J. Win Austin
Encyclopedia
J. Win Austin was a retired businessman who became a Los Angeles, California, City Council member from 1941 to 1953. He was earlier on the Police and Health commissions.
and founded an organization for the preservation of California history—Los Rancheros de San Jose Breakfast Club. He had a son, Edmund. After retiring in 1955, Austin and his wife moved to Wailaia Kahala, Hawaii
.
appointed Austin to the Board of Health Commissioners, and in 1940 he was on the Board of Police Commissioners.
In the 1940s, Los Angeles City Council District 3 was an irregularly shaped east-west district including the area south of West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, with Westwood, Brentwood and Pacific Palisades, to the coast.
Austin ran for the 3rd District spot being vacated by Stephen W. Cunningham
in 1941 and overcame the first-round lead of Paul V. Parker to win in the final vote, 10,446 to Parker's 8,649. In 1943, he beat Parker 7,587 to 575 in the primary. He was reelected every two years thereafter but did not run in 1953.
Speed, 1941. He opposed a proposal to raise the highway speed limit to 65 miles an hour.
Dancers, 1941. His proposal that taxi dancers
be required to undergo physical examination twice a year as a condition in issuing permits to dance halls brought a ruling from City Attorney Cheesebro that "such a requirement would not stand up in the courts on the grounds that it would be unreasonable."
Tunnels, 1941. Austin's motion directing the chief of police to stop "the practice of motorists tooting prolonged blasts on their auto horns while passing through the Second and Third Street tunnels" was adopted by the commission.
Monument, 1953. He opposed the proposed allocation of $75,000 as the city's share of building a monument atop Fort Moore Hill
to honor the pioneers who raised the first American flag in Los Angeles.
No protest, 1953. Austin spent the last day of his term in "almost continuous session" with seven other conservative members of the City Council while police were searching for the missing members to make up a quorum
so that business could take place. The missing men were boycotting the council over the proposed elimination of a public-housing
program. The boycott ended the next day when new members were seated.
Biography
Austin was an executive of a graphite, a lead and a bridge company in Detroit, Michigan. He retired and moved to Los Angeles in 1928 or 1929, living at 722 South Beverly Glen Boulevard. He was a member of the Los Angeles Country ClubLos Angeles Country Club
The Los Angeles Country Club is a golf and country club in Los Angeles, California.- History :In the fall of 1897, a group of Los Angelenos organized a voluntary association to further the cause of one of Southern California's newest sports...
and founded an organization for the preservation of California history—Los Rancheros de San Jose Breakfast Club. He had a son, Edmund. After retiring in 1955, Austin and his wife moved to Wailaia Kahala, Hawaii
Waialae
Waialae or Waialae may refer to:*Waialae Country Club, a private country club in Honolulu, Hawaii*Waialae, Hawaii, a section of Honolulu, Hawaii alongside Kāhala*Waialae Stream, a small river on Hawaiʻi...
.
Public service
In 1939, Mayor Fletcher BowronFletcher Bowron
Fletcher Bowron was the 35th Mayor of Los Angeles, California from September 26, 1938 until June 30, 1953. Until Thomas Bradley passed his length of service during the 1980s, Bowron held the distinction of having the longest tenure in that position in city history.Bowron was born in Poway,...
appointed Austin to the Board of Health Commissioners, and in 1940 he was on the Board of Police Commissioners.
Elections
See also List of Los Angeles municipal election returns, 1941-51In the 1940s, Los Angeles City Council District 3 was an irregularly shaped east-west district including the area south of West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, with Westwood, Brentwood and Pacific Palisades, to the coast.
Austin ran for the 3rd District spot being vacated by Stephen W. Cunningham
Stephen W. Cunningham
Stephen W. Cunningham was the first graduate manager at the Southern Branch of the University of California, later UCLA, and a member of the Los Angeles City Council from 1933 to 1941.-Biography:Stephen W...
in 1941 and overcame the first-round lead of Paul V. Parker to win in the final vote, 10,446 to Parker's 8,649. In 1943, he beat Parker 7,587 to 575 in the primary. He was reelected every two years thereafter but did not run in 1953.
Police Commission
Uniforms, 1940. The commission adopted his motion to require police officers, except those on plainclothes duty, to wear uniforms while working.Speed, 1941. He opposed a proposal to raise the highway speed limit to 65 miles an hour.
Dancers, 1941. His proposal that taxi dancers
Taxi dance hall
A taxi-dance hall is a type of dance hall where dancers called taxi dancers are paid to dance with patrons . The owners of a taxi-dance hall provide music and a dance floor for their patrons and taxi dancers...
be required to undergo physical examination twice a year as a condition in issuing permits to dance halls brought a ruling from City Attorney Cheesebro that "such a requirement would not stand up in the courts on the grounds that it would be unreasonable."
Tunnels, 1941. Austin's motion directing the chief of police to stop "the practice of motorists tooting prolonged blasts on their auto horns while passing through the Second and Third Street tunnels" was adopted by the commission.
City Council
Noise, 1953. Austin scored noise "both in the skies and on the streets" and asked Police Chief William H. Parker to "take some action to quiet it down," perhaps by requiring mufflers on low-flying airplanes that "disturb thousands." He also was critical of "exhaust sounds of automobiles, mostly from foreign-made cars."Monument, 1953. He opposed the proposed allocation of $75,000 as the city's share of building a monument atop Fort Moore Hill
Fort Moore
Fort Moore was an historic U.S. Military Fort in Los Angeles, California, during the Mexican-American War. Its approximate location was at what is now the Hollywood Freeway near the intersection of North Hill Street and West Cesar Chavez Avenue, downtown....
to honor the pioneers who raised the first American flag in Los Angeles.
No protest, 1953. Austin spent the last day of his term in "almost continuous session" with seven other conservative members of the City Council while police were searching for the missing members to make up a quorum
Quorum
A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly necessary to conduct the business of that group...
so that business could take place. The missing men were boycotting the council over the proposed elimination of a public-housing
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
program. The boycott ended the next day when new members were seated.