro-development, and he usually supported most everything thatbuilding industry leaders wanted, one exception beingrent control because of the large number of elderly renters in his district.
1989. He opposed building underground transportation lines (subways), believing instead that mass transit should run along freeways or, in theSan Fernando Valley, along existing rail lines.[3][9]
1996. The City Council president opposed MayorRichard Riordan's plans for aCity Charter revision commission to be elected by the voters, on the grounds that it would be chaotic and would undermine the council's authority. He wanted a committee of experts in public policy and constitutional law appointed by the City Council itself.[20] In the end, both panels were set up and worked on their own drafts for a charter revision.
1997. With County SupervisorZev Yaroslavsky, Ferraro opposed a plan byUniversal Studios to add 5.9 million square feet to itstheme park attractions inUniversal City, withresort hotels and additionalparking lots. The two legislators urged the proposal be cut by 40%.[21]
Ferraro was elected to the board of theNational League of Cities in 1995,[22] and in March 1996 theLos Angeles Marathon named him Citizen of the Year, theUniversity of Southern California gave him its Asa V. Call Achievement Award and theNational Council of Young Israel gave him a community-service award.[23]
For his contribution to sports in Los Angeles, he was honored with aLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum"Court of Honor" plaque by the Coliseum commissioners.
On November 16, 2000, in honor of his more than five decades of public service, the City of Los Angeles renamed the landmark Department of Water and Power's General Office Building to the John Ferraro Building.[24] The building was designed by the architectsAC Martin Partners, Inc. and opened in 1964.[25]
The Margaret and John Ferraro Chair in Effective Local Government was established at the School of Policy, Planning and Development of the University of Southern California.[8]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Los Angeles City Council 4th District 1966–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the Los Angeles City Council 1987–2001 1977–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | President Pro Tempore of the Los Angeles City Council 1975-1977 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
