Mark Ridley-Thomas was sworn-in as the first African American male ever to serve on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors on Monday, December 1, 2008…

The Honorable Kamala D. Harris, District Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco, administers the oath of office to Supervisor-elect Ridley-Thomas in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration.

Supervisor Ridley-Thomas addresses constituents and supporters shortly after being sworn-in as Supervisor.

For more information please visit Supervisor Ridley-Thomas’ new second district website and signup to receive the 2nd District Empowerment Express Newsletter.

Part 1 (10:06)

Part 2 (10:22)

Supervisor-elect Mark Ridley-Thomas will formally resign his position as an elected member of the California State Senate on Sunday, November 30, 2008 at 12:00 a.m. (midnight).

Senator Ridley-Thomas formally communicated his intent to resign on Sunday night in a letter delivered on Tuesday, November 25, 2008 to the state Senate President and Senate President Pro Tempore.

Senator Ridley-Thomas’ pending resignation of his seat in the California State Senate paves the way for his oath of office and swearing-in ceremony as an elected member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Mr. Ridley-Thomas said, “My resignation from the California State Senate ends the chapter of my tenure as a legislative leader in our State Capitol and it turns the page on a new chapter in my life of public service in local government. I look back fondly on my time in the state Assembly and Senate. I am proud of my accomplishments as a policy-maker. I care deeply about the people I served.

“I am energized by the challenges that lie ahead. My move to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors comes with a strong voter mandate for change, empowerment and results on important issues, such as health services, public safety, and economic development and jobs. This is as invigorating a homecoming as any public official could ever hope for. I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work for the people of the 2nd District,” he added.

Mr. Ridley-Thomas transmitted his letter of resignation – effective at midnight on Sunday, November 30 – to California Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi, serving in his capacity as President of the Senate, and to state Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, chair of the Senate Rules Committee.

Mr. Ridley-Thomas was elected to represent the people of the county’s Second District on the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 on a 61%-39% vote with a margin of victory of more than 111,000 votes over defeated challenger, L.A. City Council member Bernard C. Parks, in an election where voters chose change over the status quo and picked the next generation of leadership that promised to deliver results on critical voter concerns. The official vote certification in the 2nd District is expected by Tuesday, December 2.

In his letter of resignation from the state Senate, Mr. Ridley-Thomas formally recommended that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger – pursuant to state law governing elections to fill vacant legislative seats – schedule a special election to fill his vacant Senate seat on Tuesday, March 3, 2009. Mr. Ridley-Thomas indicated that consolidating the special state legislative election with local elections on March 3 in the City and County of Los Angeles could reduce the projected $1.5 million in local government election costs of administering a separate election solely for the voters of the 26th District.

State law provides Governor Schwarzenegger with a 14-day deadline from the effective date of a state legislator’s formal resignation to issue a proclamation setting the precise date for a special election too fill a vacant legislative seat.

In his resignation letter, Mr. Ridley-Thomas wrote, “It has been an honor to serve the constituents of the 26th Senate District. I have enjoyed working with my Senate colleagues and legislative staff whose commitment to public service remains an inspiration for my own work.”

“Although I am moving to a new public service assignment, I look forward to engaging members of the Legislature on important policy issues on an ongoing basis, especially members in the Senate – the body for which I have the utmost respect and regard – in our continuing effort to make government work for the people we represent,” Mr. Ridley-Thomas added.

Supervisor-elect Mark Ridley-Thomas will be interviewed by Adrienne Alpert tomorrow at 11 a.m. on ABC’s “Eyewitness Newsmakers”. The half hour weekly program is “dedicated to a deeper exploration of local issues and concerns.”

Ridley-Thomas will take his oath of office to become L.A. County’s Supervisor for the Second District on Monday (December 1, 2008) in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room.

Supervisor-elect Mark Ridley-Thomas today announced that Steven B. Sample, President, University of Southern California has been appointed Chair of his Second District Transition Team, an advisory group that will provide advice and counsel to Supervisor Ridley-Thomas on policy issues, critical community concerns, county commission appointments, county budget priorities and related matters.

Supervisor-elect Ridley-Thomas said the purpose and role of his Transition Team was “to gather together the leading minds and practitioners from throughout the 2nd District to begin the process of evaluating current county policies, assessing funding needs for programs across a range of issues, and examining the effectiveness of county departments and appointed commissions.”

