Nate Holden | |
|---|---|
 Holden in 2020 | |
| Member of theLos Angeles City Council from the10th district | |
| In office July 1, 1987 – June 30, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | David Cunningham |
| Succeeded by | Martin Ludlow |
| Member of theCalifornia Senate from the30th district | |
| In office December 2, 1974 – November 30, 1978 | |
| Preceded by | Lawrence E. Walsh |
| Succeeded by | Diane Watson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1929-06-19)June 19, 1929 Macon, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | May 7, 2025(2025-05-07) (aged 95) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | Reggie andChris |
| Military service | |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Unit | Military Police |
Nathan Nathaniel Holden (June 19, 1929 – May 7, 2025) was an American politician fromLos Angeles County. He served for four years in theCalifornia State Senate and 16 years on theLos Angeles City Council.
Nathan Nathaniel Holden was born inMacon, Georgia, on June 19, 1929, the son of a railroadbrakeman in theCentral of Georgia yards.[1] He moved with his mother and brothers to acold-water flat inElizabeth, New Jersey, when he was 10; he quit high school at age 16, when, although he was underage, he enlisted in theU.S. Army, where he became amilitary policeman.[1] Back home, he earned a high school diploma in night school and later studied design and engineering in the evenings atWest Coast University. He worked forBell Laboratories in New Jersey, then moved to California in 1955 and worked as an aerospace engineer.[2][3] He had two sons,Chris Holden, a California State Assemblymember, and Reginald Holden, aLos Angeles CountyDeputy Sheriff.[4][5] He died at a hospital inSanta Monica, California, on May 7, 2025, at the age of 95.[1][6][7]
Holden was an amateur boxer as a teenager, weighing only 167 pounds. At age 59, he was a "tall, gray-haired dignified-looking man in a nicely conservative suit."[3] Holden completed theLos Angeles Marathon in 1990 and 1991, when he was in his sixties.[5]
He had two sides to his personality,Los Angeles Times reporter Bill Boyarsky wrote in 1989 — "The Nice Nate" and "The Mean Nate." On one hand, Holden was "a gentle, considerate, compassionate person much of the time." On the other hand, Boyarsky wrote, Holden was marked by a "hostile toughness . . . when he discusses the way black leaders refused to back him in unsuccessful races and in his election to the council." Fellow councilmanJohn Ferraro said of Holden, "He is gruff and he is rough, but he has a big heart."[3]
In California, he became active in Democratic politics; he was a member of the "steering committee for theCalifornia Democratic Council's peace delegation" and an officer of theAlta Loma Democratic Club. Holden made his first run for public office in 1968, when he was an unsuccessful candidate inCalifornia's 26th congressional district, which at the time included Beverly Hills, part of Culver City, most of Venice and some of Santa Monica and West Los Angeles. He became president of the CDC in 1970 and that year made two more runs for Congress.[3][8]
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Holden began his service as a state senator in 1974, but gave up his office after four years to campaign unsuccessfully for the Congressional seat ultimately won byJulian C. Dixon.[3]
While serving on the Los Angeles City Council, Holden supportedDonald Trump's proposal to develop the site of theAmbassador Hotel in Los Angeles. In this capacity, Holden stated he rode a helicopter with Trump which nearly crashed in 1990. This incident gained attention in 2024 after Trump retold it, possibly confusing Holden withWillie Brown, and stating that he and Brown discussedKamala Harris. Holden stated that no one on the flight discussed Harris. Holden's account was corroborated byBarbara Res, who was aTrump Organization employee at the time and also aboard the helicopter.[9]
1987: Holden took a leave from his job as assistant chief deputy toLos Angeles County SupervisorKenneth Hahn to run against Homer Broome Jr. for the10th District seat that had been vacated by the resignation ofDave Cunningham. Holden won by a 2–1 margin, even though Broome had been endorsed by MayorTom Bradley. Another candidate was Esther M. Lofton, who received fewer than 100 votes.[10][11]
1989: Holden took on Mayor Bradley directly when he entered the race for mayor. He angered some of his constituents during the campaign when he supported the proposed breakup of theLos Angeles Unified School District.[5] It was noted just before the election that Bradley's campaign fund vastly surpassed Holden's — $1,085,861 to $67,252. Bradley received just over 50% percent of the vote to win in the April primary.[12] 8,000 ballots were damaged and not counted in the overall total.[citation needed]
1991: Lofton, 60, a former schoolteacher "with no political base," challenged Holden again, stating she would not accept campaign contributions.[11][13] When the votes were counted, Lofton had won an "astounding 28%," theLos Angeles Times remarked editorially, ascribing the large percentage to Holden's "hands-off" policy regarding Police ChiefDaryl Gates.[14]
1995: Holden was challenged in the April primary by Deputy District AttorneyKevin A. Ross and byRhodes Scholar andYale Law School graduate J. Stanley (Stan) Sanders. In the final election against Sanders in June, Holden received 54% of the vote and was elected.[15]
1987: Forbidding the sale or manufacture of realistic toy guns. Bill passed.[16]
1990: Requiring buyers ofRolex watches to register the serial number with police to make it difficult for criminals to sell them. Introduced in the wake of a rash of Rolex thefts of about one a day, with some owners killed.[17]
1999: Requiring cable companies to removesneakers tied together and left dangling from overhead lines. Holden said they were "menacing signals of gang territory and drug sales." Police officials said they were just pranks. Bill passed.[18]
Library card requiredLibrary card requiredLibrary card requiredLibrary card requiredLibrary card requiredLibrary card required| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Los Angeles City Council 10th District 1987–2002 | Succeeded by |
| California Senate | ||
| Preceded by | California State Senator 30th district 1974–1978 | Succeeded by |