Ferraro Elected to 5th Term as City Council President

John Ferraro easily won election Wednesday to a fifth consecutive term as Los Angeles City Council president, but it took a sharply divided council three ballots to award its second leadership post to another veteran lawmaker, Joel Wachs.

The elections put two white males generally friendly to Mayor Richard Riordan’s Administration at the helm of a 15-member City Council that has three black, three Latino and four female members and has proved itself at times to be independent of the mayor.

“Most of the city and the council doesn’t look like this anymore,” said Councilwoman Ruth Galanter of the Ferraro-Wachs team. But as more than one observer put it, Ferraro long has been the only lawmaker who can bridge the gaps between the council’s various factions.

The presidency gives Ferraro the power to shape the City Hall agenda through appointments to the council’s working committees and to act as the city’s chief executive when the mayor is absent or disabled.

Ferraro, 71, a moderate Democrat with an easygoing style, was elected on the first ballot. He has served on the council since 1966.

But it took Wachs, a surprise candidate, three ballots to win his post. He finally took nine votes to the six of Councilman Mike Hernandez, the last of four candidates interested in becoming president pro tem. Wachs, 56, has served on the council since 1971.

The pro tem plays second fiddle to the president but does have a seat on the city’s Executive Employee Relations Committee, which plays an influential role in establishing the city’s position in negotiations with city labor unions.

Voting for the pro tem post became the focus of bitter fighting after a failed bid by a liberal-progressive bloc to wrest the presidency from Ferraro.

Led by Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, those attempting the coup sought to install Councilman Marvin Braude in the top slot as they complained that Ferraro is too close philosophically to Riordan and that it is time for the council’s leadership to more accurately reflect the city’s diversity.

“It was said that it was time for a change of leadership to include more women and minorities,” Galanter said.

“There was a little stormy water,” said Ferraro, who wound up winning unanimously. “Mark apparently convinced Marvin that he could be president, and Marvin fell for it hook, line and sinker.”

According to some sources, the coup fell apart after Ferraro learned of it. Braude, others noted, was not the strongest candidate to lead the effort. The Westside lawmaker’s irascibility and sometimes imperious manner have offended some colleagues while others have complained that Braude, 74, has begun to lose his mental clarity.

By Wednesday, with his presidency bid a shambles, Braude’s goal was to simply hold onto his position as president pro tem, which he has held for the past four years.

“Marvin’s lost it,” one of his colleagues said privately. “He can’t conduct a meeting, and half the time he’s not lucid.” Braude later retorted that he is better than ever.

Out of the starting block, the other candidates for pro tem were Galanter and Councilman Nate Holden--both of whom complained that they were the victims of betrayal after colleagues they believed were supporters voted against them.

“It all goes to prove that almost everybody’s word around here is good for only about five minutes,” Galanter said.

Finally, Galanter and Holden bowed out and Braude threw his support--and that of his supporters--to Wachs.