Evan Lewis (politician)
Encyclopedia
Evan Lewis was a member of the Los Angeles
, California
, City Council between 1925 and 1941.
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 paving contractor and a realty
dealer. He and Mary Powell, the daughter of Major E.B. Powell, were married in the Powell home at 2041 East Sixth Street on December 7, 1904, and eventually moved into a house at 268 E. 50th Street near South Park. They had one son, Evan Weldon, who became a deputy district attorney.
He died on while in office on May 5, 1941. A funeral service was held at the Welsh Presbyterian Church, and the body lay in state beneath the rotunda of the new City Hall
. Interment followed at Inglewood Park Cemetery
.
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Lewis was nominated for city assessor
at a citywide Republican convention on October 28, 1904, and was elected on December 5. He served one two-year term and then went into business for himself as a private assessor. He was on the Planning Commission 1920–25. and in December 1928 he was chosen by the City Council to succeed Frank L. Shaw
, who resigned as 8th District
councilman when Shaw won his race for the county Board of Supervisors. Lewis was elected repeatedly thereafter but did not run in 1941.
In 1937 the 8th District boundaries were: North: 45th Street or 48th Street. East: Alameda Street. South: Manchester Avenue. West: Vermont Avenue
.
1930 He was among six council members who in May 1930 unsuccessfully opposed allocating funds to make a study of leveling Bunker Hill, "which stands as a hindrance to traffic and a bar to development in the northwestern downtown territory."
1931 Lewis forced the postponement of a city law that would have allowed smoking in the balconies of theaters. He opined that "We should look into the ventilation feature of this ordinance. Smokers might run everybody else out of the theater. Holes will be burned in clothing, it will increase the fire risk."
1931 He proposed a resolution by which employees of city, county, state and federal governments would contribute a percentage of their salaries to go toward "unemployment relief." Then he added private businesses as well. His idea was referred to a committee.
1931 Lewis voted twice in favor of having the city attorney appeal a judge's decision ordering the city to stop the practice of segregating its swimming pools by race, a decision that was put into effect in summer 1931. An appeal would have delayed the desegregation.
1932 When Council Member George W.C. Baker asked for an ordinance to require inspection and certification of raw-milk dairies, Lewis opposed the idea, asserting it was simply a scheme to raise the price of milk.
1933 Lewis was a vocal dissenter when the council passed an ordinance fixing a quarterly fee of $37.50 "per chair or space" in tango parlors. He said the action "legalizes open gambling."
1934 He proposed doing away with most city commissions, which in that year numbered 19, with 105 members. He wanted "all municipal departments and divisions under the jurisdiction of the City Council," and he urged a reduction in the size of the 15-member council, with members "nominated by the voters in the district but elected by the voters at large."
1934 Lewis attacked "beer parlors" which had painted their windows, claiming that "such an effort at concealment shows that something wrong is going on inside. "Minors couldn't enter a saloon in the old days," he said, "and you never saw a woman standing at the bar. Today you see many women at the bar."
1936 He charged that a weekly payoff of $8,750 in protection money was being paid to officials by operators of "Chinese lotteries" to allow them to operate.
1936 He again ripped into "games of skill and science" that were to be allowed in the Venice amusement zone. claiming that allowing them there was "nothing but a bold attempt to legalize gambling throughout the entire city."
1936 He opposed a resolution aimed at stronger regulation of the Los Angeles street railway company
, claiming that the yellow cars had "the best service in the world."
1936 He urged that the city should employ only people who had been residents for a year and who were registered voters.
1940 He loudly berated city health officer George Parrish for his plan to require food markets to "ratproof" their premises. Parrish said there were about 1.5 million rats in the city and each ate about $1.67 worth of food. His department caught 50,000 in 1939, Parrish said.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, City Council between 1925 and 1941.
Biography
Lewis was born in WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
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 paving contractor and a realty
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
dealer. He and Mary Powell, the daughter of Major E.B. Powell, were married in the Powell home at 2041 East Sixth Street on December 7, 1904, and eventually moved into a house at 268 E. 50th Street near South Park. They had one son, Evan Weldon, who became a deputy district attorney.
He died on while in office on May 5, 1941. A funeral service was held at the Welsh Presbyterian Church, and the body lay in state beneath the rotunda of the new 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...
. Interment followed at Inglewood Park Cemetery
Inglewood Park Cemetery
Inglewood Park Cemetery was founded in 1905 in Inglewood, California. A number of notable people, including entertainment and sports personalities, have been interred or entombed here.-List of notable and celebrity interments at Inglewood Park:...
