Thomas D. Shepard
Encyclopedia
Thomas D. Shepard, or Tom Shepard, (born ca. 1925) was a Los Angeles City Council member between 1961 and 1967. He left office when he was convicted of receiving a bribe, and he served time in state prison.
, Ohio State University
and Wittenberg College, all in Ohio; he received a bachelor's degree in social science from Wittenberg. Shepard did graduate work in economics at UCLA. He and his wife, Carolyn, and their four children, Mike, Susan, Connie and Barbara, lived at 4731 Natoma Avenue, Woodland Hills. In 1954–57 he was field secretary for City Councilman Robert M. Wilkinson
and for Councilman Patrick D. McGee
in 1959–60. He also was field secretary for Mayor Norris Poulson
.
Shepard was elected to a four-year term in the 3rd District in June 1961, succeeding his boss, Patrick D. McGee
. In that era the 3rd District included West Hollywood, UCLA and contiguous teritory and, on the other side of the Santa Monica Mountains
a portion of the San Fernando Valley, including Tarzana and Woodland Hills
. He was reelected in 1965.
In 1967 he warned of "reports that an army of hippies proposes to visit Los Angeles during the summer and establish headquarters in the city parks" and said he would seek municipal legislation to prevent "commandeering" of the parks by such intruders.
After three public meetings the same year, an eight-member City Council committee "cleared" Shepard and entertainer Art Linkletter
of charges that they were linked in a scheme to influence city purchase of the "financially-troubled" Valley Music Theater in Woodland Hills.
In December 1967 he announced that he would quit the council early in order to enter the import-export business, basing his decision on the financial need for his family.
in September 1968 on charges of bribery
and conspiracy
in the rezoning of land in the San Fernando Valley. Shepard's trial ended in acquittal on one charge and a hung jury
on another. On the advice of his attorney, John La Follette, he submitted the transcript of the latter case to a judge, who found him guilty. A new lawyer, Phill Silver, appealed and won a new trial for Shepard. He was convicted, in November 1959 of a bribery charge and was sentenced to state prison for a 1-14-year term by Superior Judge Pearce Young, who noted that the power to rezone was the power to create great wealth and using that power wrongfully "is just as bad as stealing public money."
, and after his release he was hired by City Council Member Ernani Bernardi
in January 1975 "as a project assistant under the federal government's emergency jobs program." He was working there in 1979.
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Biography
Shepard was born in Ohio about 1925 and was an infantry sergeant in France and Germany during World War II. He moved to Los Angeles about 1949 after attending Wesleyan UniversityWesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
, Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
and Wittenberg College, all in Ohio; he received a bachelor's degree in social science from Wittenberg. Shepard did graduate work in economics at UCLA. He and his wife, Carolyn, and their four children, Mike, Susan, Connie and Barbara, lived at 4731 Natoma Avenue, Woodland Hills. In 1954–57 he was field secretary for City Councilman Robert M. Wilkinson
Robert M. Wilkinson
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.-Biography:...
and for Councilman Patrick D. McGee
Patrick D. McGee
Patrick D. McGee was a Republican member of the California State Assembly from 1950 to 1957 and from 1966 until his death in 1970. He was a Los Angeles City Council member from 1957 to 1961, when he opposed the city's agreement to bring the Dodgers baseball team to a new stadium in Chavez...
in 1959–60. He also was field secretary for Mayor Norris Poulson
Norris Poulson
C. Norris Poulson served as the 36th Mayor of Los Angeles, California from 1953 to 1961, after having been a California State Assemblyman and then a member of the United States Congress for eight years...
.
Elections
See also List of Los Angeles municipal election returns, 1961, 1965.Shepard was elected to a four-year term in the 3rd District in June 1961, succeeding his boss, Patrick D. McGee
Patrick D. McGee
Patrick D. McGee was a Republican member of the California State Assembly from 1950 to 1957 and from 1966 until his death in 1970. He was a Los Angeles City Council member from 1957 to 1961, when he opposed the city's agreement to bring the Dodgers baseball team to a new stadium in Chavez...
. In that era the 3rd District included West Hollywood, UCLA and contiguous teritory and, on the other side 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:...
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 was reelected in 1965.
Positions
Shepard became known for his opposition to strip-tease shows in suburban areas and once brought to a City Council meeting a magazine, which he kept in a manila envelope, "with many photographs of youngsters, completely nude, disporting themselves in a wooded area." He told the council in 1964:The rawest type of lascivious and lustful paperback magazines may be obtained from racks in almost any drug or liquor store and in many markets in the ValleySan Fernando ValleyThe 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...
, with much of the offensive material which features teen-age nudism disappearing rapidly from the shelves into the hands of impressionable youngsters.
In 1967 he warned of "reports that an army of hippies proposes to visit Los Angeles during the summer and establish headquarters in the city parks" and said he would seek municipal legislation to prevent "commandeering" of the parks by such intruders.
After three public meetings the same year, an eight-member City Council committee "cleared" Shepard and entertainer Art Linkletter
Art Linkletter
Arthur Gordon "Art" Linkletter was a Canadian-born American radio and television personality. He was the host of House Party, which ran on CBS radio and television for 25 years, and People Are Funny, on NBC radio-TV for 19 years...
of charges that they were linked in a scheme to influence city purchase of the "financially-troubled" Valley Music Theater in Woodland Hills.
In December 1967 he announced that he would quit the council early in order to enter the import-export business, basing his decision on the financial need for his family.
Indictment and trial
Shepard and former Recreation and Parks Commissioner Mel Pierson were indicted by a grand juryGrand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
in September 1968 on charges of bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
and conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
in the rezoning of land in the San Fernando Valley. Shepard's trial ended in acquittal on one charge and a hung jury
Hung jury
A hung jury or deadlocked jury is a jury that cannot, by the required voting threshold, agree upon a verdict after an extended period of deliberation and is unable to change its votes due to severe differences of opinion.- England and Wales :...
on another. On the advice of his attorney, John La Follette, he submitted the transcript of the latter case to a judge, who found him guilty. A new lawyer, Phill Silver, appealed and won a new trial for Shepard. He was convicted, in November 1959 of a bribery charge and was sentenced to state prison for a 1-14-year term by Superior Judge Pearce Young, who noted that the power to rezone was the power to create great wealth and using that power wrongfully "is just as bad as stealing public money."
Post-council
In May 1971 Shepard became general manager and vice president of Ries Biological of Los Angeles, which dealt in drugs and medical supplies and devices. He served a 15-month sentence at the Chino Institution for MenCalifornia Institution for Men
California Institution for Men is a male-only state prison located in the city of Chino, San Bernardino County, California. It is often colloquially referenced as "Chino." In turn, locals call the prison "Chino Men's" or just "Men's" to avoid confusion with the city itself...
, and after his release he was hired by City Council Member Ernani Bernardi
Ernani Bernardi
Ernani Bernardi , known also as Noni Bernardi, was a big-band musician turned politician in Los Angeles, California. He represented District 7 on the City Council there from 1961 to 1993—at 32 years the second-longest-serving council member in the history of the city...
in January 1975 "as a project assistant under the federal government's emergency jobs program." He was working there in 1979.
See also
- List of California public officials charged with crimes, Los Angeles
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