“The voters of the 2nd District voted for change. Key to that change is the involvement and participation of stakeholders and residents throughout the Second District. They voted for a leader who they believed would deliver results. I intend to exceed their expectations,” Mr. Ridley-Thomas said.

In addition to Mr. Sample, Supervisor-elect Ridley-Thomas named the following members to his Transition Team advisory panel (and the issue areas they will lead as Transition Team members):

Connie Rice, Esq. – Public Safety
Co-Director
The Advancement Project

Honorable Sheila Kuehl – Budget Reform
California State Senator (Ret.)

Robert K. Ross, M.D. – Health Services
President and CEO
The California Endowment

Mark W. Rocha, Ph.D. – Workforce Development
President
West Los Angeles College

Dora Leong Gallo – Housing Services
CEO
A Community of Friends

Martin Schlageter – Environmental Quality
Director of Public Policy
Coalition for Clean Air

Cynthia McClain-Hill, Esq. – Small Business Development
President
National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)

Maria Elena Durazo – Commissions/Governance
Executive Secretary-Treasurer
Los Angeles County Federation of Labor

Mr. Ridley-Thomas said, “My Transition Team will be inclusive and diverse. I have more Transition Team members who will officially appointed and named in the coming days. My advisors will help me develop district-specific views on county policy and they will help me assess the budgetary needs of county programs serving the people of the 2nd district.

“My Transition Team advisors will help my office chart new directions for the 2nd District through a structured process of empowerment that will include, but not be limited to issues of county budget reform, workforce development, small business expansion, health services, public safety, environment quality, housing, and children and family services.”

Supervisor-elect Ridley-Thomas will take his oath of office on Monday, December 1 at 12:00 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in downtown Los Angeles.

Supervisor-elect Mark Ridley-Thomas will take his oath of office to become L.A. County’s Supervisor for the Second District on Monday (December 1, 2008) in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration (500 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles 90012).

The one-hour swearing-in ceremony will feature performances by the Para Los Niños children’s choir, Pledge of Allegiance by recording artist Samantha Strachan and a musical selection by the world renowned Agape International Spiritual Center Ensemble, directed by Rickey Byars Beckwith. The Korean Drum Troop will lead a processional at the conclusion of Supervisor Ridley-Thomas’ swearing-in ceremony.

CNN Headline News and Time Warner Local Edition news anchor Brad Pomerance will serve as master of ceremonies.

Honorable Kamala D. Harris, District Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco, will administer Mr. Ridley-Thomas’ oath of office.

Honorable Don Knabe, Chair of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors will deliver welcome remarks.

Bishop T. Larry Kirkland of the 5th Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church will deliver the ceremony’s invocation.

Dr. Stephen B. Sample, President, University of Southern California; Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, L.A. County Federation of Labor; Cynthia McClain-Hill, President, National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO); Robert K. Ross, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, The California Endowment; and Los Angeles Korean-American pioneer Susan Ahn Cuddy are scheduled to play prominent roles in Mr. Ridley-Thomas’ swearing-in ceremony.

Mr. Ridley-Thomas’ swearing-in ceremony will open with a R.O.T.C. color guard, followed by the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of the National Anthem of the United States.

Performances by Second District church choirs and Korean drum performers will provide musical inspiration at the beginning, end and at interludes during course the ceremony program.

Following Supervisor-elect Ridley-Thomas’ swearing-in ceremony, a reception will be held in the BP Room at the Walt Disney Concert Hall (111. S. Grand Avenue, L.A. 90012).

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View the official invite and RSVP information here.

State Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas completed his year-long, come-from-behind victory by blowing out Bernard Parks 62%-38% in the November 4th Supervisorial Election. One year ago, most polls had Ridley-Thomas twenty points behind Parks.

Ridley-Thomas’ support grew as Parks hit his ceiling

But after finishing the primary election with a 45%-39% lead, Ridley-Thomas grew his support rate by 17% while Parks’ rate support dropped one point in the November election.

