20-Year O.C. Supervisor Riley Dies

Former Supervisor Thomas F. Riley, who helped guide Orange County during two decades of unprecedented growth but retired from the public arena just as the county collapsed into bankruptcy, died Thursday. He was 85.

Paramedics were called to Riley’s home overlooking Upper Newport Bay just before dawn by his wife, Emma Jane, who reported that the former Marine Corps brigadier general was having trouble breathing but refused to go to the hospital.

They found Riley on his bed in full cardiac arrest. After paramedics had fought to save his life for 20 minutes, a doctor monitoring their efforts from Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian pronounced him dead at 6:20 a.m., said Lt. John Blauer of the Newport Beach Fire Department.

His health failing in recent years, Riley had his left foot amputated last year because of a severe infection worsened by his diabetes. The year before, he was airlifted to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his spine, which was causing him back and leg pain.

“He was deteriorating and we both knew it,” said Emma Jane Riley. “It had been terrible the last couple of years. He was in quite a lot of pain.”

News of Riley’s death saddened a legion of his supporters, from county employees who referred to him affectionately as “the General” to the beneficiaries of his many charitable endeavors outside of office.

“He was a role model for elected officials. He had a blend of honesty, integrity and hard work,” Supervisor William G. Steiner said. “He leaves a remarkable legacy in terms of the development of the South County as well as his dedication to county government. He was a father figure to a lot of us.”

A District Transformed

From the marble-lined John Wayne Airport terminal that bears his name to the state’s first public toll roads he championed, Riley helped transform the landscape of the nation’s fifth-most-populous county into an area teeming with new jobs and homes. He was an early backer of the types of large planned communities that were later emulated across the nation.

“Future generations will be able to thank him for the expansion of John Wayne Airport, all the major park acquisitions and, for better or worse, all the homes in the South County,” said Fred Smoller, a professor of political science at Chapman University in Orange.

Try as he might, Riley could never shake the perception that he favored the interests of builders over those wishing a slower approach to development.

“You could say the legacy he left South County was the overdevelopment and the congestion,” said longtime development foe Tom Rogers. “He was loyal to his friends, and they happened to be developers.” During Riley’s 20 years in office, nearly 1 million people moved to Orange County, more than 300,000 new homes were built and the number of new jobs doubled to 1.1 million. Five new cities sprang up, three of them in Riley’s district alone.

But the end of Riley’s tenure was marked by ignominy as his retirement coincided with the county’s financial fall. By choosing to step down, Riley and fellow Supervisors Gaddi H. Vasquez and Harriett M. Wieder managed to avoid the misconduct charges that were later leveled against their two remaining board colleagues.

When others sought to shift blame for the financial calamity, Riley was one of the few to take responsibility.

“I wish I had listened just a bit more, questioned just a bit more, and trusted just a bit less,” Riley admitted, just moments before he formally retired as board chairman.

Randy Smith, an influential lobbyist and longtime friend, said the bankruptcy weighed heavily on Riley in his last years. “It was one of the saddest things in his life,” Smith said. “He admitted he hadn’t been close enough on that and never dreamed it would happen. He felt bad it happened on his watch.”

Riley, a former base commander at Camp Pendleton and inspector general of the Corps, came to politics late in life but took to it with a passion. He represented the 5th Supervisorial District, which he always called the “Fabulous Fifth,” a wide swath of land that stretches from Newport Beach to San Clemente.

Shortly before Gov. Pete Wilson appointed Laguna Niguel Councilman Tom Wilson to fill the seat long held by Riley, the former supervisor offered a few words of wisdom about trying to balance the oft-competing interests in the district.

“I don’t think you can keep everyone happy,” Riley said, and he went on to advise the new supervisor to make sure constituents’ concerns were fairly heard and considered.

Riley’s attention to the nuts and bolts of office-holding was legendary. He rarely missed a meeting, suffering through long board sessions even as illness weakened him. On most days, he was the first supervisor into the office, arriving before 8 a.m.

Health Problems Mounted

As Riley neared the end of his political career, he sometimes struggled to keep up with the pace at the Hall of Administration. He suffered from diabetes, emphysema and asthma. On New Year’s Eve of 1990, he underwent a quadruple heart bypass. In December 1993, he suffered a painful foot infection that required a five-day hospital stay. His diabetes required close monitoring.

