Nate Holden
Encyclopedia
Nate Holden is a Los Angeles County politician who served four years in the California State Senate and 16 years on the Los Angeles City Council.
| |}>
, the son of a railroad brakeman
in the Central of Georgia yards. He moved with his mother and brothers to a cold-water flat in Elizabeth, New Jersey
, when he was 10; he quit high school at age 16, when, although he was under age, he enlisted in the Army, where he became a military policeman
. Back home, he earned a high school diploma in night school and later studied design and engineering in the evenings at West Coast University
. He worked for Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, then moved to California in 1955 and worked as an aerospace engineer. He has two sons, Chris and Reginald.
in 1990 and 1991, when he was in his sixties.
He had two sides to his personality, Los Angeles Times reporter Bill Boyarsky wrote in 1989 — "The Nice Nate" and "The Mean Nate." On one hand, Holden was "a gentle, considerate, compassionate person much of the time." On the other hand, Boyarsky wrote, Holden is marked by a "hostile toughness . . . when he discusses the way black leaders refused to back him in unsuccessful races and in his election to the council." Fellow councilman John Ferraro
said of Holden, "He is gruff and he is rough, but he has a big heart."
Within just a few months after his election to the Los Angeles City Council in 1987, Holden stirred resentment from fellow council members and City Hall workers. Los Angeles Times reporter Victor Merina wrote that Holden's style was described as "abrasive and contentious, overbearing and pompous. He is viewed, by some, as confrontational at best, and rude and bullying at worst." Councilwoman Joy Picus said, "I am appalled at the way he treats city employees. He already is legendary at City Hall." Holden told the reporter: "I'm not running any nursery school. I ask tough questions of bureaucrats."
's peace delegation" and an officer of the Alta Loma Democratic Club. Holden made his first run for public office in 1968, when he was an unsuccessful candidate in California's 26th congressional district
, which at the time included Beverly Hills, part of Culver City, most of Venice and some of Santa Monica and West Los Angeles. He became president of the CDC in 1970 and that year made two more runs for Congress.
.
to run against Homer Broome Jr. for the 10th District seat that had been vacated by the resignation of Dave Cunningham
. Holden won by a 2–1 margin, even though Broome had been endorsed by Mayor Tom Bradley
. Another candidate was Esther M. Lofton, who received fewer than 100 votes.
1989: Holden took on Mayor Bradley directly when he entered the race for mayor. He angered some of his constituents during the campaign when he supported the proposed breakup of the Los Angeles Unified School District
. It was noted just before the election that Bradley's campaign fund vastly surpassed Holden's — $1,085,861 to $67,252. But Holden gained national prominence by using other funds to pay $300 for each assault rifle
surrendered to the police. Bradley received 52 percent of vote to win in the April primary.
1991: Lofton, 60, a former schoolteacher "with no political base," challenged Holden again, stating she would not accept campaign contributions. When the votes were counted, Lofton had won an "astounding 28%," the Los Angeles Times remarked editorially, ascribing the large percentage to Holden's "hands-off policy regarding Police Chief Daryl Gates
.
1995: Holden was challenged in the April primary by Deputy District Attorney Kevin A. Ross
and by Rhodes Scholar and Yale Law School
graduate J. Stanley (Stan) Sanders. In the campaign Korean-American business owners contributed more than a third of Holden's campaign funds, lauding the councilman's help "in moving them through the city bureaucracy"; Sanders and Holden, who claimed the election would be his last one, "took shots at the other's integrity and character." In the final election against Sanders in June, Holden received 54% of the vote and was elected.
1999: Holden did run again, however, receiving 49.37% of the primary votes against Madison Shockley, who had 20.9%, and Scott Suh and Marsha Brown, each with about 15%. In a "bitterly personal" June campaign, won by Holden, the Times wrote,
Holden's campaign literature claimed that Mayor Bradley, a longtime Holden opponent who had been rendered speechless in the hospital after two strokes, had endorsed Holden before he died. He did this, Holden later told the LA Weekly newspaper, by nodding his head, "like a thumbs up."
