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Edmund Edelman
Edelman in 1972
Member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
In office 1975–1994
Preceded by	Ernest E. Debs
Succeeded by	Zev Yaroslavsky
Chair of Los Angeles County
In office December 8, 1992 – December 7, 1993
Preceded by	Deane Dana
Succeeded by	Yvonne Brathwaite Burke
In office December 6, 1988 – December 21, 1989
Preceded by	Deane Dana
Succeeded by	Peter F. Schabarum
In office December 4, 1984 – December 3, 1985
Preceded by	Michael D. Antonovich (Mayor)
Succeeded by	Peter F. Schabarum
Chair Pro Tem of Los Angeles County
In office December 3, 1991 – December 8, 1992
Preceded by	Deane Dana
Succeeded by	Yvonne Brathwaite Burke
In office December 8, 1987 – December 21, 1988
Preceded by	Michael D. Antonovich (Mayor Pro Tem)
Succeeded by	Peter F. Schabarum
In office December 6, 1983 – December 4, 1984
Preceded by	Michael D. Antonovich (Mayor Pro Tem)
Succeeded by	Peter F. Schabarum
Member of the Los Angeles City Council from the 5th district
In office July 1, 1965 – December 1, 1974
Preceded by	Rosalind Wiener Wyman
Succeeded by	Zev Yaroslavsky
Personal details
Born	September 27, 1930 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	September 12, 2016 (aged 85) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Mari Mayer (m. 1968)
Children	2
Alma mater	University of California, Los Angeles (BA, LL.B)

Edmund D. Edelman (September 27, 1930 – September 12, 2016) was an American attorney and politician. He served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council from 1965 to 1974 and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from 1975 to 1994.

Early life and education

Born in Los Angeles, Edelman attended Burnside Avenue Elementary School, Los Angeles High School and Beverly Hills High School. He grew up in a traditional Jewish family.

He served in the Navy in 1951 and 1952, after which he attended University of California, Los Angeles, where he graduated in 1954 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. He earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the UCLA School of Law in 1958.

Career

He was an arbitrator with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, deputy legislative counsel with the California State Legislature in 1961 and 1962, counselor to the Subcommittee on Education of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1962 and 1963, and special assistant to the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board in 1963 and 1964. He was then elected to the Los Angeles City Council.

City Council

Edelman engaged in a rough election race to unseat incumbent Councilwoman Rosalind Wyman in the 5th District. Supported by Mayor Sam Yorty, he won the runoff vote of May 25, 1965, by 37,291 to 12,201 and became the then-youngest member of the council at age 35. His residency had been unsuccessfully challenged in court on the grounds that he had lived in Washington, D.C., for 2+1⁄2 years.

Wyman and her husband, former Democratic National Committee member Eugene L. Wyman, sued Edelman for libel in 1965, claiming that his campaign had issued a brochure linking them with organized crime and using political power for personal gain. They asked for $400,000, but in the end, settled out of court in 1970 after Edelman sent a $5,000 check to a scholarship fund at Northwestern University.

Edelman was reelected in 1969 over minor opposition, and in 1973 he would have faced opposition from actor and conservative Republican William Lundigan, but the latter failed to turn in enough valid petition signatures, so the councilman went into that race unopposed.

Board of Supervisors

Edelman was elected in the general election of November 1974 to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors over his remaining opponent, fellow Councilman John Ferraro. He was sworn into office on December 2 of that year, succeeding Ernest E. Debs, a conservative Democrat and outspoken opponent of the 1960s counterculture among youth, who retired.

Edelman led successful drives to establish several new departments and agencies, among them the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Consumer Affairs, and the Community Youth Gang Services agency. He has been recognized for his support of social services agencies dedicated to aiding the homeless, battered women, public transportation, abused children, the disabled and the mentally ill, people with AIDS, and those recovering from substance abuse.

Personal life

Edelman married Mari Mayer in 1968. They had two daughters, Erica Nancy and Emily Rose. Edelman died in Los Angeles on September 12, 2016, at the age of 85.

References

1. "Honoring ed Edelman: A man of vision". November 6, 2013.
2. ^ Los Angeles public library reference file. Accessed April 20, 2024.
3. ^ Ken Reich, "Two Councilmen Give Views of Their First Year in Office", Los Angeles Times, June 30, 1966, page WS-1.
4. Richard Bergholz, "Seven in Council Seek Re-Election" Los Angeles Times, March 29, 1965, page 3.
5. Los Angeles Times May 27, 1965
6. "Wyman-Edelman Race Gets Hot", Los Angeles Times, May 12, 1965, page A-1.
7. Carl Greenberg, "Wymans Settle Libel Suits Against Edelman", Los Angeles Times, June 3, 1970, page A-10.
8. Kenneth Reich, "Edelman's Rival for Council Disqualified", Los Angeles Times, February 2, 1973, page C1.
9. Ray Zeman, "Edelman Sworn In as Supervisor", Los Angeles Times, December 3, 1974, page C8.
10. Los Angeles County Library Public Policy Collection website Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
11. "Councilman Edelman Tells Plan to Wed", Los Angeles Times, July 14, 1968, page B-3.
12. Ed Edelman, 85, retired supervisor and LA councilman, laobserved.com. Accessed April 20, 2024.
13. "Ed Edelman, crusading L.A. County supervisor, dead at 85". Los Angeles Times. 2016-09-13. Retrieved 2020-04-13.

• 1930 births
• 2016 deaths
• Jewish American people in California politics
• Los Angeles City Council members
• Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
• California Democrats
• University of California, Los Angeles alumni
• 21st-century American Jews