Richard Riordan, LA's Post-Riot Mayor, Dead At 92

LOS ANGELES, CA — Richard Riordan, one of the most consequential mayors of Los Angeles has died. He was 92.

Mayor from 1993-to 2001, he helmed the city in the aftermath of the Los Angeles riots and during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Riordan was the only Republican elected mayor of Los Angeles since 1961. After serving as mayor he was appointed State Education Secretary by then Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger

His family announced his death Wednesday, noting he "passed peacefully this evening at his home in Brentwood, surrounded by his wife Elizabeth, family, friends and precious pet dogs,"

Riordan was a lawyer, venture capitalist and member of the Los Angeles Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners before his election.

Riordan took office slightly more than a year after the rioting that followed the verdict in the state trial of the Los Angeles Police Department officers accused in the beating of motorist Rodney King, then had another challenge to face in his first year in office — the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

He helped create the city's system of neighborhood councils, a move heralded as helping to defeat the controversial San Fernando Valley succession effort after he left office. He also oversaw the Rampart police scandal, which marred the end of his tenure as the city paid out more than $100 million in police misconduct settlements and consented to have the U.S. Department of Justice oversee LAPD reform efforts.

Between police corruption, civil unrest, natural disasters, and a succession movement, Riordan is credited with guiding his city through troubled times.

"Mayor Richard Riordan loved Los Angeles, and devoted so much of himself to bettering our city," Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. "He always had a place in his heart for the children of LA, and worked to improve how the city served our youth and communities as a passionate member of the Los Angeles Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners.

"Mayor Riordan's legacy includes our city's iconic Central Library, which he saved and rebuilt, and which today carries his name.

"In the wake of the Northridge earthquake, Mayor Riordan set the standard for emergency action. He reassured us and delivered a response with an intensity that still pushes us all to be faster and stronger amidst crisis.

"Though born in New York, Mayor Riordan will be remembered as an LA original."

City News Service