Councilman Paul Richards of Lynwood took the city's political reins when gangs and blight threatened to make a mockery of this working-class community's official nickname: the All America City.
Two decades later, Lynwood has rebounded. Crime is under control, modern strip malls are rising on vacant lots, and an enormous Mexican-themed shopping center has replaced an abandoned department store that was long a symbol of the city's decay.
It's a turnaround that Richards says defines his political career. But the councilman's real legacy, critics say, is more a tale of corruption and crony politics.
In California's other recall campaign, Richards, a 47-year-old attorney, is trying to fight off a recall drive by Latino activists in a corner of southeast Los Angeles County that has become a hotbed of local recall activism. The special election Tuesday comes nine months after voters in neighboring South Gate tossed out four of their elected leaders in their own recall election.
Unlike the South Gate campaign, which generated significant local and outside interest, the Lynwood contest is unfolding in the shadows of the recall against Gov. Gray Davis. Many residents see the "Say no to the recall" signs up and down Atlantic Boulevard, and Arnold Schwarzenegger and Cruz Bustamante spring to mind, not Richards or one of his six challengers.
"People don't know what's going on," said Maria Santillan, one of the candidates.
But the stakes are high for this mostly Latino city of 70,000, where residents will decide whether it's time to steer a new course after 17 years of Richards in office.
The campaign has been ugly, as Richards, who is African American, accuses recall proponents of a racist plot to oust him. He has said that they have gone door-to-door asking residents to get rid of the "two black guys" on the council. Louis Byrd, a Richards ally, is also African American and is on the ballot in a regularly scheduled election in November.
Recall proponents, in turn, have cried foul because only three polling stations will be open to residents. For general elections, the city typically has at least eight stations. Proponents reject the racism accusations, saying it's part of Richards' disingenuous effort to portray himself as a victim.
