Eric Joseph Perrodin (born February 26, 1959) is an American politician who served as Mayor of

Compton, California Compton is a city located in the Gateway Cities region of southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county, and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth ci ...

from 2001 to 2013.

Biography

Perrodin grew up in

. Soon after graduation from

California State University, Dominguez Hills California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH, CSU Dominguez Hills, or Cal State Dominguez Hills) is a public university in Carson, California. It was founded in 1960 and is part of the California State University (CSU) system. In 2020, ...

, he began working for the Compton Police Department. While serving as a police officer, he pursued a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree at

Loyola Law School Loyola Law School is the law school of Loyola Marymount University, a private Jesuit university in Los Angeles, California. Loyola was established in 1920. Academics Degrees offered include the Juris Doctor (JD); Master of Science in Legal ...

. After 12 years with the department, Perrodin left to become a Deputy District Attorney for

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

. In 2001, Perrodin defeated the incumbent mayor,

Omar Bradley Omar Nelson Bradley (12 February 1893 – 8 April 1981) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the United States Army during and after World War II, rising to the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He wa ...

. He was re-elected in 2005 and 2009. He has the distinction of being Compton's longest-serving mayor. In 2006, after a local paper printed an investigative report relative to a contract granted to one of Perrodin's associates. Following the report, Perrodin allegedly threatened to yank the city's advertising contract with the paper. The threat was probed by the Los Angeles Count District Attorney's office.District Attorney's Office Probing Prosecutor Over Alleged Threats
"Metropolitan News-Enterprise". A Times review of city records shows Perrodin was absent from city board and commission meetings nearly two-thirds of the time between July 2009 and July 2010.

2013 Election

On June 4, 2013, Perrodin was defeated in Compton's municipal election by political newcomer Aja Brown. Brown went on to become the second female mayor (after

Doris A. Davis Doris A. Davis (born circa 1935) is a former mayor of Compton, California, who earned a place in history as the first African-American woman mayor of a metropolitan city in the United States. Political career In 1965, 33-year-old Davis defeate ...

) and the youngest mayor (at the age of 31) ever elected in Compton.

References

External links

Official Biography
1959 births Living people African-American mayors in California Loyola Law School alumni Mayors of Compton, California California State University, Dominguez Hills alumni 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century mayors of places in California {{California-mayor-stub