Tom LaBonge and Bernard Parks Bid Adieu … Will They Be Missed?

MY TURN-Those of you who are masochists like me and receive the daily City Clerks Council agendas and referrals have probably noticed the tremendous number of items this last week. The various City Council committees are referring file numbers, either to other council committees, or sending to the entire Council for approval. 

Why this enormous flurry of activity?  It could be that the City is ending its fiscal year the end of June and money needs to be allocated and procrastinated decisions need to be made.  It also means the conclusion to two senior City Council Members terms of office. 

Someone posed the question to me “Do you think Tom La Bonge (4th district) and Bernard Parks (8th district) will be missed?  Both gentlemen have made their mark on their individual districts and the City as a whole. 

Bernard Parks, previously one of the most powerful politicians in LA, seems to have retired a few months before his term expires.  He has missed a lot of Council meetings.  Some of his constituents are more than satisfied with his accomplishments, his accessibility and mostly putting his district first.  Others found him to be distant, too fiscally conservative and because he didn’t play well with his fellow Council members, the District sometimes paid the price. 

He is a product of his background .  First as a policeman on the beat all the way up to Police Chief.  Mayor Hahn and Rick Caruso, then President of the LA Police Commission,  fired Parks after the Rampart scandal. Rather than fading into obscurity after that rather public disappointment, he ran for City Council 8th District, winning overwhelmingly and went on to win two more terms.  

I bet if Gallup were to take a poll of all the policemen, it would find that the large majority are politically and socially conservative.  Maybe it’s because of the fact they see…on a daily basis… the dregs of humanity.  Maybe it is because of the “power”  that goes with the job or the rigid discipline under which they are supposed to operate.  I’m sure there are sociological studies done on the subject 

He is often described as being mostly responsible for Mayor James Hahn second term defeat.  He headed the influential City Council Budget and Finance committee until he refused to support Councilman Herb Wesson’s bid for re-election as City Council President.  Since the President assigns the Committee Chairmanships…Parks was relegated to Education and Neighborhoods 

He never minded being the “odd man out” when it came to voting “no” especially on fiscal issues.  He was not particularly good at putting Council member coalitions together and he was not very tolerant of the BS factor.  One of his admirers said he had a lousy bed side manner. 

As a result, My LA Watchdog colleague, Jack Humphreville, was quoted in an LA Times article last year as saying “Bernard Parks was sent to Siberia.” 

 As Chair of the Education/ Neighborhoods Committee, which included working with the ninety-six Neighborhood Councils, he heldno meetings for eleven months .  He was the only one absent last week when the City Council voted to increase the minimum wage.   Perhaps he felt it was not sustainable, but didn’t want to leave his District voting against, what he has publicly referred to, as the “poverty district.” 

Parks, is in many ways an old school politico.  He has been accused of taking advantage of the system by receiving two pensions…or some think it is three.    I am sure he thinks he deserves every cent, after putting up with the political gamesmanship and back stabbing. 

He, however will be remembered in LA History.  He has been until lately, a political heavy weight.  Personally, I think he can leave office with his head held high and satisfied with a long and storied career.As one of my good friends often reminds me “One can’t have successes unless one also has failures.” 

And then there is Tom La Bonge…everyone’s jocular “Uncle”.  He never met a group he couldn’t address…with or without a microphone.  La Bonge has been part of the City for most of his 40 year career.  He grew up in Silver Lake, and among other staff positions he worked as Chief of Staff for one of LA City’s most powerful Council Presidents, John Ferraro.  He won Ferraro’s Council seat in 2001 .  He also worked as Community Relations Director for the DWP.  Perhaps he should revisit that position now since they could use some positive community relations. 

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He has admitted that the best part of his job is “schmoozing” and getting things done for his District.  He has been known to trim trees blocking sidewalks, pick up litter and he  bought a  City truck to pick up large discarded items. He is fascinated with the History of LA and one of its biggest cheerleaders.  As much as his retiring colleague Parks was disinterested in public opinion, La Bonge thrives on it.    He obviously loves his job, but he is not considered a big picture guy. 

La Bonge did not endear himself to all of his communities.  For some reason in the redistricting, Sherman Oaks was put into his District.  If you look at Silver Lake, also in his district… it is almost like looking at Parks and La Bonge…geographically and culturally opposite.  This is probably one of the reasons his Chief of Staff, Carolyn Ramsay lost the election.  He also didn’t make many friends with his Hollywood blue print to make it a thriving metropolis with high rises  and more tourist busses. 

He was a good friend to Parks and Recreation, leading three mile hikes through Griffith Park at sundown; holding his inauguration at the Observatory and having an Elvis Presley 80th Birthday Party.  He managed to keep the Greek Theater on an even keel.  Some of the Los Feliz residents feel he didn’t fight hard enough to keep Nederlander as the management team. One of his last official acts this week was to dedicate Mickey Rooney Plaza across from theactor’s alma mater Hollywood High. 

Whereas La Bonge spent $100,000 from his discretionary fund to hang Xmas lights at the LA Zoo…Parks spent $350,000 fixing sidewalks and potholes. 

Here we have two almost stereotypical old style politicians.  The current City Council looks a lot different.  This is the next generation of politicos.  Most of them are technologically savvy.  Several have served previously in state and federal offices, and worked for non-profits. 

Most are young enough to be eyeing their next political stepping stones.  The smart money says that Council Member Herb Wesson will again be elected as City Council President.  There doesn’t seem to be much under current to change.  Of course this is Los Angeles and one never knows what can happen. 

So we bid a fond farewell to our City Council Lions.  Each in his own way has contributed to the good things the City enjoys and undoubtedly are responsible for some of the problems facing us today.  But they deserve our respect and gratitude.  This is not any easy job. Most of us would rather sit back and criticize instead of performing their duties. 

All eyes will be on their replacements, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, president of South Los Angeles nonprofit Community Coalition in District 8  and David Ryu, a hospital development director in District 4… and the only Asian on the Council.  

The Asian community has added much to both the cultural and economic development of the City.  It is time for them to be at the forefront and participate in trying to govern this schizophrenic, crazy and marvelous City. 

As always comments welcome.

 

(Denyse Selesnick is a CityWatch columnist.  She is a former Publisher/journalist/international event organizer. Denyse can be reached at: [email protected])

-cw

 

 

 

CityWatch

Vol 13 Issue 46

Pub: Jun 5, 2015