2001: After the death of Rep. Julian Dixon in 2001, Holden was one of 16 candidates in a first-past-the-post
election to succeed him. He came in third with 16.7% of the vote, to Diane Watson
's 32.9% and Kevin Murray
's 26.4%.
by a former office worker, Marlee E. Beyda, 31, that he had engaged in sexual harassment
against her both in his office and in visits she made to his Marina del Rey apartment. Similar claims brought by former aide Carla Cavalier were dismissed the next month by Judge Byron McMillan, but they were reinstated by an appeals court, and the City Council agreed in January 2000 to pay Cavalier $175,000 in damages. Another woman, Connie Collins, also filed a claim in 1992 accusing Holden of sexual harassment, but she never pursued a lawsuit. The city paid $1.3 million in Holden's legal bills because the city attorney's office
could not defend him due to a conflict of interest
.
. He said he was also forced to work on Holden's 2001 Congressional campaign. Mayberry, a diabetic, claimed Holden violated his federal rights to due process and state disability laws by firing him without justification.
ruled in 2002 that Holden had committed 31 violations of campaign-finance laws
in 1999 by accepting donations totaling $5,150 in excess of what was allowed and fined him and his campaign manager $6,500.
1990: Requiring buyers of Rolex
watches to register the serial number with police, to make it difficult for crooks to sell them. Introduced in the wake of a rash of Rolex thefts of about one a day, with some owners killed.
1999: Requiring cable companies to remove sneakers
tied together and left dangling from overhead lines. Holden said they were "menacing signals of gang territory and drug sales." Police officials said they were just pranks. Bill passed.
Upbringing, education and family
Holden was born in June 1929 in Macon, GeorgiaMacon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
, the son of a railroad brakeman
Brakeman
A brakeman is a rail transport worker whose original job it was to assist the braking of a train by applying brakes on individual wagons. The advent of through brakes on trains made this role redundant, although the name lives on in the United States where brakemen carry out a variety of functions...
in the Central of Georgia yards. He moved with his mother and brothers to a cold-water flat in Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth largest city with an increase of 4,401 residents from its 2000 Census population of 120,568...
, when he was 10; he quit high school at age 16, when, although he was under age, he enlisted in the Army, where he became a military policeman
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
. Back home, he earned a high school diploma in night school and later studied design and engineering in the evenings at West Coast University
West Coast University
West Coast University is a for-profit, healthcare oriented university located in southern California and Dallas, Texas. WCU was founded in 1909 as an ophthalmology school . It has campuses in North Hollywood, Anaheim and Ontario, California...
. He worked for Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, then moved to California in 1955 and worked as an aerospace engineer. He has two sons, Chris and Reginald.
Description and personality
Holden was an amateur boxer as a teenager, weighing only 167 pounds. At age 59, he was a "tall, gray-haired dignified-looking man in a nicely conservative suit." Holden completed the Los Angeles MarathonLos Angeles Marathon
The Honda LA Marathon is an annual running event held each spring in Los Angeles, California. The 26.219 mile footrace, inspired by the success of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, has been contested every year since 1986...
in 1990 and 1991, when he was in his sixties.
He had two sides to his personality, Los Angeles Times reporter Bill Boyarsky wrote in 1989 — "The Nice Nate" and "The Mean Nate." On one hand, Holden was "a gentle, considerate, compassionate person much of the time." On the other hand, Boyarsky wrote, Holden is marked by a "hostile toughness . . . when he discusses the way black leaders refused to back him in unsuccessful races and in his election to the council." Fellow councilman John Ferraro
John Ferraro
John Ferraro was the longest-serving Los Angeles City Council member in the history of the city—thirty-five years, from 1966 until his death in 2001—and the president of the council for fourteen of them...
said of Holden, "He is gruff and he is rough, but he has a big heart."
