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City Council
Appointment and elections
''See also List of Los Angeles municipal election returns, 1963 and after.
Lindsay became Los Angeles's first black council member at the age of 62 when, with the backing of the political Hahn brothers— Gordon and Kenneth
Kenneth is an English given name and surname. The name is an Anglicised form of two entirely different Gaelic personal names: ''Cainnech'' and '' Cináed''. The modern Gaelic form of ''Cainnech'' is ''Coinneach''; the name was derived from a byn ...
—he was appointed to a vacant 9th District Council seat in January 1963 after Ed Roybal won election to Congress. He won election in his own right later in the year and was reelected to eight successive terms.[ As the years passed, he proclaimed himself the "Emperor of the Great 9th District."][ Lindsay's term of 27 years was surpassed only by those of John S. Gibson, Jr. (30 years), Marvin Braude, 31 years, ]Ernani Bernardi
Ernani Bernardi — also known as Noni Bernardi and Nani Bernardi — (October 29, 1911 – January 4, 2006) was a big band musician and politician. Bernardi served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1961 to 1993, representing 7th district and ...
(32 years) and John Ferraro
John Ferraro (May 14, 1924 – April 17, 2001) was an American politician and businessman who was a Democratic member of the Los Angeles City Council from 1966 until his death in 2001, the longest tenure of any member in the city's history. Befo ...
(35 years).
Positions
Developers. Over the years, Lindsay attracted criticism "that he was too cozy with big developers, that he favored Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is a ...
and neglected the neighborhoods."[Scott Harris, "Lindsay Praised Fondly at Burial," ''Los Angeles Times,'' January 5, 1991]
/ref> He was often criticized for supporting Downtown "at the expense of the southern portion of his district."[ But City News Service writer Cathy Franklin said of him: "During his nearly three decades in office, the downtown area exploded into one of the premier business centers of the world."][
Blue lights. Lindsay clashed "in a bitter personal exchange" with Councilman ]Ernani Bernardi
Ernani Bernardi — also known as Noni Bernardi and Nani Bernardi — (October 29, 1911 – January 4, 2006) was a big band musician and politician. Bernardi served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1961 to 1993, representing 7th district and ...
when the latter introduced a resolution aimed at removing the blue lights that Lindsay had had installed on the rear of his city automobile. Lindsay later agreed to remove the lights but said: "The thing that disturbs me is that my colleagues equivocate over frivolous motions that amount to nothing. They gag at a gnat and swallow a camel."
Morals. The 9th District councilman opined that San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...
communities would "not be having problems with topless-bottomless bars if moral levels matched those" of his Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is a ...
and South L.A. district. "We have clean-minded people and a clean district," he said. "All this junk is out there where the affluent aristocrats, the holier-than-thou people live."
Council members. Interviewed by ''Los Angeles Times'' reporter Janet Clayton for an article about relationships among City Council members, Lindsay noted in 1984 that "All the council members get along fine when they need a vote. Otherwise, they can't stand each other, or I should say, don't genuinely like each other. They each have their own agenda, you know." He said he has a "simple formula" for deciding issues: "When I give my word on a vote, I haven't reneged, least not more than a half dozen times in 20 years. I vote my district, then my friends, and, what's good for me."
Skid Row. The ''Times'' noted that Lindsay, "whose district includes Skid Row
A skid row or skid road is an impoverished area, typically urban, in English-speaking North America whose inhabitants are mostly poor people " on the skids". This specifically refers to poor or homeless, considered disreputable, downtrodden or fo ...
, has always favored upscale commercial and residential development in the area, the last big undeveloped stretch of downtown Los Angeles." In 1987 the councilman, along with a group of business owners objected to putting more residential and treatment centers in Skid Row on the grounds they were "drawing the homeless, including the mentally ill" to an area that had "great potential for commercial growth."
Afterword
In April 1992, a Superior Court
In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...
jury ruled that Juanda Chauncie, Lindsay's 40-year-old girlfriend, had taken advantage of the councilman to gain control of his money and property. The five-woman, seven-man panel ruled that Chauncie had used undue influence over him and awarded $235,000 to Lindsay's stepson and estate. Attorney Johnnie Cochran
Johnnie Lee Cochran Jr.Adam Bernstei ''The Washington Post'', March 30, 2005; retrieved April 17, 2006. (; October 2, 1937 – March 29, 2005) was an American lawyer best known for his leadership role in the defense and criminal acquittal ...
's firm represented the estate.
Legacy
* The Gilbert W. Lindsay Child Abuse Center at California Medical Hospital "for the councilman's contributions to the Central City community"[
* The Gilbert W. Lindsay Endowed Public Policy Forum in Forensic Science at ]California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public university in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degrees, 122 master's degrees, ...
* A $250,000, 10-foot-high-artwork by Pat Ward Williams entitled ''The Emperor of the Great 9th District'' on the Gilbert Lindsay Plaza fronting the Los Angeles Convention Center
The Los Angeles Convention Center is a convention center in the southwest section of downtown Los Angeles. It hosts multiple annual conventions and has often been used as a filming location in TV shows and movies.
History
The convention center, ...
* Gilbert Lindsay Mall, a small plaza at the end of an alley off 2nd Street in Little Tokyo
* Gilbert Lindsay Recreation Center, 429 East 42nd Street
References
Access to some ''Los Angeles Times'' links may require the use of a library card.
Further reading
Steven Wolf, "Gilbert Lindsay: Rose From the Bottom of the City to the Top," ''Downtown News,'' December 31, 1990, pages 1 and 3
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindsay, Gilbert W.
1900 births
1990 deaths
African-American people in California politics
Los Angeles City Council members
Burials at Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles
20th-century American politicians
People from Mississippi
20th-century African-American politicians