Los Angeles mayor and two-term Richard Riordan “passed away peacefully this evening at his home in Brentwood, surrounded by his wife Elizabeth, family, friends and beloved dogs,” according to a family statement released Wednesday night. He turned 92.
Los Angeles landmarks, including City Hall, will be lit up tonight in Riordan’s honor in the green, yellow and red colors of the city flag.
Mayor Karen Bass’ announcement Thursday was just the latest in a series of tributes to Riordan, a venture capitalist who served as mayor from 1993 to 2001 and faced the challenges of rebuilding the city, only after the Rodney King -riots and further riots. Earthquake.
In addition to City Hall, LA landmarks that will be illuminated in the city’s colors Thursday night include the Richard J. Riordan Central Library, the LAX pylons, the LA Zoo and the 6th Street Bridge.
The lighting is meant to “commemorate Mayor Richard Riordan’s service to the people of Los Angeles,” Bass’ office said.
Riodan, the only Republican to hold two-term office since 1961, was elected in 1993 to succeed Tom Bradley, who held office for a record 20 years.
He took office just over a year after the riots that followed the verdict in the state trial of Los Angeles Police Department officers accused of beating motorist Rodney King. Northridge earthquake.
“Mayor Riordan’s legacy includes our city’s famous Central Library, which he saved and rebuilt and which now bears his name,” Bass said. He also made a name for himself at two other city institutions: The Original Pantry, Downtown and Gladstones in Malibu, both of which he owned.
The former attorney co-founded the private equity firm Riordan, Lewis & Haden in 1982 with Chris Lewis and former USC quarterback Pat Haden. The trio self-funded the company before turning to institutional investors in the late 1990s, from whom they raised more than a billion. US dollars over the next two decades.
In 2002, Riordan ran for governor but was defeated in the primary by Bill Simon, himself defeated by incumbent Democrat Gray Davis. Soon after, he announced his intention to launch a weekly tabloid called the Los Angeles Examiner (a nod to the publication founded in 1903 by William Randolph Hearst, which ceased to exist in 1989). There was a 52-page prototype, and Riordan reportedly poured $5 million of his own money into the launch. But public service called again when his friend and then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who defeated Davis in the October 2003 recall election, named Riordan secretary of education. He held this office from 2003 until his resignation in 2005.
But it was as mayor of LA that Riordan made his biggest impression.
“After the Northridge earthquake, Mayor Riordan set the standard for emergency response. He put us at ease and responded with an intensity that still drives us to be faster and stronger in a crisis,” Bass said.
Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian said Riordan has “put every ounce of his energy and management skills into restoring the city and rebuilding essential infrastructure in record time. Nowhere is his influence more visible than in downtown Los Angeles.
“He oversaw the long-delayed completion of the Disney Concert Hall, the restoration of City Hall, and the rebuilding of a library system devastated by budget cuts and the catastrophic Central Library fire.” Riordan also played an important role in leading the city law reform that created the neighborhood council system, Krekorian said.
Cardinal Roger Mahony, archbishop emeritus of Los Angeles, recalls Riordan’s key role in the construction of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels which began in 1998 after its predecessor, the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, was badly damaged in the Northridge earthquake .
“Not only did he bring the private sector together to help rebuild the I-10 freeway and other buildings, but he also helped us when the city red-flagged downtown’s former Cathedral of St. Vibiana had,” Mahony said in one.
Frame.
Riordan married Eugenia “Genie” Warady at a New York resort and moved to Southern California. They had five children, two of whom predeceased him. He was married three more times.
The former mayor is survived by his current wife; three children, Mary Elizabeth Riordan, Kathleen Ann Riordan and Patricia Riordan Torrey; three grandchildren, Luca, Jessica and Elizabeth; and a sister, Mary Elizabeth Riordan Hearty.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
The City News Service contributed to this story.
Source: Deadline
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