Within just a few months after his election to the Los Angeles City Council in 1987, Holden stirred resentment from fellow council members and City Hall workers. Los Angeles Times reporter Victor Merina wrote that Holden's style was described as "abrasive and contentious, overbearing and pompous. He is viewed, by some, as confrontational at best, and rude and bullying at worst." Councilwoman Joy Picus said, "I am appalled at the way he treats city employees. He already is legendary at City Hall." Holden told the reporter: "I'm not running any nursery school. I ask tough questions of bureaucrats."
Early political career
Holden said he decided to enter politics at the age of six in Georgia when he heard a candidate on the radio vow to "keep the niggers down." In California, he became active in Democratic politics; he was a member of the "steering committee for the California Democratic CouncilCalifornia Democratic Council
The California Democratic Council , an unofficial umbrella organization of volunteer Democratic Clubs, was founded at conferences at Asilomar and Fresno conferences in 1952-53 by future U.S. Senator Alan Cranston, State Senator George Miller, Jr...
's peace delegation" and an officer of the Alta Loma Democratic Club. Holden made his first run for public office in 1968, when he was an unsuccessful candidate in California's 26th congressional district
California's 26th congressional district
California 26th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California that spans the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley from La Cañada Flintridge to Rancho Cucamonga...
, which at the time included Beverly Hills, part of Culver City, most of Venice and some of Santa Monica and West Los Angeles. He became president of the CDC in 1970 and that year made two more runs for Congress.
State Senate
Holden began his service as a state senator in 1974, but gave up his office after four years to campaign unsuccessfully for the Congressional seat ultimately won by Julian C. DixonJulian C. Dixon
Julian Carey Dixon was an American politician from the state of California.Dixon was born in Washington D.C. and served in the United States Army from 1957 to 1960. He graduated from California State University, Los Angeles in 1962. He was elected to the California State Assembly as a Democrat in...
.
Elections
1987: Holden took a leave from his job as assistant chief deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth HahnKenneth 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...
to run against Homer Broome Jr. for the 10th District seat that had been vacated by the resignation of Dave Cunningham
David S. Cunningham, Jr.
David Surmier Cunningham, Jr., or Dave Cunningham, is a business executive who was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 1973 to succeed Council Member Tom Bradley, who had been elected mayor that year...
. Holden won by a 2–1 margin, even though Broome had been endorsed by Mayor Tom Bradley
Tom Bradley (politician)
Thomas J. "Tom" Bradley was the 38th Mayor of Los Angeles, California, serving in that office from 1973 to 1993. He was the first and to date only African American mayor of Los Angeles...
. Another candidate was Esther M. Lofton, who received fewer than 100 votes.
1989: Holden took on Mayor Bradley directly when he entered the race for mayor. He angered some of his constituents during the campaign when he supported the proposed breakup of the Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...
. It was noted just before the election that Bradley's campaign fund vastly surpassed Holden's — $1,085,861 to $67,252. But Holden gained national prominence by using other funds to pay $300 for each assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
surrendered to the police. Bradley received 52 percent of vote to win in the April primary.
1991: Lofton, 60, a former schoolteacher "with no political base," challenged Holden again, stating she would not accept campaign contributions. When the votes were counted, Lofton had won an "astounding 28%," the Los Angeles Times remarked editorially, ascribing the large percentage to Holden's "hands-off policy regarding Police Chief Daryl Gates
Daryl Gates
Daryl Gates was the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department from 1978 to 1992.-Early life:...
.
1995: Holden was challenged in the April primary by Deputy District Attorney Kevin A. Ross
Kevin A. Ross
Kevin A. Ross is an American host of the syndicated television program America's Court with Judge Ross, a producer, communications strategist, and former California Superior Court judge.-Early years:...
and by Rhodes Scholar and Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
graduate J. Stanley (Stan) Sanders. In the campaign Korean-American business owners contributed more than a third of Holden's campaign funds, lauding the councilman's help "in moving them through the city bureaucracy"; Sanders and Holden, who claimed the election would be his last one, "took shots at the other's integrity and character." In the final election against Sanders in June, Holden received 54% of the vote and was elected.
