Robert M. Wilkinson
Encyclopedia
Robert M. Wilkinson was a political figure and lobbyist in the San Fernando Valley in California. He was a member of the Los Angeles City Council from 1953 to 1957 and from 1967 to 1979.
, to David and Kathryn Wilkinson. The family moved to the San Fernando Valley
in 1936, where Robert attended Canoga Park High School
. After serving in the Navy, he earned a bachelor's degree in engineering
from the University of Southern California
. He was later a sales-promotion manager for a showcase
-manufacturing firm in Los Angeles. Wilkinson was married about 1944 to Marjorie Merta Philp of Grover, Colorado. They had a son, Robert Wilkinson, Jr.; and two daughters, Barbara Lima and Noreen Lohnes. Marjorie Wilkinson died in 1990.
He died September 27, 2010, in Northridge, California, after surgery necessitated by a broken arm and hip suffered in a fall. Services were in First Lutheran Church, Northridge. He was survived by his wife, Rosetta Kurmann-Wilkinson, son Robert J. and daughters Noreen Hodatt and Barbara Lima.
Wilkinson was elected in 1953 at the age of 32 to a four-year term to represent Los Angeles City Council District 3. At that time, the 3rd District included UCLA and contiguous teritory, some of the Santa Monica Mountains
and a portion of the San Fernando Valley, including Tarzana and Woodland Hills
. He did not run for reelection in 1957, because, he said, he was starting to get ulcers.
Ten years later, 1967, Wilkinson took on incumbent John P. Cassidy
in Los Angeles City Council District 12
, which had been shifted by the City Council in a 1964 decision from Downtown
to the northwestern Valley. Wilkinson beat Cassidy in the new geography by a lopsided 14,485-to-4,167 vote. He was easily reelected in the 1971 primary, but in 1975 his victory was narrower—20,391 for Wilkinson in the final and 20,068 for challenger Barbara Klein. He did not run for reelection in 1979.
Trout. Trout-fishing trips that he organized for Valley politicians to Mammoth Lakes aroused controversy when it was found that the groups received free use of cabins owned by the city's independent Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
. The fishermen then began paying for their lodgings.
Hutchinson. Wilkinson successfully opposed a 1968 attempt by Mayor Sam Yorty to appoint Roger S. Hutchinson to the Library Commission after the councilman cited a series of Los Angeles Times articles that linked Hutchinson to conflicts of interest
that occurred when he sat on the city's Board of Zoning
Adjustment. Hutchinson later withdrew his name.
Vietnam. In 1970, he submitted a resolution, approved unanimously by the council, condemning "in the strongest terms the repressive, cruel and uncivilized treatment" of American and allied prisoners by the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War
.
Century Plaza. As chairman of a Council committee investigating a 1968 protest against a speech by President Lyndon B. Johnson
, which turned into the Century Plaza riot, Wilkinson said that "some undue force" was used by the officers but that "If some of the good citizens were handled rather roughly in the ensuing melee, probably they should blame the parade leaders rather than the police." He said his committee would begin discussion of a new parade ordinance.
Voting, He opposed a 1969 proposal to lower the voting age from 21 to 19 because he feared a leftist trend in younger voters and didn't "buy the argument that if they are old enough to fight in Vietnam they are old enough to vote."
Pro tem. Wilkinson was elected president pro tem of the council in 1973.
, who was facing jail after being convicted of bribery at the Harbor.
Wilkinson was later on the board of the 51st District Agricultural Association, sponsor of the San Fernando Valley Fair.
He was also a candidate for mayor in the 1969 election, challenging Mayor Yorty without risking his council seat. He finished fifth in a fourteen-person race, with 2,682 votes to 293,793 for the victorious Tom Bradley
.
Wilkinson became a top-paid registered lobbyist, earning nearly half a million dollars from the Porter Ranch Company alone. He was officially a real estate broker and investment counselor. He said his links with City Hall were not important. "I'm just a country boy, doing my thing," he said. "I don't drive a Mercedes-Benz
. Nor a Jaguar. I'm a station-wagon person."