.
Elections
See also List of Los Angeles municipal election returns, 1904–1937Lewis was nominated for city assessor
Assessor
An assessor may be:* Assessor , the assistant to a judge or magistrate* Assessor , a senior officer of the University of Oxford* Assessor , an expert who calculates the value of property...
at a citywide Republican convention on October 28, 1904, and was elected on December 5. He served one two-year term and then went into business for himself as a private assessor. He was on the Planning Commission 1920–25. and in December 1928 he was chosen by the City Council to succeed Frank L. Shaw
Frank L. Shaw
Frank L. Shaw was the first mayor of a major American city to be recalled from office, in 1938. He was also a member of the Los Angeles City Council and then the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors...
, who resigned as 8th District
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....
councilman when Shaw won his race for the county Board of Supervisors. Lewis was elected repeatedly thereafter but did not run in 1941.
In 1937 the 8th District boundaries were: North: 45th Street or 48th Street. East: Alameda Street. South: Manchester Avenue. West: Vermont Avenue
Vermont Avenue
Vermont Avenue is one of the longest running north/south streets in Los Angeles, California with a length of about . Located just west of the Harbor Freeway for the major portion south of Downtown Los Angeles, it starts in Griffith Park at the Greek Theatre in the Los Feliz neighborhood as a...
.
Positions
Lewis was once labeled the "official roarer for the Council. He is fearless in his outbursts, and his thundering attacks upon shady deals that he discovers lurking about the City Hall are classics in the art of strenuous oratory. Brother councilmen who trail with Lewis generally look upon him as a sort of watchdog to raise the alarm upon the approach of a dubious proposition. . . . He fights for what he believes is right until he is the last man on the firing line, and then battles single-handed."1930 He was among six council members who in May 1930 unsuccessfully opposed allocating funds to make a study of leveling Bunker Hill, "which stands as a hindrance to traffic and a bar to development in the northwestern downtown territory."
1931 Lewis forced the postponement of a city law that would have allowed smoking in the balconies of theaters. He opined that "We should look into the ventilation feature of this ordinance. Smokers might run everybody else out of the theater. Holes will be burned in clothing, it will increase the fire risk."
1931 He proposed a resolution by which employees of city, county, state and federal governments would contribute a percentage of their salaries to go toward "unemployment relief." Then he added private businesses as well. His idea was referred to a committee.
1931 Lewis voted twice in favor of having the city attorney appeal a judge's decision ordering the city to stop the practice of segregating its swimming pools by race, a decision that was put into effect in summer 1931. An appeal would have delayed the desegregation.
1932 When Council Member George W.C. Baker asked for an ordinance to require inspection and certification of raw-milk dairies, Lewis opposed the idea, asserting it was simply a scheme to raise the price of milk.
1933 Lewis was a vocal dissenter when the council passed an ordinance fixing a quarterly fee of $37.50 "per chair or space" in tango parlors. He said the action "legalizes open gambling."
1934 He proposed doing away with most city commissions, which in that year numbered 19, with 105 members. He wanted "all municipal departments and divisions under the jurisdiction of the City Council," and he urged a reduction in the size of the 15-member council, with members "nominated by the voters in the district but elected by the voters at large."
1934 Lewis attacked "beer parlors" which had painted their windows, claiming that "such an effort at concealment shows that something wrong is going on inside. "Minors couldn't enter a saloon in the old days," he said, "and you never saw a woman standing at the bar. Today you see many women at the bar."
1936 He charged that a weekly payoff of $8,750 in protection money was being paid to officials by operators of "Chinese lotteries" to allow them to operate.
1936 He again ripped into "games of skill and science" that were to be allowed in the Venice amusement zone. claiming that allowing them there was "nothing but a bold attempt to legalize gambling throughout the entire city."
1936 He opposed a resolution aimed at stronger regulation of the Los Angeles street railway company
Los Angeles Railway
The Los Angeles Railway was a system of streetcars that operated in central Los Angeles, California and the immediate surrounding neighborhoods between from 1901 and 1963. Except for two short funicular railways it operated on tracks...
, claiming that the yellow cars had "the best service in the world."
1936 He urged that the city should employ only people who had been residents for a year and who were registered voters.
1940 He loudly berated city health officer George Parrish for his plan to require food markets to "ratproof" their premises. Parrish said there were about 1.5 million rats in the city and each ate about $1.67 worth of food. His department caught 50,000 in 1939, Parrish said.