1999: Holden did run again, however, receiving 49.37% of the primary votes against Madison Shockley, who had 20.9%, and Scott Suh and Marsha Brown, each with about 15%. In a "bitterly personal" June campaign, won by Holden, the Times wrote,
Shockley blamed Holden for the existence of bleak storefronts, filthy sidewalks and lack of new development along the district's thoroughfares, which include Jefferson, Washington, Pico and Adams boulevards. . . . Holden's campaign portrayed the incumbent as a master of constituent services, taking credit for fixed sidewalks, filled potholes and new libraries in residential neighborhoods.
Holden's campaign literature claimed that Mayor Bradley, a longtime Holden opponent who had been rendered speechless in the hospital after two strokes, had endorsed Holden before he died. He did this, Holden later told the LA Weekly newspaper, by nodding his head, "like a thumbs up."
2001: After the death of Rep. Julian Dixon in 2001, Holden was one of 16 candidates in a first-past-the-post
First-past-the-post
First-past-the-post voting refers to an election won by the candidate with the most votes. The winning potato candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.-Overview:...
election to succeed him. He came in third with 16.7% of the vote, to Diane Watson
Diane Watson
Diane Edith Watson is a former US Representative for , serving from 2003 until 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party...
's 32.9% and Kevin Murray
Kevin Murray
Kevin 'Bulldog' Murray was a champion Australian rules footballer who played for the Fitzroy Football Club in the Victorian Football League in 333 games over 18 seasons....
's 26.4%.
Harassment
In November 1995, Holden. 66. was cleared by Superior Court Judge Raymond D. Mereles of civil chargesLawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
by a former office worker, Marlee E. Beyda, 31, that he had engaged in sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
against her both in his office and in visits she made to his Marina del Rey apartment. Similar claims brought by former aide Carla Cavalier were dismissed the next month by Judge Byron McMillan, but they were reinstated by an appeals court, and the City Council agreed in January 2000 to pay Cavalier $175,000 in damages. Another woman, Connie Collins, also filed a claim in 1992 accusing Holden of sexual harassment, but she never pursued a lawsuit. The city paid $1.3 million in Holden's legal bills because the city attorney's office
City attorney
A city attorney can be an elected or appointed position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the city or municipality....
could not defend him due to a conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
.
Defamation
The city councilman was sued for defamation in 1999 by Los Angeles County sheriff's lieutenant (later captain) Ronnie Williams. The officer claimed Holden and his son Chris, a Pasadena City Council member had falsely accused Williams of soliciting bribes from the pair. Williams dropped the suit three months later and agreed to share the Holdens' court costs.Due process
Holden and the city of Los Angeles were sued in 2002 by Ronald Mayberry, a former Holden aide, who claimed that, while being paid by the city, he was required to work on Holden's 1999 campaign and on the campaign of Holden's son, Chris, who was running for mayor of PasadenaPasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. He said he was also forced to work on Holden's 2001 Congressional campaign. Mayberry, a diabetic, claimed Holden violated his federal rights to due process and state disability laws by firing him without justification.
Ethics
The city's Ethics CommissionEthics Commission
In the United States, an Ethics Commission is a commission established by State law or county or city ordinance to investigate dishonest or unethical practices by public employees and elected officials....
ruled in 2002 that Holden had committed 31 violations of campaign-finance laws
Campaign finance in the United States
Campaign finance in the United States is the financing of electoral campaigns at the federal, state, and local levels.At the federal level, the primary source of campaign funds is individuals; political action committees are a distant second. Contributions from both are limited, and direct...
in 1999 by accepting donations totaling $5,150 in excess of what was allowed and fined him and his campaign manager $6,500.
Other activities
- It was reported in September 1992 that Holden, 64, had been dividing his time for some 18 months between his home in Southwest Los Angeles and a condominium in Marina del Rey — outside the city limits — because of anonymous death threats he had received after the police beating of motorist Rodney KingRodney KingRodney Glen King is an American best known for his involvement in a police brutality case involving the Los Angeles Police Department on March 3, 1991...