One of his clients was pop star Michael Jackson
, who sought zoning variances
for his Encino district estate on Hayvenhurst Avenue that would have allowed him to add a giraffe to his backyard zoo. Jackson wanted to maintain a seventeen-foot-high fence instead of the legally allowed six feet. He withdrew his request after neighbors objected.
Another client was the Islamic Center of Northridge, which needed planning and zoning permission to build the Valley's first mosque
, in Granada Hills.
Biography
Robert Melvin Wilkinson was born on April 11, 1921, in Ansley, NebraskaAnsley, Nebraska
Ansley is a village in Custer County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 520 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ansley is located at ....
, to David and Kathryn Wilkinson. The family moved to the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
in 1936, where Robert attended Canoga Park High School
Canoga Park High School
Canoga Park High School is a public school located in Canoga Park in the western San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States, and is in the Los Angeles Unified School District...
. After serving in the Navy, he earned a bachelor's degree in engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. He was later a sales-promotion manager for a showcase
Showcase
A showcase, or vitrine, is a glassed-in cabinet or display case for displaying delicate or valuable articles such as objets d'art or merchandise in a shop, museum, or house...
-manufacturing firm in Los Angeles. Wilkinson was married about 1944 to Marjorie Merta Philp of Grover, Colorado. They had a son, Robert Wilkinson, Jr.; and two daughters, Barbara Lima and Noreen Lohnes. Marjorie Wilkinson died in 1990.
He died September 27, 2010, in Northridge, California, after surgery necessitated by a broken arm and hip suffered in a fall. Services were in First Lutheran Church, Northridge. He was survived by his wife, Rosetta Kurmann-Wilkinson, son Robert J. and daughters Noreen Hodatt and Barbara Lima.
Elections
See also List of Los Angeles municipal election returns, 1953 and after.Wilkinson was elected in 1953 at the age of 32 to a four-year term to represent Los Angeles City Council District 3. At that time, the 3rd District included UCLA and contiguous teritory, some of the Santa Monica Mountains
Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains are a Transverse Range in Southern California, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the United States.-Geography:...
and a portion of the San Fernando Valley, including Tarzana and Woodland Hills
Woodland Hills
Woodland Hills is the name of various communities in the United States, including:*Woodland Hills, Cleveland, a neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio.* Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California...
. He did not run for reelection in 1957, because, he said, he was starting to get ulcers.
Ten years later, 1967, Wilkinson took on incumbent John P. Cassidy
John P. Cassidy
John P. Cassidy was a newspaperman and public relations practitioner who became a Los Angeles City Council member in District 12 between 1962 and 1967...
in Los Angeles City Council District 12
Los Angeles City Council District 12
Los Angeles City Council District 12 is one of the 15 districts of the Los Angeles City Council. It encompasses the far northwestern section of the city in the San Fernando Valley. Mitchell Englander is the current officeholder....
, which had been shifted by the City Council in a 1964 decision from Downtown
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
to the northwestern Valley. Wilkinson beat Cassidy in the new geography by a lopsided 14,485-to-4,167 vote. He was easily reelected in the 1971 primary, but in 1975 his victory was narrower—20,391 for Wilkinson in the final and 20,068 for challenger Barbara Klein. He did not run for reelection in 1979.
Highlights
Wilkinson was known as a hard-line conservative who could be loud at times. Some of the highlights of his Council service:Trout. Trout-fishing trips that he organized for Valley politicians to Mammoth Lakes aroused controversy when it was found that the groups received free use of cabins owned by the city's independent Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is the largest municipal utility in the United States, serving over four million residents. It was founded in 1902 to supply water and electricity to residents and businesses in Los Angeles and surrounding communities...
. The fishermen then began paying for their lodgings.
