HAYDEN APOLOGIZES TO MAYOR : CHALLENGER SAYS HE DIDN'T INTEND TO CALL RIORDAN A RACIST.Byline: Rick Orlov Daily News Staff Writer State Sen. Tom Hayden apologized to Mayor Richard Riordan on Wednesday for calling him a racist. Hayden said what he meant is that Riordan is ``racially insensitive'' because of policies that increased race problems in the city. ``I said it to a single reporter as a flippant flip·pant adj. 1. Marked by disrespectful levity or casualness; pert. 2. Archaic Talkative; voluble. [Probably from flip. description of how the press might oversimplify o·ver·sim·pli·fy v. o·ver·sim·pli·fied, o·ver·sim·pli·fy·ing, o·ver·sim·pli·fies v.tr. To simplify to the point of causing misrepresentation, misconception, or error. v.intr. my description of the mayor's racial attitudes, never thinking it would be taken seriously,'' Hayden said in a statement issued by his campaign. His remarks were quoted in an article in the Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times Morning daily newspaper. Established in 1881, it was purchased and incorporated in 1884 by Harrison Gray Otis (1837–1917) under The Times-Mirror Co. (the hyphen was later dropped from the name). . Riordan chastised chas·tise tr.v. chas·tised, chas·tis·ing, chas·tis·es 1. To punish, as by beating. See Synonyms at punish. 2. To criticize severely; rebuke. 3. Archaic To purify. Hayden for his comments, saying the city needs a mayor who will unify it. ``This type of racially divisive rhetoric doesn't belong in Los Angeles,'' Riordan said. ``People in every part of this city have the same needs. They need a safer city, they need jobs, they need a good education for their kids. ``We should work to give them what they need and leave racially divisive language on the side.'' Throughout the campaign, Hayden has sought to gain advantage from the difficulty Riordan has had reaching out to minority communities, particularly African-Americans. In 1993, he received only 15 percent of the African-American vote, and recent polls show him at about the same level this year despite a number of efforts to establish programs in south Los Angeles South Los Angeles is the official name for a large geographic and cultural area lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central Los Angeles, and is still sometimes called South Central. . Part of the disaffection has come about because of the role - or the perception of the role - played by Riordan in the decision not to rehire Re`hire´ v. t. 1. To hire again. Police Chief Willie L. Williams Willie L. Williams (born 1 October, 1943) was chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) from 1992 to 1997, taking over after chief Daryl Gates' resignation following the 1992 Los Angeles riots. and in getting Franklin White removed as executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The controversy came as Riordan picked up the endorsements of county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and members of United Food and Commercial Workers The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union is a labor union representing approximately 1.4 million workers in the United States and Canada in many industries, including agriculture, health care, meatpacking, poultry and food processing, manufacturing, textile and Local 770. Yaroslavsky is the second leading Democrat to break party ranks and endorse the Republican mayor. U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., endorsed Riordan last week. ``I've worked with and watched Dick Riordan for the past four years, and he has largely achieved his promise to turn Los Angeles around,'' Yaroslavsky said. ``He took a city that was in an economic downturn, coming off the worst riots in the nation's history, and has made a difference. ``He rightly perceived that crime was the major issue, and it is down considerably from when he took office. The city is safer and people feel safer.'' |
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