The current contest between State Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas and LA City Council member Bernard Parks for the second district seat for the LA County Board of Supervisors is one of the most tightly contested political races in recent memory.
Both candidates have long-term connections throughout the district, have more than adequate campaign war chests to battle to the end, are endorsed by powerful patrons, and have represented the district in some capacity for 20 plus years. If
these realities make projecting a front runner almost impossible, overarching the contest is a bitter feud between supporters of Parks and Ridley-Thomas.
Essentially, the race is a great political donnybrook for the future mantle of leadership for the Black community for the next decade.
The race has everything political junkies love: controversy, animosity, contradictions, shifting alliances, blood feuds, all swirling around two candidates who appear to be equally matched in terms of voter perceptions.
In fact, the race is really about personalities and support networks, rather than key issues. Both candidates agreed on virtually everything: King-Drew Hospital, gang intervention, community revitalization, local empowerment. Their only major disagreement is over labor issues with the county, which is significant but not an issue that connects with voters.
The winner will be elated, the loser totally deflated. There is no middle ground between the candidates, and as importantly between their key supporters.
Anyone who called the winner of the June 3 vote a couple of months ago, should immediately apply for a position at the Federal Reserve Board to help the national economy avert a deep recession. Right now it is a toss up.
This tough electoral contest is being slogged out, day by day, block by block, constituent by constituent, retail politics in South Central as its best.
Parks and Ridley-Thomas are not only competing against one another, they are also fighting for the legacy of their political patrons. The winner will surely assume the mantle of the political leadership of the Black community in Los Angeles.
The most prominent political figure hovering over the contest is retiring Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke. Burke is the ‘Gold Standard’ for minority women political leaders in California. Her career reads like a first of firsts, with an impressive number of political positions of prominence.
Burke’s endorsement of Council member Parks is a monumental hurdle for Ridley-Thomas to overcome. She has a rock solid core of voters who have never wavered from her, and should be expected to turn out in substantial numbers for Parks.
His other patron is the powerful Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who has fought over affordable housing, gentrification and other issues with Ridley-Thomas for almost 15 years. Rep. Waters also has an extremely committed political base developed over more than 30 years. Her name recognition is only second to Burke’s – and she is basically “anti Mark anything” in terms of issues. Thus, in this race, she has rebuilt an alliance with Burke’s imposing political base.
Irony of ironies, two powerful Black women will have a major impact on this race.
Conversely, Mark Ridley-Thomas has the all powerful LA County Federation of Labor totally behind his candidacy. Normally, the County Feds endorsement translates into a slam dunk in this city. Not in this race.
The County Fed provides Ridley-Thomas with two key factors, an incredibly high percentage of county workers live in the Second District. These union members are motivated, are crack precinct operatives, vote in every election and are totally loyal to Maria Elena Durazo. In addition, the County Fed has opened its vaults to the tune of more than $2.5 million to elect Ridley-Thomas.
In essence, labor cannot afford to lose this race.
Both candidates have character flaws. Mark Ridley-Thomas, for all of his pioneering community building, became distant and aloof once he settled into the Sacramento routine. Bernard Parks in notorious for his cold, abrasive and glaring demeanor. He is an ice man in a universe where smiling and rubbing shoulders is the norm.
Another irony in the race is that neither candidate eludes warmth in their public personas, which is almost unheard of in Black politics. While this is a mark of maturity and diversity, if either was warm and fuzzy, he likely would be a clear favorite.
Burke, as a political trail blazer, and Park, who served as LAPD Chief of Police, both hold significant symbolic importance to the Black community. They are viewed as powerful leaders, achieving a status long sought by the Black community. Key voting blocs are still seething over Park’s abrupt dismissal by Mayor Hahn almost a decade ago and feel strong loyalties to his political career.
State Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas has always endorsed a progressive political agenda. He is a liberal in every sense of the word. On environmental, poverty, labor, social welfare, education and other progressive issues, his voting record is impeccable. While serving on the City Council he engineered the South Central Empowerment Congress, a neighborhood movement that presaged neighborhood councils embedded in the new city charter. His staunch support for labor is the reason why Maria Elena Durazo is his most prominent ally.
Ridley-Thomas’ main problem is Sacramento. The state capitol is a ‘Black Hole’ for LA politicians; nobody knows your in the state capitol. There is no LA media coverage, which translates into a loss of name recognition. Park’s role on the City Council offers occasional media, elevating his name recognition during the past three years.
The race is down to the last week. Both candidates are knocking on every door, going to every prominent church, twice in a day if necessary, fighting off negative rumors, and trying desperately to break into each others support base.
This battle royal is on one level a referendum on the power and legacy of both Burke and Waters, and on whether their respective, if aging, voting blocs will respond one more time. Conversely, it is also a mega test for the LA County Fed because if Ridley-Thomas is elected, county labor unions will be the big winners.
This is just a good, old fashioned, hotly contested ethnic political battle. The voters in South Central have a lot to think about, and so does the entire County Board of Supervisors.
Written By: David Diaz, an environmental city planner and social policy analyst, is Director of Urban Studies at Cal State-LA.