Each new illness triggered rumors that he would resign, but Riley still kept his office hours, made his meetings, fielded press questions and attended to the business of government.

Two weeks after undergoing back surgery in 1994 to remove a cyst that was causing severe leg pain, Riley, then 81, was back at work. He considered it nothing less than his duty to the public.

“To appear at meetings and to be able to vote is one of the most important duties of a supervisor,” Riley once said. “I take that very seriously. The public forum is where we do our work.”

In 1997, Riley suffered one of his most serious health crises when doctors removed his left foot, which had become infected and was rendered untreatable because of his chronic diabetes. For weeks after the operation, Riley was required to spend several hours a day in an oxygen chamber to help his recovery.

Beyond the county Hall of Administration, Riley and wife Emma Jane made scores of annual appearances on behalf of local hospitals, children’s groups and other organizations. Riley was a regular at the Gentlemen’s Haberdashery, a fashion show in which movers and shakers served as models.

In fact, it was the Rileys’ marriage as much as either of their individual accomplishments that made both of them among Orange County’s most recognizable people.

They endured difficulties together--Emma Jane overcame alcoholism, and the Rileys weathered the disappointment of discovering that medical problems prevented them from having children--but the two were visibly devoted to one another and their pet silky terrier, Mary Jo. Emma Jane Riley said Thursday that the dog was with her husband when he died.

Riley liked to boast of his wife’s accomplishments more than his own, and when they were together, they finished each other’s sentences, and stole the punch lines to one another’s jokes.

Fateful Phone Call From Reagan

A devout Catholic, lifelong Republican and highly decorated Marine, Riley’s political career bridged the bipartisan days of the past with the GOP dominance that marks Orange County’s present. He took office in 1974, when then-Gov. Ronald Reagan named him to fill the unexpired term of Supervisor Ronald W. Caspers, who disappeared when his yacht sunk off Baja California in heavy seas.

“[Reagan] told me he wanted me to do it, and I kept thinking of reasons why I shouldn’t. . ., “ Riley recalled in 1991, but after seeking advice from close friends and associates, he took Reagan up on the offer.

Riley was reappointed to the same office later that year by Democrat Edmund G. Brown Jr., who succeeded Reagan as governor. With a pair of appointments from governors of opposing parties under his belt, Riley went on to win five elections in the 5th District, always by comfortable margins.

Affable and easygoing, Riley enjoyed the friendship of his colleagues. He loved some aspects of the job--he would beam when greeting guests at board meetings--and hated others. Fund-raising, he often said, was “just terrible.”

Throughout his career, Riley won strong backing from the development community, which contributed heavily to his campaigns and helped seal Riley’s political invincibility.

That did not endear the supervisor to some residents, especially slow-growth advocates who worried that South County was adding residents faster than it built highways or other facilities to support them.

Riley’s endorsement of major new development in South County, including the controversial Laguna Laurel project--a massive housing development in the environmentally sensitive Laguna Canyon--made him the target of a recall effort in 1988. In filing the recall papers, Riley’s foes argued that he had consistently favored development interests.

He dismissed the recall attempt as the work of a “vocal minority.”

“I have fought for balanced and controlled growth to protect our quality of life,” he said in his formal response. Riley’s critics were unable to marshal the signatures needed to force a recall, and he kept his seat.

The development project was eventually halted when the Irvine Co. agreed to sell the land to the county and to the city of Laguna Beach for a park.

The retired general rarely shied from a fight, and took stands that some of his colleagues were reluctant to embrace. He backed affordable housing requirements in some new developments during his second term in office, and an opponent used that stand to try to label Riley “part socialist.”

Longtime political foe and former Irvine Mayor Larry Agran said Thursday that Riley “remained committed to incorporating a fair amount of affordable housing with any developments he approved, and that was an important contribution to more balanced growth to the county.”

Because of his military background, Riley had come to believe that his opponents or colleagues would fall in line simply because he was the boss.

“It was only after I became I county supervisor that I realized that everybody didn’t love me,” Riley reflected later. “In the Marine Corps, everyone just said ‘Aye, aye, sir.’ You get used to that.”

And Riley never forgot.

A Military Man in Public Life

Former aide Christie McDaniel recalled a moment when Riley overhead a woman talking about being an ex-Marine. Riley didn’t know her, but didn’t hesitate to offer his unsolicited comment: “Excuse me, honey, there’s no such thing as an ex-Marine.”

