Mayor Sam: He Shot From the Lip

Everyone called him Mayor Sam and he liked it that way.

The familiarity between Sam Yorty, now 87, and voters was borne of his custom of talking right to the folks: no equivocal canned statements, no punches pulled.

The scrappy former Assembly member, congressman and perennial candidate for statewide office from Studio City ran the city during the turbulent ‘60s. He is the only Valley resident ever to have served as mayor of Los Angeles.

Despite having members of his own party working against him, Democrat Yorty won favor with women voters in those pre-recycling days by opposing a law that required separating tin cans from other rubbish.

He also gained backing in the Valley by running against the “downtown establishment.”

As mayor, the Nebraska-born Yorty was known as a maverick who cleared the way for the Music Center and built the Convention Center and the zoo. He also become a Republican.

Yorty was a pioneer in the use of television to reach voters. His irrepressible personality and ability to speak extemporaneously made him a natural for the medium. He even had his own talk show while mayor.

Yorty’s shoot-from-the-lip style often got him in hot water. During a bitter reelection battle in 1969, Yorty offended many by saying blacks usually voted for members of their own race.

Mayor Sam won reelection that year, only to be sent home to Studio City four years later by the same challenger--Tom Bradley.