Council Tribute to ‘a Father’

With a black shroud covering his chair and the Los Angeles City Council chambers packed for the occasion, John Ferraro was remembered Wednesday for his warmth, political savvy and humor.

In an emotional tribute a day after his death, officials recalled Ferraro’s 35-year career on the council. Some of the testimonials were tearful, but more often they were delivered with humor.

Ferraro was cited for his work on the 1984 Olympics and improving the Los Angeles Zoo. Mayor Richard Riordan and others praised Ferraro as a strong and steadying force who brought civility to the debates of government.

“You were the heart, the soul of our city of Los Angeles,” Riordan said as a giant photograph of Ferraro was shown on a large-screen television. “John Ferraro’s life was a life of giving, giving to the people of Los Angeles, giving to the people of his district.”

Ferraro was 76 when he died Tuesday at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica after a two-year battle with cancer. Family members, including sisters Rose Mercadante and Mary Busciglio, attended Wednesday’s tribute, which will be followed by visitation Sunday at 7:30 p.m. and funeral Monday at 10 a.m., both at St. Brendan Church, 310 S. Van Ness Ave.

Joining 12 current City Council members Wednesday were former City Council members Roz Wyman, Joy Picus, Art Snyder, Richard Alatorre, Zev Yaroslavsky, Ed Edelman, Michael Woo and Robert Wilkinson.

Police Chief Bernard C. Parks, Fire Chief William Bamattre, City Atty. James K. Hahn and other city department heads also attended the two-hour tribute.

“He has served the city so well for so many years as a moderating voice, a person everyone could work with, and who has contributed so much to the well-being of this city,” said Edelman, who is also a former county supervisor.

Picus added that Ferraro’s remarkable presence reflected the way he carried his influence, wearing “the mantle of power both gracefully and graciously. His wit and fairness are truly legendary.”

African American Council members Mark Ridley-Thomas and Nate Holden recalled that when they were first elected, the Italian American Ferraro broke the ice by introducing himself as chairman of the council’s “black caucus.”

“John Ferraro’s favorite line to me,” Councilman Mike Hernandez added, “was ‘Us Latinos have to stick together.’ ”

Hernandez was near tears when he said he considered Ferraro to be like a father, and Councilman Rudy Svorinich Jr. said Ferraro was a padrino, a godfather, who took him under his wing.

Others recalled with humor some of Ferraro’s parliamentary mastery, a set of skills developed over decades that helped the councilman prevail in those instances where charm or humor failed him. Holden recalled one key vote in which he was the only dissenter and, by voting no, delayed final approval. Holden was doing an interview with a reporter afterward and Ferraro, he said, urged him to take the interview out in the hallway. As soon as Holden was outside the council chamber, Ferraro called for a new vote and the measure passed unanimously, Holden recalled.

“We can go on for weeks telling John Ferraro stories,” said interim Council President Ruth Galanter. “Besides being a wonderful human being, let’s not forget that John Ferraro was a really slick pol.”

Although Ferraro’s public life was the one best known around City Hall, two other devotions helped make him the man he was--his loyalty to USC, where he played football, and his dedication to his wife, Margaret, who died last year after a debilitating illness.

Under any circumstances, Ferraro’s death would mark the end of a long era at City Hall. But for several of those who spoke Wednesday, the council president’s passing was especially unsettling because it comes at a time of great change in Los Angeles, when voters are electing a new mayor, city attorney, city controller and six new council members.

Councilman Alex Padilla, who was elected two years ago, worried about the loss of experienced leaders like Ferraro, who he said helped him learn the ropes at City Hall.

Alatorre agreed: “He was a big man in stature but he was a bigger man as a human being. This city has lost a great man.”

Meanwhile, Ferraro’s death automatically elevated Galanter to the council presidency pending a new election by the council, said City Clerk Mike Carey. He said Galanter probably will appoint chief legislative analyst Ron Deaton as a caretaker to run Ferraro’s office until a special election, possibly in mid-August, to fill the 4th Council District seat.