Richard Riordan
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| Richard Riordan | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Role: | Former mayor of Los Angeles, Calif. |
| Location: | Los Angeles, Calif. |
| Affiliation: | Republican |
Richard Riordan is the former mayor of Los Angeles, California, having served in that position from 1993 to 2001. Riordan had formerly worked as an investment banker and founded The Riordan Foundation, a charitable organization focused on youth literacy, in 1981. In January 2017, according to the Los Angeles Times, Riordan donated $1 million to an independent campaign to defeat Steve Zimmer as president of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Career
Business Career
As an investor, Riordan was involved in funding some startup companies as well as in making investments for corporate buyouts. Riordan was one of the first investors in Triconex, a company that developed a controller, called the Tricon, which could withstand earthquake faults, according to Triconex historian Gary Wilkinson.[1] Riordan also started a firm that specialized in leveraged buyouts in the supermarket industry, according to Southern California historian Mike Davis' book City of Quartz.[2]
The Riordan Foundation
Riordan founded the Riordan Foundation in 1981 as a charitable organization to focus on literacy in young children. As of October 2017, the foundation's website listed the organization's efforts in this area, noting, "Through its signature 'Rx for Reading' program, The Riordan Foundation has distributed some 25,520 computers to 2,140 schools in 40 states and enabled the purchase of over 172,000 books for elementary classroom libraries."[3]
Mayor of Los Angeles
Riordan was first elected mayor of Los Angeles in 1993 and was re-elected in 1997. Riordan's initial campaign for mayor occurred against the backdrop of the 1992 Los Angeles riots stemming from the acquittal of four police officers charged with beating Rodney King. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, Riordan's initial time in office focused on creating a neighborhood council system for the city.[4]
Political activity
2017
In January 2017, Riordan donated $1 million to an independent campaign to defeat Steve Zimmer as president of the Los Angeles Unified School District, according to the Los Angeles Times.[5]
Recent news
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ LinkedIn, "The Founding of Triconex," March 6, 2017
- ↑ Davis, M. (1990). City of Quartz. New York, NY: Verso. (page 360)
- ↑ The Riordan Foundation, "Richard J. Riordan," archived October 30, 2017
- ↑ Los Angeles Daily News, "Former LA Mayor Richard Riordan marries Harvard-Westlake admissions director," August 28, 2017
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Former Mayor Riordan puts in $1 million to defeat school board president Zimmer," January 18, 2017
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