User:Reppop/Tom LaBonge

Thomas Joseph LaBonge (October 6, 1953 – January 7, 2021) was an American politician who served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 4th district from 2001 until 2015.

Nicknamed "Mr. Los Angeles," LaBonge helped with preservation efforts in Hollywood Hills and Griffith Park, including the expansion of Griffith Park and the restoration of Griffith Observatory.

Early life and education
LaBonge was born on October 6, 1953, in the neighborhood of Silver Lake, Los Angeles, to Robert Stanton Labonge Sr. and Mary Louise Learnihan LaBonge, the seventh of eight boys in an Irish Catholic family. Robert worked for a Catholic newspaper while Mary Louise was a homemaker. The family often visited places like Griffith Park or Elysian Park, and enjoyed observing city activities such as watching longshoremen work in San Pedro or planes landing at the Los Angeles International Airport. At home, his father would make LaBonge sweep the street.

He attended John Marshall High School in Los Feliz, where he graduated in 1971. He later attended California State University, Los Angeles, where he received a bachelor's degree in sociology in 1975.

Early career
LaBonge entered public service in 1974 by serving on the Los Angeles Youth Advisory Council, created by Mayor Tom Bradley. Two years later, he became a staffer for Councilmember Peggy Stevenson of the 13th district before becoming a staffer for Councilmember John Ferraro of the 4th district in 1978.

In 1993, LaBonge entered the race for the Los Angeles City Council's 13th district seat after incumbent Michael Woo decided not to seek re-election, opting instead for an unsuccessful mayoral bid. LaBonge was joined in the race by several prominent figures from the gay community, including former LAUSD Board of Education member Jackie Goldberg, AIDS health care executive Michael Weinstein, and television executive Conrado Terrazas. He and Goldberg advanced to a runoff, and while Goldberg campaigned in ethnically diverse urban areas, LaBonge focused his efforts on districts outside Hollywood, targeting conservative, Anglo-American homeowners. They both traded accusations of holding to special interests, with LaBonge accusing Goldberg of taking special-interest money, and Goldberg claiming LaBonge accepted campaign funds from real estate developers. In the subsequent runoff election, LaBonge was defeated by Goldberg.

After losing to Goldberg, LaBonge was named as an aide to newly-elected Mayor Richard Riordan. As Riordan's aide, he was able to explore the entirety of Los Angeles, with Riordan later saying he depended on LaBonge's ability to figure things out. He often appeared at public events on Riordan's schedule. For a year and half, he worked for Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

Los Angeles City Council


After Ferraro passed away on April 17, 2001, LaBonge decided to run for his seat in the 4th district. A special election was held on September 11, 2001, during which LaBonge actively encouraged voters to go to the polls. He and labor attorney Beth Garfield advanced to a runoff. Garfield portrayed LaBonge as "a wasteful City Hall insider," while LaBonge sent a mailer claiming that a 1998 Times story described Garfield as a “dysfunctional” manager, a claim later found by the Campaign Watch Commission of the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles to be inaccurate.