Los Angeles Government Officials

Like the white-hatted marshal of an old-time movie, ex-Colorado Gov. Roy Romer rode into town a year ago, his eye on the job that just about nobody else in America would have. This drawling cowboy politician, millionaire tractor salesman and septuagenarian good ol' boy was offering to lead what was reputedly the nation's most mixed-up school system, one bogged down in racial infighting and facing the threat of state takeover.

Vowing to give residents greater influence over government decisions, the Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to build and nurture a network of community councils throughout the city. The plan, which still must be approved by Mayor Richard Riordan, calls for setting up 10 to 20 of the neighborhood groups over the next year and possibly up to 100 within the next five years. The council still must decide, however, how much funding to allocate to the groups.

Eight years after leading the push for term limits on elected city officials, Mayor Richard Riordan on Monday said that in retrospect City Council members should have been allowed to serve up to 12 years in office rather than eight. His change of heart comes just as the term limits law that he championed is taking full effect, with at least six new members joining the City Council this year as incumbents are forced out.

Renaming the Los Angeles Central Library after Mayor Richard J. Riordan turned into a full-scale political battle for the City Council on Tuesday, but opponents failed to block the tribute. For weeks, Riordan's top City Hall aides have worked behind the scenes to complement a public effort by his friends to have the downtown landmark named after him. As the move came to a final council vote, they mounted a full-blown lobbying campaign to convince council members that Riordan deserved the honor.

Mayor Richard Riordan urged federal legislators and the Bush administration Wednesday to provide more school money to Los Angeles--a mission that yielded no immediate results, but reflected Riordan's determination to campaign for education right to the end of his mayoral term. Riordan, who leaves office July 1, joined the mayors of Detroit, Chicago, St. Paul, Minn.

Los Angeles leaders paid their last respects to John Ferraro on Monday at a funeral Mass conducted by Cardinal Roger Mahony, who described the late City Council president as an "extraordinary leader" who had the vision and courage to help elevate his city to greatness. A crowd of nearly 1,000 filled St. Brendan Catholic Church, Ferraro's parish, to hear Mayor Richard Riordan and others praise the 35-year councilman for his steadying hand at City Hall.

The death of City Council President John Ferraro--who often brought the fractious council together with humor and a firm hand--marks the end of an era in Los Angeles government and politics. Ferraro was a big-hearted leader who was known and respected for his strength, integrity and political longevity. Many observers said Tuesday that it is unlikely such a dominant figure will again emerge, if only because term limits now dictate seemingly constant turnover at City Hall.

John Ferraro, the affable Los Angeles city councilman whose quiet politicking during 3 1/2 decades at the center of city government helped bring Southern California the 1984 Olympics and removed a controversial police chief after the 1992 riots, died Tuesday at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica after a nearly two-year battle with cancer. The council's president and grand old man was 76.

The third time was no charm for Joel Wachs. After a 21-month campaign--during which, the candidate boasted, he did not take a single day off--Wachs limped to an anemic finish in a mayoral race he was once expected to dominate. The end came at a Holiday Inn in North Hollywood, as a few faithful supporters gathered around a big-screen television to watch parties that looked like a lot more fun than the one they were attending.

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan's attempts to stamp his legacy on the city and complete his reform of city schools failed this week largely because labor mounted an aggressive campaign to curb his influence.