Eduardo Perez Reyes (born January 11, 1959) is an American

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

. He was a member of the

Los Angeles City Council The Los Angeles City Council is the Legislature, lawmaking body for the Government of Los Angeles, city government of Los Angeles, California, the second largest city in the United States. It has 15 members who each represent the 15 city council ...

, representing the 1st district.Citywatch, July 21, 2011
Reyes was re-elected in 2005 to serve a second Council term, capturing 78 percent of the votes. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He has a background in urban planning.

Career

In response to safety concerns, Reyes, vice-chair of the Public Safety Committee, has secured funds for added Los Angeles Police Department units and technology, graffiti and neighborhood clean-ups, gang prevention programs and safe route school maps. In September 2008, Reyes opened the new

Rampart Division The Rampart Division of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) serves communities to the west of Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) including Silver Lake, Los Angeles, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Pico-Union, Los Angeles, Pico-Union and Westlake, Los Ange ...

police station, one of the nation's busiest police stations, and the city's "greenest" police station because of its LEED Gold-rated designation. In October 2002, and shortly after

William Bratton William Joseph Bratton CBE (born October 6, 1947) is an American businessman and former law enforcement officer who served two non-consecutive tenures as the New York City Police Commissioner (1994–1996 and 2014–2016) and currently one of ...

became the city's top cop, Reyes brought the

Los Angeles Police Department The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...

Police Chief to

MacArthur Park MacArthur Park (originally Westlake Park) is a park dating back to the late 19th century in the Westlake, Los Angeles, Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. In the early 1940s, it was renamed after General Douglas MacArthur, and la ...

to witness firsthand the drug deals, gang activity and shootings there. That tour resulted in a nationally recognized LAPD effort - consisting of surveillance cameras and boosted patrols—that transformed one of the city's most blighted parks into a popular spot for family picnics, festivals and concerts. Crime at

has dropped 20 percent since Reyes launched the crime-fighting project, a joint effort with the community, local businesses and LAPD. Earlier in his tenure, Reyes also launched a nationally renowned lead abatement program to protect children from the dangers of lead-based paint found in pre-1979 housing. He spearheaded the $160 million Northeast Interceptor Sewer tunnel to prevent sewage overflow and protect the health of families and children. As Chair of the City Council's Planning and Land Use Management committee, Reyes has expanded the city's affordable housing stock. He has pushed for Adaptive Reuse, or the conversion of abandoned buildings into housing, and Residential and Accessory Services, which permits residential development in commercial zones. And he has spearheaded efforts to strengthen the city's rent control ordinance. As chair of the Metro Gold Line Authority he also helped ensure that the $750 million Gold Line project be completed on time and on budget. Reyes has opened four new libraries in Cypress Park,

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

, Highland Park and

Pico-Union Pico-Union is a neighborhood in Central Los Angeles, California. The name "Pico-Union" refers to the neighborhood that surrounds the intersection of Pico Boulevard and Union Avenue. Located immediately west of Downtown Los Angeles, it is home ...

and has added more than of new park space to his district. As chair of the Los Angeles River Ad Hoc Committee, he has brought a renewed focus to the once-ignored

Los Angeles River The Los Angeles River (), historically known as by the Tongva and the by the Spanish, is a major river in Los Angeles County, California. Its headwaters are in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and it flows nearly from Canoga Park ...

and secured more than $3 million to create a neighborhood-driven plan that will include enhancing water quality, environmental protection, increasing open space and improving flood control. Reyes attended

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

where he earned a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree from UCLA's Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning. He lives in the northeast Los Angeles community of Mt. Washington with his wife Martha and their four children.

Endorsements

In 2017, Ed Reyes featured in the comedy TV show Nathan for You (Season 4 Ep. 3) as an LA city council member invited to endorse City Warts, the first non-profit charity dedicated to finding job placement for individuals actively suffering from contagious warts.

References

External links

KCET Departures interview with ED Reyes
Chair of the Los Angeles River Ad Hoc Committee {{DEFAULTSORT:Reyes, Ed 1959 births Living people 21st-century California politicians American politicians of Mexican descent American urban planners California Democrats Hispanic and Latino American city council members Hispanic and Latino American people in California politics Los Angeles City Council members UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture alumni