Rita Walters | |
---|---|
Member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 9th district | |
In office July 1, 1991 – June 30, 2001 | |
Preceded by | Gilbert W. Lindsay |
Succeeded by | Jan Perry |
Member of the LAUSD Board of Education for the 1st district | |
In office July 1, 1979 – June 30, 1991 | |
Preceded by | District established |
Succeeded by | Barbara M. Boudreaux |
Personal details | |
Born | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | August 14, 1930
Died | February 17, 2020 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 89)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
Wilbur E. Walters
(m. 1955; div. 1973) |
Children | 3 |
Rita Dolores Walters (née White; August 14, 1930 – February 17, 2020) was an American politician and educator who served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 9th district from 1991 until 2001. She previously served as a member of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education from 1979 to 1991.
Early life and education
editRita Dolores White was born on August 14, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois to Henry Walters, a Pullman porter, and Verter Walters, a housecleaner. The oldest of five children, her family moved to Kansas soon after. White was among the first to integrate a local community college and briefly attended a college in Alabama before returning home to work at a jewelry store. In 1955, she moved to Los Angeles with friends in search of a job and found work as a clerk. Later, she became a housewife to raise her three children.[1]
LAUSD Board of Education
editLos Angeles City Council
editOn December 28, 1990, City Councilmember Gilbert W. Lindsay, the first black member of the Los Angeles City Council, passed away due to complications from a stroke, leaving his seat vacant. The following January, Walters announced her candidacy for the City Council, but faced a challenge over residency requirements, which were later declared unconstitutional.[2][3][4] Lindsay's legacy became a campaign issue, with Walters and nine other candidates, including Lindsay's aide Robert Gay and sports journalist Brad Pye Jr., competing for the seat.[5] After advancing to the runoff with Gay, Walters narrowly defeated him by 76 votes, a victory Gay attributed to the support of Mayor Tom Bradley.[6]
Post-legislative career and retirement
editPersonal life
editShe married aerospace engineer Wilbur E. Walters on December 31, 1955, after meeting him in Los Angeles. They had three children together before divorcing in 1973.
Electoral history
editYear | Office | Party | Primary | General | Result | Swing | Ref. | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | % | P. | Total | % | P. | ||||||||
1991 | Los Angeles City Council | Nonpartisan | 6,251 | 50.31% | 1st | Won | N/A |
References
edit- ^ Blume, Howard (February 20, 2020). "Rita Walters, a fierce advocate for equality and trailblazing elected official, dies at 89". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Hamilton, Denise (January 10, 1991). "Rita Walters to Run for City Council". Los Angeles Times. p. 39.
- ^ Fritsch, Jane (January 19, 1991). "Walters Residency an Issue as Race Opens for Lindsay's Seat". Los Angeles Times. p. 531.
- ^ "Walters Run OK'd". Los Angeles Times. January 25, 1991. p. 507.
- ^ Fritsch, Jane (April 3, 1991). "Lindsay's Legacy Remains a Campaign Issue". Los Angeles Times. p. 276.
- ^ "Gay Loses to Walters by 76 Votes". Los Angeles Times. June 12, 1991. p. 21.