Edmund D. Edelman

Edmund D. Edelman (September 27, 1930 – September 12, 2016) was an American attorney and politician. He served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council from 1965 to 1974 and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from 1975 to 1994.

Edmund Edelman
Member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
In office 1975–1994
Preceded by	Ernest E. Debs
Succeeded by	Zev Yaroslavsky
Member of the Los Angeles City Council
In office 1965–1974
Personal details
Born	September 27, 1930 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	September 12, 2016 (aged 85) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Mari Mayer (m. 1968)
Children	2
Alma mater	University of California, Los Angeles (BA, LL.B)

Early life and education

Born in Los Angeles, Edelman attended Burnside Avenue Elementary School, Los Angeles High School and Beverly Hills High School. He grew up in a traditional Jewish family.[1]

He served in the Navy in 1951 and 1952, after which he attended University of California, Los Angeles, where he graduated in 1954 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. He earned a bachelor of laws degree from the UCLA School of Law in 1958.[2]

Career

He was an arbitrator with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, deputy legislative counsel with the California State Legislature in 1961 and 1962, counselor to the Subcommittee on Education of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1962 and 1963, and special assistant to the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board in 1963 and 1964. He was then elected to the Los Angeles City Council.[2]

City Council

See also List of Los Angeles municipal election returns, 1965 and after

In 1965, Los Angeles City Council District 5 stretched from Fairfax Avenue on the east to the San Diego Freeway on the west and from Bel-Air and Beverly Hills on the north to Washington Boulevard on the south.[3] It included the communities of Westwood, Beverlywood, Pico-Robertson and Beverly-Fairfax.[4]

Edelman engaged in a rough election race to unseat incumbent Councilwoman Rosalind Wyman in the 5th District. Supported by Mayor Sam Yorty, he won the runoff vote of May 25, 1965, by 37,291 to 12,201[5] and became the then-youngest member of the council at age 35.[4] His residency had been unsuccessfully challenged in court on the grounds that he had lived in Washington, D.C., for 2½ years.[6]

Wyman and her husband, former Democratic National Committee member Eugene L. Wyman, sued Edelman for libel in 1965, claiming that his campaign had issued a brochure linking them with organized crime and using political power for personal gain. They asked for $400,000, but in the end settled out of court in 1970 after Edelman sent a $5,000 check to a scholarship fund at Northwestern University.[7]

Edelman was reelected in 1969 over minor opposition, and in 1973 he would have faced opposition from actor William Lundigan, but the latter failed to turn in enough valid petition signatures, so the councilman went into that race unopposed.[8]

Board of Supervisors

Edelman was elected in the general election of November 1974 to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors over his remaining opponent, fellow Councilman John Ferraro. He was sworn into office on December 2 of that year, succeeding Ernest E. Debs, who retired.[9]

Edelman led successful drives to establish several new departments and agencies, among them the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Community Youth Gang Services agency. He has been recognized for his support of social services agencies dedicated to aiding the homeless, battered women, abused children, the disabled and the mentally ill, people with AIDS, and those recovering from substance abuse.[10]

Personal life

Edelman married Mari Mayer in 1968. They had two daughters, Erica Nancy and Emily Rose.[2][11] Edelman died in Los Angeles on September 12, 2016 at the age of 85.[12][13]

References

1. http://www.jewishjournal.com/los_angeles/article/honoring_ed_edelman_a_man_of_vision
2. Los Angeles public library reference file
3. Richard Bergholz, "Seven in Council Seek Re-Election," Los Angeles Times, March 29, 1965, page 3
4. Ken Reich, "Two Councilmen Give Views of Their First Year in Office," Los Angeles Times, June 30, 1966, page WS-1
5. Los Angeles Times, May 27, 1965
6. "Wyman-Edelman Race Gets Hot," Los Angeles Times, May 12, 1965, page A-1
7. Carl Greenberg, "Wymans Settle Libel Suits Against Edelman," Los Angeles Times, June 3, 1970, page A-10
8. Kenneth Reich, "Edelman's Rival for Council Disqualified," Los Angeles Times, February 2, 1973, page C-1
9. Ray Zeman, "Edelman Sworn In as Supervisor," Los Angeles Times, December 3, 1974, page C-8
10. Los Angeles County Library Public Policy Collection website Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
11. "Councilman Edelman Tells Plan to Wed," Los Angeles Times, July 14, 1968, page B-3
12. Ed Edelman, 85, retired supervisor and LA councilman
13. "Ed Edelman, crusading L.A. County supervisor, dead at 85". Los Angeles Times. 2016-09-13. Retrieved 2020-04-13.