. Holden had voted with nine other council members in 1991 to reinstate Police Chief Daryl GatesDaryl GatesDaryl Gates was the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department from 1978 to 1992.-Early life:...
, suspended by the Police Commission after the King affair. He said he did so "to ensure due process for the chief and to settle a lawsuit."
- In October 1992, over Holden's protests, the council voted 12-1 to move the 23-acre Santa Barbara Plaza — encompassing the largest concentration of black-owned businesses in the city — from his district to that of Councilman Mark Ridley-ThomasMark Ridley-ThomasMark Ridley-Thomas , often referred to by his initials, MRT, is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for District 2, who succeeded Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke...
. Holden threatened to sue, calling it "nothing but a blatant political maneuver."
- In January 2000, the Times reported that Holden had requisitioned for himself a "$45,223 super-deluxe sport utility vehicle at public expense" — a 2000 Lincoln Navigator — the most expensive car ever asked by a City Council member, who were entitled to drive city-owned automobiles. The "public will also foot the fuel bill for the councilman's notorious gas-guzzler," wrote reporter Beth Shuster. "It's more functional," said Holden, who wanted the big car to drive staff members and others around the district.
- Holden aroused controversy in July 2001 when he decided to appoint outgoing council members Mike HernandezMike HernándezMike Hernandez was a Los Angeles, California City Councilman. In 1997 Hernandez was arrested and pleaded guilty to purchasing and possessing cocaine. Because he struck a plea agreement whereby he agreed to seek treatment, the arrest was not in his record, and he was not required to resign his seat...
and Rudy SvorinichRudy SvorinichRudy Svorinich, Jr. is a Republican who served on the Los Angeles City Council representing the 15th district. A resident of San Pedro, his diverse district also included the communities of Watts, Wilmington, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, and San Pedro. He was elected to the council in 1993 and...
as part of his staff at a fee of about $1,900 each every two weeks "until they find new jobs."
- In May 2002 it was reported that Holden, who had campaigned against inner-city liquor businesses after the 1992 Rodney King riots1992 Los Angeles riotsThe 1992 Los Angeles Riots or South Central Riots, also known as the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest were sparked on April 29, 1992, when a jury acquitted three white and one hispanic Los Angeles Police Department officers accused in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King following a...
, nevertheless had fostered the opening of dozens of bars and nightclubs in Koreatown, which turned the district into "one of the city's busiest bar zones." It was said that many of the bars were "backed by his campaign contributors or represented by lobbyists with close ties to him." Holden replied that he was not influenced by campaign donations or any relationships with liquor or nightclub interests.
Legislation
1987: Forbidding the sale or manufacture of realistic toy guns. Bill passed.1990: Requiring buyers of Rolex
Rolex
Rolex SA is a Swiss watchmaking manufacturer of high-quality, luxury wristwatches. Rolex watches are popularly regarded as status symbols and BusinessWeek magazine ranks Rolex No.71 on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most valuable global brands...
watches to register the serial number with police, to make it difficult for crooks to sell them. Introduced in the wake of a rash of Rolex thefts of about one a day, with some owners killed.
1999: Requiring cable companies to remove sneakers
Sneakers (footwear)
The American term sneakers is a synonym for athletic shoes. More specifically, sneakers refer to footwear made of flexible material, typically featuring a sole made of rubber and an upper part made of leather or canvas. Sneakers were originally sporting apparel, but are today worn much more widely...
tied together and left dangling from overhead lines. Holden said they were "menacing signals of gang territory and drug sales." Police officials said they were just pranks. Bill passed.
Legacy
The Nate Holden Performing Arts Center at 4718 West Washington Boulevard is named in his honor.Further reading
- Beyda v. City of Los Angeles (sexual harassment appeal)
- Erin J. Aubry in Los Angeles Weekly on the 1999 10th District election