Even though Ridley-Thomas has not been the 8th District Council representative for six years – and even though Parks has represented the district for those six years since, the Senator beat the Councilmember by a 59%-41% in Parks’ own 8th Council District. He beat him in the southern end of the district, the City of Carson, 60%-40%. He beat him on the Westside and the north end of the district, with margins of 64%-36% in L.A. Council District 11 (Rosendahl), 65%-35% in L.A. Council District 5 (Weiss), and 65%-35% in Culver City. And Ridley-Thomas dominated in Latino areas of the district as well, with margins of 72%-28% in Lynwood, and 68%-32% in L.A. Council District 1 (Reyes).

Targeting new voters

Entering the runoff election, polling in August revealed that Ridley-Thomas led Parks by 13% among the most likely voters. However, among those who were likely to vote in the exciting November election, Parks and Ridley-Thomas were in a near dead heat.

That’s why the Ridley-Thomas campaign focused on voters who did not vote in the primary, but who were likely to vote in November. This was no small task, because more than three times as many voters who voted in June voted on November 4th, so there were literally hundreds of thousands of voters to persuade. More than 39,000 2nd District voters registered between October 1 and the 15-day new registration cutoff before the election. Bernard Parks started out being significantly better known among these voters.

So why did these voters break so heavily for Ridley-Thomas? While he held his own among older and middle-aged voters, Ridley-Thomas dominated Parks among the younger voters and new voters who came out to vote for change. These voters were a disproportionately large part of the voters who turned out for the November election but not the June or even February elections.

Change vs. The Status Quo

All polling reflected that voters of all ages saw Ridley-Thomas as the candidate who would bring change, and as part of the next generation of leaders. While Parks had what used to be the dominant endorsements in the African-American community – including Congresswoman Maxine Waters and incumbent Supervisor Yvonne Burke – voters instead wanted a change in representation, and were not swayed by Parks’ endorsers. Parks – with the support of a majority of the Board of Supervisors – clearly represented the status quo to voters. This is not the right year to be positioned that way, especially with the failure and closure of King-Harbor Hospital on their watch. Parks worsened his problems by defending the status quo at King-Harbor at a time when it was delivering inadequate care to the community, in contrast to Ridley-Thomas who has been at the forefront in the fight for change at the hospital for some time.

The voters found Ridley-Thomas’ background as a grassroots community organizer who works for change and delivers results to be much more relevant and important. The fact that Ridley-Thomas is a legislator who approaches his job as an organizer was a very appealing feature for all voters, but especially new voters.

Parks’ tactic of running a 100% negative campaign also backfired. His attacks (and the Independent Expenditure attacks) on Ridley-Thomas on economic development were just not credible in contrast to Ridley-Thomas’ well-publicized accomplishments. And Parks focused a great deal of his resources attacking Ridley-Thomas’ supporters, especially union workers. This also proved to be a grave mistake for two reasons: 1) this district includes thousands and thousands of union and other blue-collar workers; and 2) even non-union and white collar workers, retirees and homemakers think highly of working families and unions.

In the end, polling revealed that voters realized that Bernard Parks is not who they thought he was – and they had a much better alternative by voting for a candidate who fights for change and delivers results, and a candidate who represents the next generation of leadership: Mark Ridley-Thomas.

1. The Los Angeles Wave:

“State Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas scored a knockout victory Tuesday night to become the first Black man ever elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, Ridley-Thomas had 250,198 votes or 61.4 percent of the votes, compared to 157,294 (38.6 percent) for L.A. City Councilman Bernard Parks.”

2. Los Angeles Times:

“A resounding victory over Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard C. Parks and a reputation for shrewd consensus-building was expected to aid Ridley-Thomas in an ambitious agenda, including better compensation for county workers and a pledge to reopen Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital by January 2010.”

3. L.A. Watts Times (PDF):

“In the most hotly contested local campaign of this election season, State Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas captured more than 60 percent of the vote to defeat Eighth District Councilman Bernard Parks 250,198 to 157,294 in the battle for the second district Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor’s seat being vacated by Yvonne Braithwaite Burke.”

4. Betty Pleasant’s The Soulvine:

“YES WE DID! We won an historic double-header Tuesday: We put the first Black man in the White House and the first Black man on the county Board of Supervisors, both of whom were, far and away, the better candidates who trounced their opponents to prove it.”

5. The Associated Press:

“State Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas was elected to the powerful Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, defeating a bid by city councilman and former police chief Bernard Parks.