Critics, however, wondered whether Riley’s military rank served him poorly as a supervisor by isolating him from more ordinary citizens.

“He wasn’t skilled in what was needed to be a supervisor,” Rogers said. “You’re not supposed to run the county like a Marine brigade.”

Riley often found himself at odds with environmentalists, yet was still known for his love of parks and the wilderness and insisting that developers include open spaces in the communities in which they built.

Wagon Wheel Canyon Park at the end of Oso Parkway was renamed Gen. Thomas F. Riley Wilderness Park in honor of the longtime supervisor.

Tom Mathews, the county planning director who served as an aide to Riley during the boom years, said the supervisor recognized the need for long-term urban planning that would provide “balanced” communities with housing near jobs and plenty of recreational space.

“He knew that the landowners were going to be here for a long time and that the board could work with the developers to identify large amounts of open space that could be set aside for future generations,” Mathews said. “I think he was very proud of what emerged in the South County.”

The supervisor took a special interest in transportation issues, emerging as the board’s most fervent supporter for Measure M, the half-cent transportation sales tax that voters approved in November 1990.

Riley’s proudest moment on the board came only after much difficulty and disappointment.

In September 1991, after delays and cost overruns had postponed its opening from April, the $310-million John Wayne Airport expansion was completed. Riley had overseen the project, and his colleagues named its centerpiece the “Thomas F. Riley Terminal.”

But their act of recognition followed bitter wrangling over the project. When the expansion fell behind schedule, some board members tried to maneuver around Riley. At one point earlier in the project, Riley could not win a second from his colleagues on an important airport vote, leaving him to fume angrily. He later called that his most frustrating moment in politics.

Riley was also known for being protective of his district. And while he prided himself on being an independent thinker, he was not above bowing to someone else’s will.

In 1994, he publicly tangled board colleague Supervisor Roger R. Stanton, when the latter recommended building a new jail at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, which was in Riley’s district. Riley fired back that the new jail should go in Stanton’s district. Riley later admitted his was an “off-the-cuff” reaction and endorsed studying the proposal to put a new jail at the base.

During his last year in office, Riley also recommended giving supervisors a 2.5% pay increase after they had gone four years without a raise. Riley insisted that board members deserved the pay hike, but when it triggered controversy, he humbly reversed himself.

Indeed, despite flare-ups, Riley’s devotion to constituent services made him nearly unassailable at the ballot box. After winning his first public election in June 1976, he was reelected in 1978, 1982, 1986 and 1990, never even facing a runoff.

Independent Voice on Social Issues

Beside the development issues, Riley’s tenure on the Board of Supervisors was also marked by a deep interest in social issues--even when his stances were not popular.

Soon after taking office, Riley voted in favor of county funding for family planning services over the strong opposition of anti-abortion activists and others. In the late 1980s, Riley became one of the county’s most visible supporters of AIDS charities and was named Humanitarian of the Year in 1990 by AIDS Walk Orange County.

Riley was also instrumental in creating the public-private partnership that resulted in construction of the Orangewood Children’s Home, the county’s only emergency shelter for abused and neglected children. The shelter is run by the county but was built with contributions from the private sector.

“He was a conservative Reagan Republican, but he also cared deeply about helping people,” said Steiner, who once served as head of Orangewood. “He and Emma Jane didn’t have any children of their own. But when he would come to Orangewood and see the kids, his eyes would twinkle.”

Riley could always be counted on when it came to fund-raising for another cause, friends and acquaintances say.

Riley’s electoral success came despite a dearth of political experience when he took the job. His background was in military affairs, not politics, and from his early childhood he had always sought a place in the armed forces.

Born in Harrisonburg, Va., Riley attended the Virginia Military Institute and was graduated with a bachelor of science in engineering. After graduation, he accepted an appointment as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps.

Riley saw combat in World War II, and he held various commands in the Pacific theater. He was highly decorated, winning four Bronze Stars, the Legion of Merit with Combat “V”, a letter of commendation and commendation ribbon and the Presidential Unit Citation, among other honors.

After returning to the United States, Riley served as chief of staff for Camp Pendleton. He rose to inspector general of the Marine Corps before retiring from the service in 1964--with the rank of brigadier general--to work in private industry.

