Bradley’s Traditional Allies Rally to His Support Publicly

A selection of Tom Bradley’s most prominent supporters, breaking what has been an uneasy general silence by the mayor’s allies since controversies about his financial dealings first surfaced, rallied publicly behind Bradley Wednesday and pronounced their faith in his ultimate vindication.

The group--its makeup the precise reflection of the mayor’s traditional coalition of labor, minorities, downtown interests and liberal Democrats--held a press conference after meetings with Bradley’s legal counsel. During the meetings, they were brought up to date on the allegations swirling around the mayor and were encouraged in their rallying effort.

The public comments followed by two weeks an attempt by leaders of black community organizations to swell public support for Bradley, who faces investigations into his conduct by the city attorney’s office and other agencies.

“Over the years, Tom Bradley has stood with us in the fight for equal rights, in the battle for economic opportunity, in the struggle to create a just and livable city,” said William Robertson, leader of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and the architect of much of Bradley’s longstanding support among workers’ groups.

“Now it is time for us to stand with Tom Bradley . . . Tom Bradley has earned the benefit of the doubt and we owe him that benefit until the city attorney’s inquiry is completed.”

Robertson said he was speaking on behalf of 800,000 union members. Others appealing for public support for Bradley at the Los Angeles Press Club session were attorney Dan Garcia, a Bradley appointee on the city’s Planning Commission from 1976 to 1988; Leland Wong, a director of several local Asian-Pacific American organizations; and Edward Sanders, a past president of the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles and past chairman of the Los Angeles Urban League.

Taken together, the men represent the bulk of the coalition that brought Bradley to the mayor’s seat in 1973 and has kept him there ever since.

Non-Black Support

The remarks also represented the first public show of support for the beleaguered Bradley outside the black community, which has been steadfast and vocal in its backing of the mayor and in its criticism of media reports about his current difficulties.

In recent weeks, prominent Bradley backers have said in interviews that they felt constrained from presenting a rigorous defense because of a lack of knowledge of Bradley’s finances. Civic leaders and longtime Bradley supporters also have said they feared the lengthy investigations will hamper progress on solving troublesome local issues, including transportation, housing and the pace of development.

The four said they decided to speak out Wednesday in an effort to bring forward other Bradley supporters and stem the flow of bad publicity surrounding the mayor. And it was clear that several felt a pay-back was required in light of Bradley’s earlier support for them.

Wong, ticking off the city’s major Asian-population centers of Koreatown, Little Tokyo and Chinatown, said that these communities “have been supported by the mayor’s office” in development and other matters.

‘Return a Favor’

“We return a favor to him, basically, because he has always been with us,” Wong said.

Garcia attempted to quash questions about whether Bradley wrongly interceded in the city’s dealings with two financial institutions which were paying the mayor salaries to serve as an adviser. That question is being probed by an investigative team appointed by City Atty. James K. Hahn.

“I was head of the Planning Commission for 10 years. . . . I was never once asked by Mayor Bradley to vote for a particular project even though there were dozens of projects coming before the commission on a weekly basis,” Garcia said.

Sanders described his call of support as “what you would do as a long-term friend.” The group’s briefings by Bradley’s legal adviser, Mark Fabiani, included three meetings set at Robertson’s instigation, both Robertson and Fabiani said.

Fabiani said he was asked to present the allegations surrounding Bradley “in an organized way” and did not include specifics of the mayor’s financial transactions, which Bradley has refused to publicly disclose.

“There was no attempt on my part to present a defense on behalf of the mayor,” Fabiani said Wednesday. He also told Robertson that the public show of support was “a very courageous move to make” but said he did not alert other Bradley aides to the plans.

“This has not in any way been orchestrated by the mayor or his office,” Robertson said.