Ridley-Thomas won 61 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s election for the 2nd District seat being vacated by Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke.”

6. Daily Breeze:

“As the first new member elected to the Board of Supervisors since 1996, state Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas said Wednesday his first order of business is to assemble an effective staff and focus on immediate needs in South Los Angeles, including reopening Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital.”

7. L.A. Weekly:

“MARK RIDLEY-THOMAS’ BLOWOUT WIN FOR L.A. COUNTY SUPERVISOR

They brought the roasted pig out in a cardboard box. And even if it was a “victory” party, all in attendance knew that their Los Angeles County Second District candidate, Bernard Parks, was cooked.”

8. The Front Page Online:

“On a night of unbounded jubilation for blacks and other liberals practically everywhere on earth, Mark Ridley-Thomas elevated the already shrill volume with a historic contribution of his own, scoring a crushing victory over Bernard C. Parks in the stunningly lopsided race for Yvonne Brathwaite Burke’s seat on the County Board of Supervisors.

On the eve of his 54th birthday, Mr. Ridley-Thomas last night became the first black man elected to arguably the most powerful local body in the country by the nose-flattening margin of 61.4 percent to 38.6 percent for Mr. Parks, an L.A. City Councilman.”

9. La Opinion (Spanish):

“State Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas, who on Tuesday won the contest as a representative of District 2 on the Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles, said in his first public appearance after the election day, that the welfare of Latino families is one of his priorities.”

Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas voted earlier today with his wife, Avis, and his son, Sebastian, at Transfiguration Catholic Church. His other son, Sinclair, could not get away from Morehouse College and voted absentee ballot.

Sebastian Ridley-Thomas talks about civic responsibility, voting and this historic day.

If you haven’t done so already, please go out and vote!

1. Jay Handal explains why he is voting for Ridley-Thomas on The Front Page Online:

“Being involved in community more than 20 years, and having worked with many politicians, I whole heartedly endorse state Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas as our next County Supervisor.

A man who makes his own decisions, not relying on his fellow local politicians for direction, Mark will best serve the district honestly and faithfully.

If you are truly looking for local change, and an independent thinker with proven experience and track record, then be sure to check Mark Ridley-Thomas on Tuesday’s ballot.”

2. The L.A. Times has a favorable article about Senator Ridley-Thomas with some great quotes from constituents across the 2nd Supervisorial District:

Bishop Charles E. Blake praised Ridley-Thomas and his wife as, “a godly family faithful to the church and the work of the Lord.”

Rev. Ronald Byrd of First AME said that Senator Ridley-Thomas has “been a fighter for our community for such a long time.”

Inglewood health inspector Marcelyn Cypret is quoted saying that Ridley-Thomas is “for the working people, the working class.”

And commercial plumber William Brown likes what the Senator says “about protecting workers’ healthcare and retirement benefits.”

3. Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas, California co-chair of the Barack Obama for President campaign, today sent a letter expressing sympathy and condolences from the Ridley-Thomas Family to Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and his family over the passing of his beloved grandmother Madelyn Dunham.

4. L.A. Weekly reports on the “Bizarre Election Triangulation” between a serial killer, Clear Channel and Bernard Parks:

“Category: Desperate election moves. Check out the new deal between former Police Chief Bernard Parks, now an L.A. City Councilman, and Clear Channel, whose bad neighbor approach to doing business has helped plaster L.A. with illegal billboards…

Parks has tried some really odd moves to get media coverage of his race. Enter Clear Channel, which is suffering from a very tattered image for plastering L.A. neighborhoods with billboard clutter. Now, together, Clear Channel and Parks are going to find the Grim Sleeper serial killer.

It has nothing to do with finding the Grim Sleeper.”

5. Los Angeles Voters For Instant Runoff Elections endorses Mark Ridley-Thomas for L.A. County Supervisor:

“State Senator Ridley Thomas supports Instant Runoff Voting, and took the time to come to Los Angeles City Hall to say so at a hearing of the City Council’s Rules and Government Committee (I saw him there). His campaign bio is at http://www.ridley-thomas.com/about.php. His opponent (in this runoff[!] election) is a member of the City Council who skipped the Council’s consideration of IRV last week (perhaps that’s because he was out campaigning), and has been hard to pin down on the issue.”