Former LA Mayor Richard Riordan Dead at 92

Richard Riordan, Los Angeles’ mayor from 1993-2001 who faced the challenges of uniting the city following the Rodney King riots and rebuilding it following the 1994 Northridge earthquake, died today at age 92, his family announced.

Riordan “passed peacefully this evening at his home in Brentwood, surrounded by his wife Elizabeth, family, friends and precious pet dogs,” the statement said.

Riordan, the only Republican to hold the nonpartisan position since 1961, was elected in 1993, succeeding Tom Bradley, who held the position for a record 20 years.

Riordan was a lawyer, venture capitalist and member of the Los Angeles Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners before his election. 

Riordan took office slightly more than a year after the rioting that followed the verdict in the state trial of the Los Angeles Police Department officers accused in the beating of motorist Rodney King, then had another challenge to face in his first year in office — the 1994 Northridge earthquake. 

“Mayor Richard Riordan loved Los Angeles, and devoted so much of himself to bettering our city,” Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. “He always had a place in his heart for the children of LA, and worked to improve how the city served our youth and communities as a passionate member of the Los Angeles Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners. 

“Mayor Riordan’s legacy includes our city’s iconic Central Library, which he saved and rebuilt, and which today carries his name. 

“In the wake of the Northridge earthquake, Mayor Riordan set the standard for emergency action. He reassured us and delivered a response with an intensity that still pushes us all to be faster and stronger amidst crisis. 

“Though born in New York, Mayor Riordan will be remembered as an LA Original.”