Rocky Delgadillo: Latino New Democrat

Last month, City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo became the first Mexican American to assume a citywide office in City Hall in more than a century. Although a lawyer by training, the former deputy mayor under Richard Riordan has spent much of the past decade working to foster economic development throughout the city. From his 18th-floor office, Delgadillo spoke to The Times about business, the city attorney’s role and the future of Latinos in politics.

Question: How will you approach the city attorney’s job differently than your predecessor James K. Hahn?

Answer: I think that this city attorney’s office will be much more proactive. In the past the city attorney’s office would wait for problems and then respond to them.

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Q: Would you have negotiated the consent decree in any way differently than Hahn did?

A: I think I probably would have figured out a way for the document to naturally evolve. I think when you’re entering any agreement, things will change along the way. I would have put in a mechanism to accomplish that, because as we go forward there will be things that do not work and there will be new opportunities to bring real reform to the police department that we hadn’t identified before.

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Q: The LAPD, the Riordan administration, and the former head of the Police Commission all aggressively opposed the portion of the consent decree that requires police to guess the racial or ethnic background of each person stopped in order to collect data. Do you see it as problematic that the LAPD is now required to guess and record the background of every driver stopped?

A: The question is how meaningful is that information going to be. People I’ve spoken to in the Police Department feel as though they’re thinking more about race now. I think that that’s probably, at the end of the day, bad. But let’s collect this information and then determine whether or not it has meaning. There is a potential negative byproduct, but on the other hand I’m one of the many people in the city who’s been a subject of racial profiling.

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Q: You’ve been a victim of racial profiling?

A: When I was a kid, if you traveled across York Boulevard where it turned into Monterey Road in South Pasadena, you often got stopped. I was stopped by the South Pasadena Police Department. They would pull me over and check me out when I was not speeding.

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Q: What is the state of gang injunctions in the wake of the Rampart scandal?

A: There’s been a somewhat chilling affect. One of my goals is to use them in a much more comprehensive way. Currently, gang injunctions cover a neighborhood and effectively what they do is chase the gang members to the next neighborhood. What I’d like to do is start chasing gang members out of gangs and into opportunities. It was almost by accident that the neighborhood of the Van Nuys General Motors plant we redeveloped had a gang injunction in force across the street on Blythe Street. Blythe Street is now one of the safest streets, and has had a 70% crime reduction. There are now people who live on Blythe Street who work across the street in the retail center. I think if you provide opportunities for young people in the community for a better life, it might start a snowball effect.

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Q: Are you concerned that gang injunctions could be an infringement on civil liberties?

A: I grew up in a neighborhood where gangs were present and pervasive. They had an impact on the quality of life and civil liberties of innocent people. I believe that gang injunctions are an important tool in trying to reduce crime.

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Q: What do you mean when you say you’ll be a business-friendly city attorney?

A: Those are The Times’ words, not mine. I think of myself as a champion of the poor. I focus on trying to bring jobs to poor communities. Now to do that, you need to have private sector investors come in and invest in poor communities. We should do all we can to encourage that. They have to believe that when I say invest in those neighborhoods, they’ll get a return. I have to have a credible voice.

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Q: Does L.A.’s elite lack the understanding that private sector investment can help poor communities?

A: I believe that it wasn’t such an issue in down economic times. In good economic times, it becomes an issue. All of a sudden, it’s not OK for someone to go into South Central and make a profit. It’s OK for them to go into Beverly Hills and make all the profit in the world. But to do it in South Central somehow doesn’t seem right.

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Q: Why?

A: I don’t know. The paradigm needs to shift. Part of it is that there’s been a long history of government programs that have gone into poor neighborhoods that were based on this nonprofit, non-market-principle approach. Giving the fish as opposed to teaching people how to fish. But the culture is changing. We’re the minority business capital of the country, and many of those businesses have successfully prospered in poor neighborhoods.

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Q: How can the city attorney’s office attract top quality lawyers?

A: The office used to be a place where top lawyers would come get training and then move into the private sector. I’d like to bring that back, but also encourage them to stay in the city as assistant general managers or chiefs of staff to a councilmember, or in the chief legislative analyst’s office. I’m trying to bring in talent to the city family.

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Q: The billboard industry gave a considerable amount of money to help your campaign. Don’t you think the proliferation of billboards is a visual blight on the city?

A: Yes, I do. I would certainly like to work with the city council and with the mayor to figure out a way to reduce the amount of billboards in the city of Los Angeles. I think there is a way to do that. And my credibility in the business community will only serve that purpose. I consider myself an economic diplomat between the neighborhoods and the business community.

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Q: Other than receiving 79% of the Latino vote, how else did your ethnicity help or hurt your campaign?

A: I didn’t hide my ethnicity at any point, but I also thought It was important to reach across boundaries. And, I was fortunate to have people like Magic Johnson support my campaign. The majority of people that voted for me were not Latino.

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Q: After the election, many observers thought that L.A. voters weren’t ready for a Latino mayor. Was that the case?

A: I think that the city is ready for leadership, and I believe it’s ready for Latino leadership. This is a place where strong leadership matters, regardless of where it comes from. Here’s a chance for Latinos to demonstrate their great prowess, if you will, at bringing people together. . . . We open up our lives and embrace people.

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Q: Is there a rift between Latino and black voters in L.A.?

A: I don’t think so. I did not experience that in my campaign. There’s going to be a growing process as Latinos move into traditional African American neighborhoods. [But] in Los Angeles, we have to relate to each other every day. And guess what: It’s not always going to be easy.

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Q: How do you characterize yourself ideologically?

A: A bleeding-heart moderate. I do believe there is an opportunity to solve some of our social ills by embracing the principles of our economy. I do believe the economy is a very powerful force, and we should direct it at some of our most important social ills.

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Q: Will you seek to support other moderate Latino candidates running for office in L.A.?

A: I will support candidates who fit the New Democrat model whether or not they’re Latino.

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Q: Does your election indicate the direction Latino politics are going?

A: Angelenos elected a Latino who came from the neighborhoods, achieved some educational [success], and came back to make a difference. I think that is the wave of the future for Latinos across the country. . . . I do believe that ultimately working families endorse a moderate agenda, especially Latinos.