Lindsay, 88, Due to Romp Home in 9th District Vote

For the first time in 26 years, some prominent members of Los Angeles’ black community are calling for the city’s senior minority politician to step down.

Even as Gilbert Lindsay appears headed for a landslide reelection to his seventh term as councilman from downtown and South-Central Los Angeles, there is a growing wave of discontent in the district.

“He has stayed too long,” said Mark Ridley-Thomas, director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. “It’s a commonly held view, but out of respect for his seniority” one that is rarely voiced publicly, he said.

“I do believe, I hope, this is Gil’s swan song,” added John Mack, director of the Urban League.

At 88, Lindsay’s age and health are clearly big issues. The councilman has problems hearing, sometimes depends on a cane to walk and has some residual weakening in his right hand from a stroke he suffered late last year.

Lindsay says he is fit and ready to serve the district again. Although he acknowledges napping occasionally while on the job, he says he snaps awake when something important comes up. “When something affects the 9th District I wake right up, it hits my ear.”

But some community leaders say age is only part of the issue. They say they are just as concerned that Lindsay has lost touch with the needs of the district.

Mack said it’s time to “re-order priorities” in the 9th District--downgrading the importance of downtown development and upgrading the needs of the young, the poor and the “have nots” south of the central business district.

“The general dilapidation and decay of parts of the district is intolerable,” Ridley-Thomas said.

But there is little chance, critics and supporters agree, that the April 11 primary election will force Lindsay to relinquish his crown as the self-styled “Emperor of the Great 9th District.”

Around City Hall, Lindsay is respected and even feared, while he is also the butt of jokes. Lindsay is known to fall asleep in the council chambers, appear confused by the hectic pace of meetings and make long-winded speeches. An aide stands near his desk during meetings and when a vote or a procedural question comes up, the assistant walks over to the councilman and whispers in his ear.

Fellow council members, lobbyists and constituents are generally reluctant to comment publicly on Lindsay’s advancing age--out of respect for his achievements and to avoid charges of age discrimination. But in private conversations, many who know and work with Lindsay complain of his inattentiveness and confusion during meetings.

In a public display two weeks ago, for example, Lindsay mistakenly voted yes on a council motion that required eight affirmative votes. His vote provided the margin of victory for an issue that he had spoken against.

On Tuesday, the council debated an issue that has come up every year for several years, a proposed ordinance abolishing the Public Works Board. It is an issue of particular interest to Lindsay because he is chairman of the Public Works Committee, which has jurisdiction over the board.

Off on Reference

When he spoke, Lindsay mumbled much of the time, although he finished his speech with a strong close. But at one point, he referred to the author of the ordinance, veteran councilman Ernani Bernardi, as a newcomer to the body, unfamiliar with the importance of the Public Works Board. Council President John Ferraro smilingly reminded the councilman that Bernardi is the only council member with more seniority than Lindsay.

Later in that session, Lindsay mistakenly voted against Mayor Tom Bradley, his political ally, on an issue of great importance to the mayor--whether the council should debate Bradley’s ties to financial institutions. Lindsay had to ask the clerk to correct his vote.

Lindsay says his critics never take note of the fact that he works long hours at City Hall and then spends most evenings attending district meetings. They “don’t ever say the guy worked himself to death so he fell asleep. They never say that,” Lindsay said.

But while lobbyists, council aides and members themselves may roll their eyes, shake their heads or simply ignore him, few are willing to openly cross Lindsay.

He is an unabashed wheeler-dealer and master of the kind of horse-trading politics that keeps him flush with campaign funds and untouchable in an election.

First Black on Council

He is also a powerful symbol in the black community, a man who rose from a job as janitor to become the city’s first black council member, then went on to become a major power broker in an emerging downtown. After 60 years, he still calls South-Central Los Angeles his home, living in a modest, six-room Spanish-style house.

In 1947, the Department of Water and Power employee met a young white man named Kenneth Hahn and campaigned for him for City Council. Hahn won and, when he was elected county supervisor four years later, made Lindsay a field deputy.

Lindsay got his own council seat in 1963, when he was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Ed Roybal, who was elected to Congress. He has won reelection handily ever since.

The success story has caused Lindsay to be regarded by many of his constituents--even some critics--as if he truly were an emperor.

“He was a symbol of hope for a generation,” said Kerman Maddox, who grew up in the district and now owns a public affairs consulting firm. “He made it, and he made it big. . . . You forget about the problems in the district and look at him with pride,” said Maddox, who nonetheless believes Lindsay should now step down.

The People Remember

Mary Lee, director of the South-Central branch of the Legal Aid Foundation and a lifelong resident of the district, echoed Maddox’s views: “People have clear memories of when there were no black City Council members and no black mayor.”

The district includes some of the richest veins of political contributions, and some of the poorest residents in Los Angeles. In the north are the skyscrapers of an increasingly bustling downtown and Chinatown and Little Tokyo. But the district also includes Skid Row and swings south to include some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods, made up primarily of blacks and Latinos.

