John Ferraro John Ferraro ( 1924 – 2001 ) was the longest - serving Los Angeles City Council member in the history of the city — thirty - five years , from 1966 until his death in 2001 — and the president of the council for fourteen of them . He had been an all - American football player at the University of Southern California . Biography . Parents and education . Ferraro was born May 24 , 1924 , in the working class suburb of Cudahy , California , just south of Los Angeles , " the youngest son of a family of eight children whose Italian immigrant parents ran a macaroni factory before going broke during the Depression . " He attended Bell High School in Bell , California , where he graduated in 1942 , and he earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration from the University of Southern California after World War II . Military service . Ferraro enlisted in the U . S . Navy during World War II and was commissioned as an ensign in 1945 . He served on a tanker with Warren Christopher , later the Secretary of State under Bill Clinton . " Christopher got Ferraro interested in politics during long , early morning discussions when they were stationed in the Bay Area . " Football . His excellence on the football field at Bell High — he was a unanimous choice for the All - City team — led to his receiving a scholarship at USC , where he earned All - America n honors in 1944 and 1947 and played as a tackle in three Rose Bowls . He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974 . As an adult he stood 6 feet , 4¼ inches tall and weighed 245 pounds , earning him the nickname " Big John . " Business career . Ferraro was an insurance broker with the John Ferraro Company , beginning in 1951 , and he invested shrewdly in stocks and real estate that made him a millionaire . Family . He was married to Julie Marie Luckey , daughter of Democratic State Senator E . George Luckey , and they had a son , Luckeygian , or Lucky , born about 1956 . The Ferraros were divorced in 1972 . His second wife was Bridget Margaret Hart , widely known as exotic dancer and stripteaser Margie Hart in the 1940s — and then as a legitimate actress who even later made money through real - estate investments . They met at a reception in support of Democrat Pierre Salinger ' s unsuccessful U . S . Senate campaign in 1964 , and they were married in 1982 . She died in 2000 . Illness and death . Ferraro was diagnosed with cancer of the spleen in August 1999 and underwent chemotherapy . Mayor Richard Riordan was at his side , along with family members , when he died at the age of 76 in Santa Monica on April 17 , 2001 . A crowd of nearly a thousand filled St . Brendan Catholic Church , Ferraro ' s parish , for a funeral mass conducted by Cardinal Roger Mahony . Family present included Ferraro ' s brother , Steve , sisters Mary and Rose and his son , Gianni Luckey . Public service . Police commission . He entered government service in 1953 , when Mayor Norris Poulson appointed him to the city Police Commission , where he served for thirteen years . During that period , he advocated more - stringent gun laws and backed African - American John Roseboro , former Los Angeles Dodgers star , to do community relations work for the Police Department after the 1965 Watts riots . City Council . Appointment and elections . " See also List of Los Angeles Municipal election returns , 1967 and after " Supported by Mayor Sam Yorty and seen as a " product of the old guard of conservative if nominally Democratic politicians who used to dominate local politics , " he was appointed in May 1966 from among thirteen applicants to represent Los Angeles City Council District 4 after the death of incumbent Harold A . Henry . Because of his height , when he took office carpenters had to remove a drawer from his desk so that his legs could fit under it . During his term , which at thirty - five years was the longest in City Council history , the 4th District covered ( in 1955 ) much of the Wilshire district and in general was bounded by Fountain Avenue , Wilshire Boulevard , Fairfax Avenue and Catalina Street and ( in 1975 ) Central Los Angeles from Fairfax and Highland Avenues on the west , to Santa Monica Boulevard on the north , the Pasadena Freeway on the east and Olympic Boulevard on the south ( 1945 ) . In 1986 it was considered a contorted district that included the old areas as well as Atwater , Griffith Park , Forest Lawn Drive and parts of the central San Fernando Valley to Colfax Avenue and Victory Boulevard . In 1989 the district stretched from Hancock Park to Studio City . In 1974 , Ferraro ran unsuccessfully against fellow Councilman Edmund D . Edelman for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors , and in 1985 , he made a futile run against Tom Bradley for mayor . In 1999 , he was fined $ 3 , 300 by the Los Angeles Ethics Commission for receiving campaign contributions in 1997 above a newly established limit . It and penalties levied against Councilmen Mike Hernandez and Mark Ridley - Thomas were the first to be made under a law effective in 1985 . Presidency . Ferraro ' s election as City Council president in 1977 to replace John Gibson allowed him to make committee appointments and set a general direction for the council . In that year he restructured the committee system to " reflect concerns about the environment and city finances . " It advanced him to the second most powerful position in the city and made him acting mayor when Tom Bradley was out of town . Ferraro later denied he used his committee appointing power " to reward allies and punish enemies , " but he admitted to being practical : " Anybody who mistreats their friends to benefit their enemies is not practicing good politics , " he said . " You don ' t get reelected to the presidency that way . " In Ferraro ' s 1997 reshuffle of committee seats , the biggest loser was Nate Holden , " the frequent butt of Ferraro ' s jokes , who was ousted from all three of his committees and given far lower - profile assignments , " Jodi Wilgoren reported in the " Los Angeles Times . " It was said that Ferraro often calmed disputes on the City Council " with humor and a firm hand " and that after his death it was " unlikely such a dominant figure will again emerge , " because of newly imposed term limits at City Hall . Activities . Ferraro was noted for " spearheading the refurbishment of the Los Angeles Zoo " , for " bringing the new Staples Center arena to a revitalized downtown " and helping to attract the 2000 Democratic National Convention to Los Angeles . Other activities : 1984 . Ferraro ' s " biggest citywide leadership role was in helping bring the Olympics to Los Angeles , serving on early committees trying to attract the Games . " 1985 . Ferraro was considered pro - development , and he usually supported most everything that building industry leaders wanted , one exception being rent control because of the large number of elderly renters in his district . 1989 . He opposed building underground transportation lines ( subways ) , believing instead that mass transit should run along freeways or , in the San Fernando Valley , along existing rail lines . 1996 . The City Council president opposed Mayor Richard Riordan ' s plans for a City Charter revision commission to be elected by the voters , on the grounds that it would be chaotic and would undermine the council ' s authority . He wanted a committee of experts in public policy and constitutional law appointed by the City Council itself . In the end , both panels were set up and worked on their own drafts for a charter revision . 1997 . With County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky , Ferraro opposed a plan by Universal Studios to add 5 . 9 million square feet to its theme park attractions in Universal City , with resort hotels and additional parking lots . The two legislators urged the proposal be cut by 40 % . Honors . Ferraro was elected to the board of the National League of Cities in 1995 , and in March 1996 the Los Angeles Marathon named him Citizen of the Year , the University of Southern California gave him its Asa V . Call Achievement Award and the National Council of Young Israel gave him a community - service award . For his contribution to sports in Los Angeles , he was honored with a Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum " Court of Honor " plaque by the Coliseum commissioners . Legacy . On November 16 , 2000 , in honor of his more than five decades of public service , the City of Los Angeles renamed the landmark Department of Water and Power ' s General Office Building to the John Ferraro Building . The building was designed by the architects AC Martin Partners , Inc . and opened in 1964 . The Margaret and John Ferraro Chair in Effective Local Government was established at the School of Policy , Planning and Development of the University of Southern California . References . Access to some " Los Angeles Times " links may require the use of a library card .