Reentering public life as a supervisor rounded out Riley’s sense of service, and he believed that the two careers meshed well. On the walls of his office, swords and Marine Corps honors were interspersed with photographs of presidents and other political leaders.

On the fifth floor of the Hall of administration, shifting issues and interests can make loyalties hard to track in some cases, but not in Riley’s.

He was an admirer of Supervisor Ralph Diedrich in his early years on the board--when Diedrich was pushed out of office by the political corruption scandal that eventually sent him to prison, Riley capped an emotional farewell session by kissing his colleague on the cheek and wishing him well.

In more recent years, however, Riley’s closest ally and best friend on the board was Supervisor Don R. Roth, another former military man who shared Riley’s regard for straight talk.

Riley stood by Roth despite allegations that he received thousands of dollars in home improvements from people who did business with the county. Roth resigned in 1993 after pleading guilty to seven misdemeanor charges related to conflicts of interest.

Riley himself was untainted by scandal over his long career. But the county’s bankruptcy marked his darkest days.

Somber End to Supervisor’s Career

The financial collapse was caused by the risky investment practices of former Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron. In December 1994--as Riley was planning his last month on the Board of Supervisors--a county-run investment pool holding the money of more than 200 government agencies and school districts was found to have lost $1.64 billion of its value, triggering the county’s bankruptcy declaration.

Like other county officials, Riley was a strong supporter of Citron, whose investments brought the county extremely high yields for years before the collapse. “This is a person who got us millions of dollars,” Riley once said. “I don’t know how the hell he does it, but he makes us look good.”

In the chaotic weeks following the bankruptcy declaration, he and other board members were harshly criticized for approving Citron’s investments despite several county audits that raised concerns about his strategies.

Riley later acknowledged that the board “didn’t ask the right questions” about Citron’s investments but said few people in the county understood what he was doing. “True, we could have stopped things that came up on the agenda,” he said in 1995. “But that’s a very difficult thing to do when you don’t know what’s going on.”

Riley’s departure from public office shortly after the bankruptcy and his failing health allowed him to escape much of the criticism that was heaped on his colleagues. But he was still stung. At one board meeting, a few activists protested the county’s decision to rename a park in his honor.

“I know it was a terrible disappointment to him,” Steiner said. “But I think his career needs to me measured in full.”

Tony Moiso, chief executive officer of Rancho Mission Viejo and a longtime Riley confidant, said he knew his friend’s health was rapidly deteriorating in recent months. Still, he said, Riley’s death is a shock.

“You can prepare for this. But when it happens, it’s still hard,” Moiso said. “He was so weak. He was suffering a lot. The blessing is that if anyone has gone right to heaven, he’s there.”

Also contributing to this story were Times staff writers Jim Newton, Esther Schrader and Janet Wilson and librarian Sheila A. Kern. Shelby Grad and Jean Pasco can be reached at (714) 564-1033 or by e-mailing shelby.grad@latimes.com or jean.pasco@latimes.com

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Shaping the County

Thomas F. Riley’s death marks the passing of not only one of the longest-serving supervisors in Orange County history, but also a man who was instrumental in shaping the county he served.

Sites Named After Riley

* Thomas F. Riley Terminal at John Wayne Airport

* Gen. Thomas F. Riley Wilderness Park in Coto de Caza

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“Any history of Orange County will celebrate Tom Riley as one of its monumental public figures who was a persuasive, determined and effective leader with big vision and a bigger heart.”--Donald Bren, chairman, the Irvine Co.

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Longest-Serving Supervisors

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District Supervisor Years 1st C.M. Featherly 19 2nd Willis Warner 23 3rd William Schumacker 19 4th Willard Smith 27 5th Thomas F. Riley 20

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Source: Times reports

Riley Funeral Services

* Funeral services for former Orange County Supervisor Thomas F. Riley will take place Monday at 11 a.m., Our Lady Queen of Angels Church, 2046 Mar Vista Drive, Newport Beach. Viewing and rosary will take place Sunday from 7 to 10 p.m. at the church. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

* The family has asked that donations be made to Sisters of the Society Devoted to the Sacred Heart, 2927 S. Greenville St., Santa Ana, CA 92704. Donations can also be made to the American Diabetes Assn., 1570 Brookhollow Drive, Suite 120, Santa Ana CA 92705.