The Papal Visit : Papal Digest : Bradley, Deukmejian Attend Separate Ways
Even a papal visit can’t always mend some political fences. Mayor Tom Bradley and Gov. George Deukmejian, two-time rivals for the top state job, were supposed to sit together at the official welcoming ceremony for John Paul inside St. Vibiana’s Cathedral. Papal planner Father Terrance Fleming confirmed that the two had side-by-side seats reserved for them in the front row on the aisle.
“Their names were taped on the pew,” he noted.
But when Bradley arrived, Deukmejian already had settled down three seats away from the aisle, with state Supreme Court Justice Edward Panelli and state Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles), respectively, buffering him from the mayor.
The governor and the mayor did leave the cathedral together, however.
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