Parks versus Ridley-Thomas Electoral Smackdown Coming

Bernard Parks	Mark Ridley-Thomas

The electoral showdown between former LAPD Chief and current Los Angeles Councilperson Bernard Parks and former State Assemblyperson and current State Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas for the 3rd District seat on the 5-member Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors being vacated by retiring Yvonne Brathwaite Burke has political junkies licking their chops.

Ridley-Thomas has received the backing of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, while Parks has received the endorsement of 1st District County Supervisor Gloria Molina.

The five Los Angeles County Supervisors are known as "the five little kings" because each represents nearly 2 million residents and incumbents often faced only token electoral opposition and served for decades. There are now term limits of 3 four-year terms (following passage of a 2002 ballot measure) but no new member has joined the "Supes" since 1996(!)

After Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, 75, decided to retire when her current term expires in 2008 many people were expected to throw their names into the hat to replace her. Former Speaker of the Assembly and current Los Angeles City Councilperson Herb Wesson was the most prominent but decided not to run for the seat in May 2007. Other people who have demurred from running are Congressperson Maxine Waters, Congressperson Diane Watson, Councilperson Jan Perry: a who's who of black politicians in Los Angeles. The 2nd District seat is gerrymandered to have a plurality of African American voters and the 1st District is gerrymandered to have a plurality of Latino voters.