Charles A. Allen (California politician)
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Don A. Allen
, Los Angeles City Council member, 1947–57.
Charles A. Allen was on leave from his job as supervisor of the Los Angeles City Hall
parking garage when he was elected to the Los Angeles City Council
in 1941. He was reelected in 1943 and 1945, but in the April 1947 primary election his victory — already certified by the City Council—was set aside by court order, a recount was made, and he had to face a final election the next month, which he lost to Kenneth Hahn
.
A native of Missouri
, where he was a captain in the National Guard
and was given the nickname
"Cap," Allen was in the grocery business and ran several Los Angeles area markets. He was also active in clubs and civic associations. He took the garage job
in 1935 and ran for Los Angeles City Council District 8
six years later in an election to succeed 12-year veteran Councilman Evan Lewis. He won that year and was reelected twice more.
In 1940, the 8th District was bounded on the north by Vernon Avenue, on the west by Western Avenue
, on the east by the city limits or Alameda Street and on the south by about Slauson Avenue
.
, who had died on May 5. Lewis's term was to end on on June 30, and Allen's elected term was to begin July 1.
These are two of the positions he took during his six years of service:
Minorities, 1945. During debate on a proposal to establish an interracial committee "devoted to the interests of so-called minority groups," Allen said he was opposed because he was:"convinced that this is a Communistic setup and that the people who have been associated with this effort have been misled." The proposed ordinance was killed by an 8-6 vote.
Radio, 1946. He voted in favor of a resolution condemning the sending of individual letters by city councilmen to support any given radio station in making an application to the Federal Communication Commission
. He denounced an organization, the Hollywood Community Radio Group, Inc., which had solicited such letters because its membership, he said, "contains names of persons with reputed Communist sympathies."
Don A. Allen
Not to be confused with Charles A. Allen, Los Angeles City Council member, 1941–47.Don A. Allen, also known as Don A. Allen, Sr., was a member of the California State Assembly in the 1940s and 1950s and of the Los Angeles City Council between 1947 and 1956.-Biography:Allen was born on May 13, 1900...
, Los Angeles City Council member, 1947–57.
Charles A. Allen was on leave from his job as supervisor of the Los Angeles City Hall
Los Angeles City Hall
Los Angeles City Hall, completed 1928, is the center of the government of the city of Los Angeles, California, and houses the mayor's office and the meeting chambers and offices of the Los Angeles City Council...
parking garage when he was elected to the Los Angeles City Council
Los Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles.The Council is composed of fifteen members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tempore are chosen by the Council at the first regular meeting after...
in 1941. He was reelected in 1943 and 1945, but in the April 1947 primary election his victory — already certified by the City Council—was set aside by court order, a recount was made, and he had to face a final election the next month, which he lost to Kenneth Hahn
Kenneth Hahn
Kenneth "Kenny" Hahn was a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for forty years, from 1952 to 1992. Hahn was on the Los Angeles City Council from 1947 to 1952. He was an ardent supporter of civil rights throughout the 1960s, and met Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1961.-Biography:Hahn...
.
A native of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, where he was a captain in the National Guard
National Guard
The term National Guard originally referred to a French citizen militia . The term is now used in many countries. Depending on the country in question, "national guard" may refer to an organized militia, a military force, a paramilitary force, a gendarmerie, or a police force:- Americas :* National...
and was given the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
"Cap," Allen was in the grocery business and ran several Los Angeles area markets. He was also active in clubs and civic associations. He took the garage job
Multi-storey car park
A multi-storey car-park is a building designed specifically to be for car parking and where there are a number of floors or levels on which parking takes place...
in 1935 and ran for Los Angeles City Council District 8
Los Angeles City Council District 8
Los Angeles City Council District 8 is one of the 15 districts of the Los Angeles City Council, covering much of South Los Angeles. The current council member is Bernard C. Parks....
six years later in an election to succeed 12-year veteran Councilman Evan Lewis. He won that year and was reelected twice more.
In 1940, the 8th District was bounded on the north by Vernon Avenue, on the west by Western Avenue
Western Avenue (Los Angeles)
Western Avenue is a major four lane street slightly west of Downtown Los Angeles and the center portion of Los Angeles County. Besides Sepulveda Boulevard, it is one of the longest north/south streets in Los Angeles...
, on the east by the city limits or Alameda Street and on the south by about Slauson Avenue
Slauson Avenue
Slauson Avenue is a major east-west thoroughfare for southern Los Angeles County, California, named for the land developer and Los Angeles Board of Education member J. S. Slauson. It passes through Culver City, Ladera Heights, View Park-Windsor Hills, Baldwin Hills, Inglewood, South Los Angeles,...
.
Positions
Allen was sworn in as a council member on May 14, 1941, to fill the unexpired term of Councilman Evan LewisEvan Lewis (politician)
Evan Lewis was a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council between 1925 and 1941.-Biography:Lewis was born in Wales on July 2, 1869, and was taken to Iowa when young. He became a U.S. citizen in 1890, two years after moving to California. He was at various times a deputy sheriff, a...
, who had died on May 5. Lewis's term was to end on on June 30, and Allen's elected term was to begin July 1.
These are two of the positions he took during his six years of service:
Minorities, 1945. During debate on a proposal to establish an interracial committee "devoted to the interests of so-called minority groups," Allen said he was opposed because he was:"convinced that this is a Communistic setup and that the people who have been associated with this effort have been misled." The proposed ordinance was killed by an 8-6 vote.
Radio, 1946. He voted in favor of a resolution condemning the sending of individual letters by city councilmen to support any given radio station in making an application to the Federal Communication Commission
Communications Act of 1934
The Communications Act of 1934 is a United States federal law, enacted as Public Law Number 416, Act of June 19, 1934, ch. 652, 48 Stat. 1064, by the 73rd Congress, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, codified as Chapter 5 of Title 47 of the United States Code, et seq. The Act replaced the...
. He denounced an organization, the Hollywood Community Radio Group, Inc., which had solicited such letters because its membership, he said, "contains names of persons with reputed Communist sympathies."
See also
- List of Los Angeles municipal election returns, 1941–1945