Parks to Begin Raising Funds for a Council Run

Just weeks after city politicians denied him a second term as Los Angeles police chief, Bernard C. Parks says he will take out papers today to begin raising money to run for the City Council in March.

“I see this as a chance to work on broader issues,” said Parks, who worked for the LAPD for 40 years. “I believe the whole issue of public service is honorable.... I’m hoping to bring a fresher or different view to politics.”

Although some political strategists said they believe Parks is preparing to challenge the man who ended his LAPD career--Mayor James K. Hahn--the former chief says he is not looking beyond the race for the 8th Council District seat.

“My focus today is to deal with the issues in the district,” which covers South and Southwest Los Angeles and is represented by Mark Ridley-Thomas, who is leaving the council because of term limits, Parks said.

In February, Hahn announced that he was opposing the chief’s bid for a second five-year term because Parks had not done enough to reform the LAPD, a claim that Parks denied.

The position prompted criticism from the city’s black activists, who strongly supported Parks as one of the country’s few African American police chiefs. They said they felt betrayed by the mayor’s position, especially because black voters had been instrumental in Hahn’s election.

But the Police Commission agreed with Hahn, voting 4 to 1 to deny Parks’ application to continue as head of the department. Parks, 58, appealed the decision to the council, where he accused Hahn and the police union of conspiring to make life better for officers at the expense of public safety.

But city lawmakers were unswayed by Parks’ appeal. They voted overwhelmingly to uphold the commission’s decision. After Parks said he was retiring earlier this month, the city launched a nationwide search for his replacement.

Parks said he wanted to take a few weeks off to consider his options. He hired political consultants Kerman Maddox and Rick Taylor to set up a possible council campaign.

On Tuesday, he said he planned to file papers with the city Ethics Commission today to begin raising money for his effort. He also said he and his wife, Bobbie, are preparing to move from their home in an unincorporated area of the county to nearby Baldwin Hills in the 8th District.

Ridley-Thomas is running for an Assembly seat. If he wins, he will leave the council in January; if he loses, he will vacate the seat in June 2003. His successor will be chosen in the March election.

So far, six others have filed papers to run in the 8th District: Assemblyman Roderick Wright (D-Los Angeles), Robert Cole, Sherri L. Franklin, Kevin Melton, Mervin L. Evans and Karen Bass.

Parks has yet to take a position on the city’s most contentious issue: secession by the San Fernando Valley. He said he is studying it.

Veteran political consultant Joseph Cerrell said he believes Parks will win handily.

“If you call Central Casting and ask for a public official, they’ll send you Bernie Parks,” Cerrell said. “He sounds good, he looks good, he dresses well. And this guy knows politics.... He’s as close to a slam dunk as you can get.”

But some officials say privately that Parks must demonstrate that he has more on his mind than political revenge against Hahn and his other foes if he wants to be an effective council member.

“He’ll need to be a consensus builder,” said one city official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Anticipating the criticism, Maddox said he believes the former chief is up to the task.

“I don’t think he’s going to have any problem,” Maddox said. “He comes with phenomenal experience. He has served the city for almost four decades.”