Hutchinson. Wilkinson successfully opposed a 1968 attempt by Mayor Sam Yorty to appoint Roger S. Hutchinson to the Library Commission after the councilman cited a series of Los Angeles Times articles that linked Hutchinson to conflicts of interest
Conflicts of Interest
"Conflicts of Interest" is an episode from the fourth season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Arc significance:* Garibaldi begins to work for William Edgars. In the process Garibaldi is reintroduced to his ex-girlfriend, Lise, who is currently married to Edgars.* The "Voice of...
that occurred when he sat on the city's Board of Zoning
Zoning
Zoning is a device of land use planning used by local governments in most developed countries. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...
Adjustment. Hutchinson later withdrew his name.
Vietnam. In 1970, he submitted a resolution, approved unanimously by the council, condemning "in the strongest terms the repressive, cruel and uncivilized treatment" of American and allied prisoners by the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Century Plaza. As chairman of a Council committee investigating a 1968 protest against a speech by President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
, which turned into the Century Plaza riot, Wilkinson said that "some undue force" was used by the officers but that "If some of the good citizens were handled rather roughly in the ensuing melee, probably they should blame the parade leaders rather than the police." He said his committee would begin discussion of a new parade ordinance.
Voting, He opposed a 1969 proposal to lower the voting age from 21 to 19 because he feared a leftist trend in younger voters and didn't "buy the argument that if they are old enough to fight in Vietnam they are old enough to vote."
Pro tem. Wilkinson was elected president pro tem of the council in 1973.
Other
After his first stint on the council, he was the executive secretary of the city's Harbor Commission for nearly nine years until, he said, he was ousted by Mayor Sam Yorty. He sued four former Harbor commissioners, claiming they forced him out of the department in 1965 because he interfered with their "Illegal and unethical practices for their personal profit." The defendants included former City Council member Karl L. RundbergKarl L. Rundberg
Karl L. Rundberg was a Los Angeles City Council member between 1957 and 1965. He was convicted of accepting a bribe in 1967 when a member of the city's Harbor Commission and was placed on probation.-Biography:...
, who was facing jail after being convicted of bribery at the Harbor.
Wilkinson was later on the board of the 51st District Agricultural Association, sponsor of the San Fernando Valley Fair.
He was also a candidate for mayor in the 1969 election, challenging Mayor Yorty without risking his council seat. He finished fifth in a fourteen-person race, with 2,682 votes to 293,793 for the victorious 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...
.
Lobbying
When he left the council, he "created a furor" when he decided to keep for his personal use $44,932.48 in unspent campaign funds.Wilkinson became a top-paid registered lobbyist, earning nearly half a million dollars from the Porter Ranch Company alone. He was officially a real estate broker and investment counselor. He said his links with City Hall were not important. "I'm just a country boy, doing my thing," he said. "I don't drive a Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
. Nor a Jaguar. I'm a station-wagon person."
One of his clients was pop star Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, who sought zoning variances
Variance (land use)
A variance is the process by which an applicant can request deviation from the set of rules a municipality applies to land use and land development, typically a zoning ordinance, building code or municipal code. The manner in which variances are employed can differ greatly depending on the...
for his Encino district estate on Hayvenhurst Avenue that would have allowed him to add a giraffe to his backyard zoo. Jackson wanted to maintain a seventeen-foot-high fence instead of the legally allowed six feet. He withdrew his request after neighbors objected.
Another client was the Islamic Center of Northridge, which needed planning and zoning permission to build the Valley's first mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
, in Granada Hills.
Quotations
- Mandatory jail sentences and the death penalty should be invoked for drug pushers because their crimes are "worse than murder."
- "I am not a women's libber. My wife isn't either. . . . She is really not for opening the door for me. She likes her femininity and having a husband who is the head of the household. She does have a lot to say, though, and she keeps the bank account."
- "I think Watergate has been sensationalized."
- "I don't have a good feeling toward [French President Charles] De GaulleCharles de GaulleCharles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
, especially what he did to the United States and favoring Communist nations" (opposing a motion to lower city flags in observance of De Gaulle's death).
- "I don't scream very much. I just tell them the facts."