Despite representing some of the poorest voters in Los Angeles, Lindsay has been able to raise $1 million in campaign and political action funds in the last four years, largely from downtown business interests. Real estate interests account for about 37% of Lindsay’s campaign funds, financial companies about 13% and legal firms 5%.

Among the large contributors with real estate business interests in the district are Thomas Maguire, Alexander Hagen and Edward Barker. The financial institutions include some of the largest banks and brokerage firms in the nation: Bank of America; Drexel Burnham Lambert; First Boston Corp., and Merrill Lynch. Carriage trade law firms on the campaign rolls include Gibson Dunn & Crutcher; Latham & Watkins, and Manatt, Phelps.

Diverted Attention

Critics charge that it is those Central City interests that get far more of Lindsay’s attention than the neighborhoods where most of the voters live and suffer through some of the city’s highest rates of crime and unemployment.

“The people (financially) supporting his campaign don’t have to live with him,” said one Skid Row-area businessman, who asked that his name not be used.

Still, no major challenge awaits Lindsay on Tuesday.

There are two other candidates in this election, although neither is attracting the kinds of money, endorsements or attention necessary to force Lindsay into a runoff.

One is Mervin Evans, a self-employed business consultant who ran unsuccessfully for Congress against Rep. Augustus F. Hawkins (D-Los Angeles) three times and ran a losing campaign for City Council in the 8th District two years ago.

The other candidate is Ocie P. Hinkle, a businesswoman who is challenging Lindsay for the third time.

‘Look at It Now’

Lindsay has been able to pursue an agenda that he acknowledges is weighted toward downtown business interests.

“I was a party to it, the leadership to build this downtown,” Lindsay said. “What was it 26 years ago when I came on? We had one, two major buildings: City Hall and the Union Bank building. That’s all. Look at it now.”

Many district residents do look at it, and for them it raises more questions than praise.

“Lindsay has brought a tremendous amount of money to downtown,” said Legal Aid’s Lee, “and it makes you wonder if it’s at the expense of the rest of his district.”

Consultant Maddox, who once ran for the neighboring 8th District seat, said Lindsay should have used his considerable influence over development to steer downtown’s growth south--along the Harbor Freeway and into the heart of the district--rather than west and out of the district.

Robin Cannon, a community activist who has worked with groups such as Concerned Citizens of South Central, said Lindsay could also do more about bread-and-butter constituent services, such as tree trimming, street cleaning and alley closures.

Common Complaints

Some council members and aides say that such complaints can be found in any district.

But on at least one recent occasion, another council member went to bat for a 9th District community group, when Lindsay refused to help.

Last year, Councilwoman Gloria Molina took up the cause of a group of Latino homeowners who were trying to stop an industrial development in their neighborhood.

Lindsay supported the factory developers, but Molina was able to lead a fight in the City Council to deny the builders a needed zoning variance.

Despite these complaints, Lindsay said, “The district is better off than it has ever been in history. I’ve been in the district for 60 years.”

On issues of economic development, Lindsay said: “I think I’ve done my share. My leadership as far as providing jobs, I don’t know anyone that is a more shining light than I have.”

‘Doing Our Share’

Issues of crime, drugs and gang violence, he said, are largely the responsibility of state and federal officials.

“We are doing our share. We are doing everything we can,” he said.

There are plenty of voters who agree.

Lindsay has incredibly dedicated supporters in South-Central Los Angeles, particularly among the church groups and older people who have the greatest tendency to vote.

“The community is there for him 100%,” said Rev. J. Benjamin Hardwick, a longtime friend and supporter of Lindsay.

Supporters say Lindsay is an old-fashioned politician who makes the rounds of the churches and social clubs, greases the wheels and helps make the connections that make the district work.

Hardwick said it is through Lindsay’s efforts that his church has been able to operate a food program that feeds several hundred people twice weekly.

“He helped us put it together,” Hardwick said. “He knows the people who can deliver.”

9TH CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT

The 9th City Council District includes some of the richest and poorest areas in Los Angeles. It includes the prosperous downtown business center, as well as Skid Row and much of South-Central Los Angeles. Although it is generally recognized as a “black” district--with a black councilman for the last 26 years--the 9th District has a large and growing Latino population. Together, the two ethnic groups account for 94% of the district’s population. Just under 32% of the residents are registered to vote, contrasted with 55% in the 11th District, the city’s most affluent, and 15% in the heavily Latino 1st District, which has the lowest voter regisration in the city. Population 1988 Population: 202,846 1988 Voter registration: 64,386 Race/Ethnicity* White:16.1% Black: 58.7 Latino: 35.1 Other: 25.2 * Because of the nature of Census questions, ethnic categories overlap. Household Income Income under $15,000: 60.2% Income $15,000 to $24,999: 20.6 Income $25,000 to $34,999: 10.2 Income $35,000 to $49,999: 5.9 Income $50,000 to $74,999: 2.3 Income $75,000 to $99,999: 0.3 Income $100,000 +: 0.3 Median household income: $12,219 Average household income: $15,781 Type of Housing Single-family homes: 59.3% 2-9 units: 21.4 10 or more units: 19.2 Source: The Times Marketing Research Department