COUNCILWOMEN PRESS MAYOR ON INITIATIVE.Byline: Rick Orlov Daily News Staff Writer The four women members of the City Council launched a new effort this week to get Mayor Richard Riordan Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, U.S. who served as the California Secretary of Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. Riordan ran for Governor of California unsuccessfully in 2002. to state his position on affirmative action affirmative action, in the United States, programs to overcome the effects of past societal discrimination by allocating jobs and resources to members of specific groups, such as minorities and women. . However, Riordan refused to budge from his position of not taking a stand on the California Civil Rights Initiative on the Nov. 6 ballot, saying such a move would be divisive. ``The mayor stands by what he has said in the past,'' Riordan spokesman Steve Sugerman said. ``It would be divisive for him to take a stand on something where there are such strong emotions.'' A letter was hand-delivered to Riordan this week, signed by Council members Laura Chick, Ruth Galanter Ruth Galanter was a city councilwoman from Los Angeles. She served as President Pro-Tempore and President of the city council. , Jackie Goldberg Jackie Goldberg (born June 16, 1937) is an American politician and teacher, and a member of the Democratic Party. She is a former member of the California State Assembly. and Rita Walters Rita Walters (1930-) is currently the commissioner of the Los Angeles Public Library. Prior to this position, she served on the Los Angeles City Council representing the 9th district. During that time, she chaired the Arts, Health & Humanities Committee. , urging him to come out against the CCRI CCRI Community College of Rhode Island CCRI California Civil Rights Initiative CCRI Central Cotton Research Institute (Pakistan) CCRI Columbus Children's Research Institute CCRi Children's Clinical Research Institute . ``We are disappointed with your recent statement to Valley College students, `No matter what position I take, I will upset some group,' '' the letter said. ``We concur that is true. You know, however, that leadership often means making tough decisions. ``Your leadership in helping to defeat this measure, and including protection of civil rights and affirmative action in your vision for Los Angeles, are important components in reducing divisiveness and polarization that citizens have recently experienced with other ballot measures.'' The council has twice gone on record in opposition to CCRI, and members have written other letters to Riordan to try to get him to come out against the proposal, which would eliminate all affirmative action programs run by government agencies. Chick, who drafted the letter, said she decided to try again to get Riordan to come out on the matter because of the way support and opposition to the measure was beginning to form. Earlier this year, Riordan issued an executive order on his support for the city's affirmative action programs. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion